Well, things have been in the doldrums as of late. Nevertheless, I recently took a break from catching up on my Terry Pratchett collection to check out The Mainstay, a gripping spy thriller in Richard Robinson's The Topaz Files series, which I've previously looked at here. This post is part of a Reading Between the Lines blog tour, hosted by Lynsey Adams.
Blurb
Witness to Murder. A City on Edge. A Mastermind Hiding in Plain Sight.
When university student Sam Jacobs witnesses the murder of a Unionist MP in Ballycastle, he becomes more than a bystander — he becomes a target. Drawn into a web of politics, crime, and sectarian violence, Sam’s world unravels as powerful forces close in to silence him.
Chief Inspector Orla Massey calls on the covert Topaz team to investigate, but corruption in the RUC, political interference, and the ghosts of her own past push her to the brink. Meanwhile, MI5’s Jones, Jenny Richmond, and Declan McNally face a growing threat from an elusive mastermind known only as The Big Man. Power, politics, and betrayal collide as they race to unmask him before he strikes again.
From the terror of a Belfast safe house to a hanging aboard a luxury yacht, from a brutal execution to the underworld of global crime syndicates, The Mainstay is a gripping, heart-breaking and razor-sharp whodunnit where no one can be trusted.
And as the body count rises, one question remains:
Who is The Big Man? And how do you catch a man who doesn’t exist?
Review
One thing to note before I went into this book was that I haven't actually read the second book in the series. Fortunately, this novel stands alone so I didn't feel like I missed anything major. Jones and Jenny Richmond return, and have become seasoned agents for Topaz and are also in a relationship. Their colleague, Isadora Duncan, also returns but is confined to a wheelchair after being shot in the previous story. Jones is also drinking a lot more as the pressures of espionage take a toll on him.
The opening chapter starts off as amusing as the MP injures himself as part of a kinky game, forcing Sam to access the property to assist him and his company. But it takes a dark turn as Sam is hidden in a cupboard as the people the MP sent to cover up the incident decides to bump him off. With that open, I was eager to find out what happened next, and I wasn't disappointed.
The story's tension had plenty of twists and turns. For example, Orla Massey frequently butts heads with Eric Rogers, an officer from the RUC's Paramilitary Squad who serves as an Acting Superintendant and full-time douchebag. But things take a darker turn when she's hospitalised by a car bombing, forcing Declan McNally to work with Rogers. The tension continues to ramp up when Sam Jacobs tries to report the murder of the MP and his younger sister subsequently goes missing while he's placed in witness protection. Although Mario isn't on the Mega Drive. Anyway, the final third act paves the way for some brilliant action.
The Mainstay is available on Amazon here, and I certainly recommend picking it up. It's a thrilling page-turner. I know I've only scratched the surface there, but I don't want to spoil things too much.
About the Author
Richard lives in East Anglia with his wife and two daughters. He is a trained journalist and spent his early years freelancing or in agency positions across the UK, including a stint in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s. He then transferred to the third sector, working in charities focusing on issues as diverse as international development (in India and Bangladesh), air ambulance operations, music and the creative industries, mental health and homelessness. He also acted as Chief Executive of the Olympic Park charity during London 2012.
He is currently the CEO of Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, a job he applied for after a family experience of neglect.
Richard wrote his first novel in the early 2000s but this has yet to see the light of day. Instead, he started with a new idea in 2020 and Topaz was born. He has written two more in the Topaz Files series, Wild Flowers and The Mainstay, which are expected to be published in 2024.
He is also happily in the dugout for Boxford Rovers F.C. on a Saturday, a committed cratedigger (vinyl collector) and can occasionally be seen in the stands at Loftus Road and Windsor Park.
Happy writing.
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