The Hawk is Down
Peter James
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace returns in The Hawk is Down. This is the 22nd book in the much loved series. Grace and his trusted partner Glen Branson, are called to investigate when the Royal Train, on its way to Brighton carrying Queen Camilla and her staff, is derailed in a tunnel. The Queen and all the passengers must walk to safety before any further injury can be caused.
There follows a wonderful section where the Queen takes the initiative and leads her staff out of the tunnel. James is a friend of the Queen and he portrays her realistically. The tension doesn’t let up until they clear the tunnel, only to find that they must climb a steep set of steps to reach safety.
As the Queen and her aide emerge from the stairs, the aide is shot dead. Grace is called to investigate and he must work out who the intended target was: the aide or the Queen?
The search takes him and Branson to Buckingham Palace where they meet the King and tour a few of the magnificent rooms in Buckingham Palace. James has obviously spent time in the Palace and his descriptions of the rooms and contents are exciting.
Grace finds himself fighting to keep hold of the very high profile case as scepticism and competition arises from his colleagues. The investigation is centred in London and , as always, well written but not of the challenging calibre of Grace’s previous outings. This is a gentler mystery and fans will enjoy the peek into the lives of the British Royal Family.
Barking Books 