‘The Syndicate Six Murder’ by Geoffrey Osborne is a captivating and gripping police procedural set in and around the Halls of Bramshill Police Staff College in Hampshire.
Detective Superintendant Ralph Blade is called into a case of a body being discovered in an antique chest in the Grand Hall of the college The victim turns out to be Detective Harold Ashington, a man well known to Blade due to his various dodgy dealing and his bullying behaviour. This is a man who has a multiple number of people who could be a suspect in his death, even Blade has a reason himself. As no-one else is willing to handle this case Blade, even with his conflict of interest is left to head up the case. Blade and his team begin to interview suspects in this case that has gathered rather a lot of interest from the curious police colleagues at the college. Just to male matters way more complicated for
Blade, another body is discovered.
This is a pretty original and interesting read. The fact that the victim is a police officer who is as shady as they come and the killer must be connected somehow to the police service adds a frisson of excitement. Just the fact that members of the police are supposedly held to account for their behaviour and are expected to hold the line of respectability makes this book a fascinating read.
Harold is a character that you see in these films and tv programmes, always up to no good. The victim everyone has a reason to off, and one no-one sympathises with. Certainly made a change from the victim being the one who doesn’t deserve to die!
An excellent book with an original plot and characters that I had a range of different emotions for and the twists and turns within the story succeeded in making sure I didn’t put the book down until I finished it.
Thanks to Joffe Books for the copy of the book to write this review for today.
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