Murder in the Dark: A Paranormal Mystery (Ishmael Jones Mysteries) - Hardcover

Green, Simon R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0727888234 ISBN 13: 9780727888235

Verlag: Severn House Publishers Ltd, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

The sudden appearance of a sinister black hole in the English countryside leads to a baffling murder investigation for Ishmael Jones.

“The past is England’s dreaming, and not all of it sleeps soundly …”

Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny have been despatched to assist a group of scientists who are investigating a mysterious black hole which has appeared on a Somerset hillside. Could it really be a doorway to another dimension, an opening into another world?

When one of the scientists disappears into the hole – with fatal consequences – Ishmael must prove whether it was an accident – or murder. But with no clues, no witnesses and no apparent motive, he has little to go on. Is there an alien predator at large, or is an all-too-human killer responsible? Only one thing is certain: if Ishmael does not uncover the truth in time, more deaths will follow …

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Simon R. Green was born in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, where he still lives. He is the author of more than fifty science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Nightside, Secret Histories and Ghost Finders series.

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Murder in the Dark

By Simon R. Green

Severn House Publishers Limited

Copyright © 2018 Simon R. Green
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7278-8823-5

Contents

Cover, 
A Selection of Recent Titles by Simon R. Green, 
Title Page, 
Copyright, 
Prologue, 
Chapter One: The Hole in the Hill, 
Chapter Two: Something in the Dark, 
Chapter Three: Something's Watching, 
Chapter Four: Some People Have a Beast in Them and Vice Versa, 
Chapter Five: Conversation on a Beach that Isn't a Beach, 
Chapter Six: All Kinds of Mercy, 

CHAPTER 1

The Hole in the Hill

I hate being sent out on missions without a proper briefing. But when the Colonel calls me in the early hours of the morning using the phone number no one else even knows exists and says 'Go now!', then I get up and go. Because that's part of the agreement I entered into when the Organization first agreed to take me under its wing: that they would send me into harm's way on a regular basis and I would never say no, because it was always going to be something that needed doing.

Which was how, on a pleasant summer's afternoon, I came to be speeding through the wilds of Somerset with my partner, Penny Belcourt. People like me aren't supposed to have partners, for any number of really good reasons; but since there are no people like me, I feel free to make the rules up as I go along.

Penny was at the wheel, because no one is allowed to drive any of her precious vintage cars but her. So I just settled down in the passenger seat and enjoyed the ride and the countryside. The pastel-blue sky was slowly losing its colour as the afternoon darkened into evening, but the fields on either side of the narrow road were almost luminously green. Grass that really enjoyed being grass. Here and there sheep clustered together for company, and the occasional rabbit stuck its head up for a good look round. No people, no farm machinery, nothing to disturb the pleasant languor of a country afternoon.

And so many trees, everywhere I looked. Tall and heavy, with wide-spreading branches weighed down with summer leaves. People forget that most of England used to be one big primordial forest; until their ancestors cut most of it down because it got in the way. I like trees. When you've been around as long as I have and seen so many things and people disappear, you like to think there are some things that might outlast you.

There was a time when I preferred cities to the countryside. In my early days it was a lot easier to hide in the hustle and bustle of a city as just another face in the crowd; whereas a man on his own, a stranger, would always stand out in the small towns and villages. But these days, the ever present surveillance cameras lining the city streets make it a lot harder to pass unnoticed. I'm actually better off in the countryside, where I only have to worry about people seeing me, not cameras.

I glanced across at Penny. She was scowling at the winding road ahead, clearly still not at all happy about being sent out on a case without at least some idea of what we were getting ourselves into. When I turned up at her London flat at what was still far too early in the morning for civilized people, rousted her out of bed, stuck a mug of black coffee in her hand and told her we were needed, her first reaction was that the Colonel was taking advantage of me.

It's true, he does; but to be fair, I take advantage of him, too. It's that kind of relationship.

'Why didn't the Colonel show up in person to brief you?' said Penny. 'He never misses a chance to lecture you about things you don't know, so he can lord it over you.'

'Not always,' I said. 'Not when it's really urgent.'

'It can't be that important,' said Penny. 'At least, no one's died yet. So we can be sure it's not a murder mystery, for once.'

'That's what you said last time,' I said.

She took her eyes off the road for a dangerously long moment, to give me what could only be described as a threateningly cool glare. 'I thought we'd agreed none of that was my fault.'

'Of course,' I said. 'Not your fault in any way, shape or form. Could have happened to anyone.'

She smiled, and turned her attention back to the road. 'You know, you learn faster than a lot of my old boyfriends.'

I thought about that. It seemed there were certain implications there ... But in the end I just nodded. It seemed safest.

'So,' said Penny. 'All you got this time was a phone call out of the blue and the bare essentials?'

'Apparently we'll be told all we need to know when we get there,' I said. 'So feel free to take your foot off the accelerator now and again. I would prefer to arrive with all my various pieces still attached to each other.'

'You're the one who made such a fuss about the mission being terribly pressing.' Penny slowed the car by a few miles an hour, to show willing. 'It's just ... there's something about this whole situation that grates on my nerves. Like my subconscious is waving a really big warning flag. It's not like the Colonel to drop you in the deep end without at least some idea of where the sharks are.'

'No,' I said. 'It isn't. Except when it's urgent.'

I smiled across at Penny. I always like looking at her. A striking young woman with a pretty face, strong bone structure, and a mass of night-black hair piled up on top of her head. Dark flashing eyes and a dazzling smile, a trim figure, a stylish look, and enough nervous energy to intimidate anyone who can't keep up with her. She was currently wearing a smart navy-blue business suit, and looked almost frighteningly professional and efficient. Because I'd told her we would be working with scientists; and she was determined not to appear out of her depth. I was wearing my usual dark blazer and slacks, for much the same reason. And because I've never understood the fashion thing.

Penny and I walk side by side into the most dangerous parts of the world on a regular basis, and it's a matter of pride to both of us that we never blink first. We uncover secrets, solve mysteries, and do our best to protect people from things that shouldn't exist but unfortunately do. I see things from the outside, and she understands the complexities of the human heart. We work well together; because nothing can hide from both of us.

I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror. I always feel a faint hint of surprise when I see my reflection, as though what I'm seeing isn't what I expected. Tall, dark, and handsome enough if you're not too choosy; a pleasantly anonymous look that allows me to move through the world without being noticed. Because I can't afford to be noticed. I can't have people asking questions, because I don't have any answers. I've spent most of my life investigating mysteries, but I've never even come close to understanding the most important one of all: who or, perhaps more properly, what I really am. Perhaps because when you get right down to it, I don't want to know.

'I think I've been patient long enough,' said Penny. 'It's time to tell me what you do know. What are we doing way out here, miles from anywhere?'

'We're to provide security for an archaeological dig on Brassknocker Hill, just outside the city of Bath,' I said. 'It seems this particular team of shovellers and trowel experts were busy digging up some farmer's field in search of an old Roman villa when they stumbled across something far more interesting. A hole in the side of the hill with unnatural properties.'

'How can a hole be unnatural?' said Penny.

'That's the point, isn't it?' I said...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Severn House Publishers Ltd
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0727888234
• ISBN 13: 9780727888235
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar