Judging a book by its cover, I picked up a copy of The Smoke, by Tony Broadbent and found myself transported to London, 1947 and immersed in the life of a creeper, London slang for a cat burglar.
Our narrator, Jethro, is witty– a bit of a rogue, he is –and makes no excuses for his profession…he’s simply redistributing the wealth of the upper classes in a London slowly recovering from the War, where everything is rationed (even the beer is watered down) and the Black Market is thriving. His talents as a thief come to the attention of both the British Secret Service and rival crime lords and his very survival depends on how well he keeps his wits about him…Broadbent captures the atmosphere of post war London beautifully and Jethro is a character I won’t forget.
Of course now I have to jump right into Spectres in the Smoke to see what kind of trouble Jethro manages to get himself into in 1948…
–Janine, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA
Treat yourself to one of Janine’s picks from Seattle Mystery Bookshop, or visit your local independent bookstore for mystery and suspense.