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Frank Merlin: Princes Gate by Mark Ellis (view source)
Revision as of 14:04, 12 July 2015
, 14:04, 12 July 2015no edit summary
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The story seamlessly blends fact and fiction. Joe Kennedy was Ambassador and his views on appeasement and on Britain's likely chances were only too well-known. His other, less-endearing (if that's possible) characteristics have been caught too – and used to good effect to build the story. As for the fictional characters, they're an engaging mix of the young, the naïve and the louche. It's an engaging story which sits well in the murk (sometimes quite literally so) that was London at the time. I enjoyed he book and I'd like to hear more from DCI Frank Merlin.
I'd like to thank Midas PR the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. UPDATE: July 2015 It's some four years since I read this book but I've now had the opportunity to listen to an audio download, narrated by Matt Addis, who is absolutely superb. For the first time I really understood the meaning of the phrase ''a voice actor''. There's a considerable cast of characters in ''Princes Gate'' but Addis brings each one of them to life as individuals: I felt as though I was listening to a play with accompanying narration: it is extremely skillful. I knew how the story ended, but the plot is strong enough to carry the weight of a reader who knows the how and why. I listened for just over ten hours over two days and enjoyed every minute. If you're considering the audio download, you could increase the star rating to 4½.
The phoney war didn't last for long – for a look at what happened when the blitz devastated London we can recommend [[Ashes to Ashes by Barbara Nadel]].
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