Blood Falls

Tom Bale

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again.

Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, and the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, and gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be.

The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn't welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town's elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. And all the time his old enemy is circling.

'A gripping thriller.'

'With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with élan and substance.'

Review by Chrissi (310512) Rating (8/10)

Review by Chrissi
Rating 8/10
Joe is a man who has fallen off the map. In a previous life he was an undercover policeman, but something went wrong and people got hurt. The bad guys are still looking for him and he has become estranged from his family. Unfortunately, his nose for trouble, that sixth sense that made him a good policeman, is going to get him in trouble all over again when his running takes him to Cornwall and he pokes his nose into someone else’s business to help a woman find her sister.

In more than a few ways, Joe is a familiar character; a loner with a strong sense of right and wrong, he often crops up in situations where the less savoury types might not want him but he is a well rounded, sympathetic character and this is a clever thriller with a tight plot and a very engaging opening. It is well written and has sufficient twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end (I got it wrong, BTW).

I am sure that Joe will have more adventures, and deservedly so, if you like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, then you should have a look at this, the scenery of Cornwall may be small lanes instead of wide American highways, but the pace and plot work very well. A good, solid thriller.
Chrissi (31st May 2012)