Touched by the Dead by Robert Barnard
This mystery novel is centered on Colin Pinnock, a man who was adopted as a baby, brought up by loving parents, and has done well for himself. He was elected as an MP a few years ago, and as the book begins is now a Minister in the UK government. When he returns home from work the day he is offered the position and meets his staff, he finds a strange note under his door saying "Who do you think you are?" He isn't sure how to take this, whether it is a hostile message or a deeper one. The question, and subsequent messages set him on the trail to find out who his birth parents were.
Because he isn't sure of the intent of the messages, he mentions them to the police working at the government buildings. He wants to have a record of them in case things escalate. They do escalate, but he isn't sure that they are related to his search. He talks to people around him, and brings in his old girlfriend who is a researcher and historian to follow up on leads.
He finds himself first led to a political scandal that happened shortly before he was born, when a politician was disgraced and immediately disappeared. As the present day threat escalate, he finds himself also struck by the limitations of his work in government, and starts to question his life in other ways.
I enjoyed the way the plot brought different elements together as well as by the real issues that the main character dealt with. A very satisfying read.
No comments:
Post a Comment