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Wednesday, 3 January 2024

‘Shooting in the Dark’ by John Baker

Published by Orion,
6 June 2002.
ISBN: 978-0-75284798-8 (PB)

Things haven't been too buoyant at Sam Turner's Detective Agency, so when the lovely Angeles Falco gives Sam an envelope of money to find out who is stalking her and her sister Isabel, Sam puts the money in the safe and starts detecting.

His first stop is to speak with Angeles's sister Isabel, who was supposed to turn up for the meeting with Sam but didn't show. Sam is concerned to get her view, as Angeles is partially sighted, and he hopes that Isabel will give him something more concrete to work on; But Isobel proves strangely elusive.

To help with the round the clock surveillance of Angeles and Isobel, Sam calls on JD, short for JD Pears, crime writer, poker player and drummer, JD came to Sam's detective agency to do research and now works for Sam from time to time. JD is still hoping that Marie will give him the opportunity to rekindle their short relationship, but meanwhile becomes fascinated by Angeles's blindness, which revives his creative juices, and he returns to his writing, whilst Sam, who is still rattling around in the five bedroom house left to him by his late wife, is just fascinated by Angeles.

As with all John's previous books, this is more than a detective story, there is a depth to the characters that give the reader several stories, within a story. Geordie, who Sam plucked from the gutter and trained to do detective work has just become a father. His amazement with both his new daughter Echo, and new role of his wife Janet, is to him a source of wonderment and to some extent a minefield though which he is just learning to negotiate his way, but there are dark testing days ahead for this new family.

Interspersed with the investigation and the lives of the operatives, are the chilling thoughts of the stalker, and his partner. When stalking turns into murder, Sam searches his clients background in an attempt to find his way to the truth, and the murderer, before he strikes again.
Highly recommended
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

John Baker was born in 1942, in Kingston upon Hull, and educated at Hull University. He worked as a social worker, shipbroker, truck driver, milkman, and most recently in the computer industry. Married to Anna, Norwegian photographer, five children.

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