‘Long Time Lost’ by Chris Ewan

Published by Faber & Faber, 

5 May 2016.

ISBN 978-0-571-30747-0

Nick Miller is – we think – a good man who spends his time providing new identities for people who are at risk from those who wish to hurt them. He is good at this because, until a few years ago, he did it officially as second in command of the Greater Manchester Police Protection Unit.  Nowadays, helped by an actress, Becca and a young tech whizz, Hanson, he does it clandestinely.

Following the deaths of Nick’s wife Sarah and their teenage daughter Melanie – we are told that they were shot dead and then rendered unrecognisable when their home was set on fire - Nick goes into hiding.  Most people believe that this was simply the reaction of a broken, grieving man, but Detective Sergeant Jennifer Lloyd thinks it’s because Nick killed Sarah and Melanie.

Nick believes that Melanie was shot to prevent her giving evidence at the Rape Trail of Russell Lane. Russell is in prison, but his elder brother, Conner, is a ruthless criminal and he and his henchmen will stop at nothing, including the systematic killing of all the potential witnesses, to prevent the trial from ever coming to court. Kate Sutherland is one of those endangered witnesses.

The action starts on the Isle of Man where, with a high degree of difficulty, Nick manages to persuade Kate that she is in danger.   After that the action, along with various combinations of the characters, moves at speed to Weston-super- Mare, Hamburg, Rome, Arles, Prague and Brienz in Switzerland before finally returning to Lake Windermere in England’s lake district.

This book reminded me of a Bond film, only one that is populated with far more interesting, likeable and believable characters than Bond films ever are. True, the heroine Kate is stunning to look at, though the same could certainly not be said for Nick.  His limbs are apparently the size of tree trunks, but this does not seem to stop everybody in sight – except of course DS Jennifer Lloyd – from worshipping the man.  And yes, amidst all the death and destruction, there is romance.  In fact the story is so well told that it doesn’t really need to be made into a film.  You can picture it all, including the gruesome bits, for yourself.  If you enjoy fast-paced, action packed stories, long time lost, is a must read for you.

---

Reviewer: Angela Crowther

Chris Ewan was born in Taunton in 1976, Chris graduated from the University of Nottingham with 1st Class Honours in American Studies with a minor in Canadian Literature, and later trained as a lawyer. He is an award-winning British author of eight novels. Chris was voted one of America's favourite British authors by a Huffington Post poll. He now lives on the Isle of Man with his wife, daughter and labrador, where he writes full time.

You can can also get in touch with Chris on Twitter @chrisewan or

email him at chrisewan@gmail.com

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.