Published
by Williams and Whiting,
1st March 2018.
1st March 2018.
ISBN: 978-1-91258200-6 (PB)
American GI Ed Grover had been one
of the first Americans to come to Britain and fight in the Second World War
and, in 1950, back in England after liberating Europe and peace-keeping in
Germany, he has one last thing he wishes to do before he is shipped back to the
US and is demobbed. In 1941, while briefly visiting Bristol, Grover had been
caught up in a bombing raid, which occurred during heavy rain. He took refuge
in Ellie Morrison’s small corner shop and she and her husband, Arthur, showed
him warmth and spontaneous kindness, drying him off and feeding him, even
though food was rationed and scarce. When Grover headed back to Temple Meads
station, their eleven-year-old son, Harry, guided him there. For many years, as
Grover fought his way across Europe, Ellie’s letters helped to keep him sane,
and he is determined to visit her, her husband and Harry to see how they are
doing and to say goodbye.
When Grover gets leave and visits Bristol, he finds a city almost destroyed by German bombs and still struggling with rationing, poverty and deprivation. The small shopkeepers and businessmen are being bled dry by vicious racketeers who demand Protection money to prevent premises being wrecked and the owners beaten up. Although this has not yet befallen Ellie, Grover finds her worried and distressed because Harry has gone missing. Although Harry is not directly involved with the racketeers, a close friend of his, Nick Hope does work for them. Grover goes to look for Harry but instead discovers Nick, murdered, his throat cut.
It
soon becomes clear that Harry is the police officers’ main suspect. They have a
lot of circumstantial evidence against him but can discover no motive. Grover
is determined to help Bernard and Ellie and save Harry, her only child and the
centre of her world. He is well fitted for his self-imposed task, being both
intuitive and logical and, after his experiences in the war, a killing machine,
capable of taking on the ruthless racketeers. As Grover fights to save Harry,
he makes some useful allies, a few of the whom are as dangerous as his many
enemies, but when Harry’s alibi proves to be almost as destructive to his
future as being convicted of murder, Grover has only one option, he must find
the real murderer before Harry comes to trial.
One Fight at a
Time
is the first of the books featuring Ed Grover and it is a superb opening to the
series. The plot is well paced and involving, and the setting is well-drawn.
Grim descriptions of bombed out areas contrast with a delightfully fresh
description of an early Pontins’ holiday camp and mention of several
entertainers who have since become household names. The characterisation is
excellent. Ed Grover is a man who has been immersed in violence and has not
emerged unscathed, but his moral compass is still intact as is his ability to
care for others. He is both likeable and believable. The author shows Bristol
as a divided city, with working class people struggling to lead decent lives,
despite poverty and the daily grind of rationing; the respectable wealthy can
still obtain smoked salmon and champagne, and the racketeers own nightclubs and
their own ‘stables’ of boxers. I found especially interesting the skill with
which the author shows how the decent police officers, who are doing their best
to investigate the murder, can become the enemies of ordinary, hard-working
people, who have never before fallen foul of the law.
One Fight at a
Time
is a page-turner. I recommend it and I am looking forward to the next book in
the series.
------
Reviewer:
Carol Westron
Jeff Dowson began
his career working in the theatre as an actor and a director. From there he moved into television as an independent writer/producer/director. Screen
credits include arts series, entertainment features, drama documentaries, drama
series and TV films. Turning crime novelist in 2014, he introduced
Bristol private eye Jack Shepherd in Closing
the Distance. The second thriller, Changing the Odds, was published the
following year. Cloning the Hate is the latest in the series. He is a member of
BAFTA and the Crime Writers Association.
Carol Westron is a
successful short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher. She is the moderator for the cosy/historical
crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime
novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats is the
first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Carol recently
gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the interview click on the link
below.
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