29 July 2018.
ASIN: B07G1C5HV7
Fiona
Mason works for Super Sun Travel Agency and enjoys her job as a tour manager
for luxury coach tours to interesting places in Europe. However, she is well
aware of the constant threat of terrorist attacks and does not appreciate being
reminded of it by her son, Adam. He disregards her love of her job and her
determination to be independent and wishes her to move to Canada to be with him
and his family. Fiona is determined not to succumb to Adam’s persuasion. She
knows that she needs to reclaim her own identity after many years of nursing
her late husband and also there is the potential of a new man in her life.
Peter Montgomery-Jones is a senior operative in MI6 and Fiona met him when an
early coach tour she was in charge of was involved in a violent crime that had
implications for National Security. Peter has made it clear that he wishes to
become more closely involved with Fiona, but she has held back, concerned by
their different lifestyles and that often they disagree when the welfare of her
passengers clashes with the demands of his job.
A tour of Provence, based in Avignon,
should not be a taxing assignment but, on the second day, terrorists bungle an
attempt to kidnap the Adele Deveaux, wife of a French government minister. They
take over a small restaurant, holding captive Mme Deveaux and her male
companion and several innocent bystanders. They demand that a Muslim preacher,
who is accused of inciting terrorist atrocities, should be released from
custody. After several hours of tension, it is established that the captives
include seven of Fiona’s passengers, three married couples, Ken and Kathleen
Burke, Sunil and Samina Colaco, Harvey and Celia Ericson, and a single
traveller, Daniel Price. Fiona is worried about all her passengers, but she is
especially concerned about Harvey and Celia because Harvey is elderly and
Celia, although much younger than her husband, has been showing symptoms of
dementia.
Ken and Kathleen are released quite
quickly and, some time later, Daniel helps Celia to escape through a back
window with the assistance of French security officers. The other passengers on
the tour are aware that they cannot help the three passengers who are still in
the restaurant and, determined not to give in to terrorism, vote to continue
the tour. Fiona has the difficult task of keeping up the passenger’s morale,
while liaising with the police and her boss at Super Sun, dealing with phone
calls from Harvey’s anxious and obstreperous son and making sure that Celia is
safe and does not wander away.
Back in England, Peter Montgomery-Jones
is requested by the Home Secretary to undertake a very delicate and discreet
mission to Avignon. The Home Secretary is afraid that the unknown man
accompanying Mme Deveaux is his son Christopher. If it becomes widely known
that is son is having an affair with the wife of a member of the French
Government, Anglo-French relations could plummet even lower. Peter agrees to go
to Avignon to hold a watching brief.
Fiona is glad to see Peter and his
support, along with that of Winston Taylor, her wonderful driver, helps her to
cope with her stressful job. However, it is when the French security forces
storm the building and release the surviving hostages that matters become much
more complicated and it is clear that all is not as it seems.
Blood Flows South is the sixth book
in the Fiona Mason Mysteries. In it the author took the bold step of addressing
the prevalent fear of terrorist atrocities and has handled this difficult task
very skilfully. The plot is interesting, and the characters are well drawn, and
Fiona, Winston and Peter are likeable and engaging. From the first book the
reader admired Fiona for her determination to regain her life after the tragedy
of her husband’s long illness and death and it is pleasant to see her grow in
self-belief and to watch her relationship with Peter develop. One of the high
spots of these books is the glorious descriptions of places to visit and these,
as always, are superb. Blood Flows South
is an excellent read, which I would recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol
Westron
The Deadly Dames.
Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times.
The Terminal Velocity of Cats 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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