A Scream in Soho by John G Brandon

A Scream in Soho by John G Brandon ISBN-13: 9781464206498 Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: Aug. 2, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
When a piercing scream rends the air and a bloodied knife (but no body) is found, Detective Inspector McCarthy is soon on the scene. He must move through the dark, seedy Soho underworld peopled by Italian gangsters, cross-dressing German spies, and glamorous Austrian aristocrats as he attempts to unravel the connection between the murder and the theft of secret anti-aircraft defense plans. This evocative and suspenseful London novel from the golden age of British detective fiction is now republished for the first time since the 1950s.


My Review:
A Scream in Soho is a suspense/thriller that was originally published in 1940 and is set in London. It takes place during the early days of WWII, so blackouts make investigating the nighttime murders a challenge. Detective Inspector McCarthy grew up in Soho, so he has contacts among the criminals and an understanding of the area. He keeps his sense of humor and unconventional ways as he solves the murders and a theft of secret defense plans, then tracks down the missing plans.

The characters had distinct, interesting personalities. The author included the bad guy's viewpoint as well as the detective's, yet the detective was clever enough to piece everything together without the added information that the reader has. While there were clues, the story was more about how the detective tracked down the answers along with an action-packed arrest sequence.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Some of the characters spoke in dialect, but I had no trouble understanding what they said. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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