“Whisper Of Death”
will keep you guessing, and is highly recommended reading. (Review by Barry
Meehan)
I must admit to never having read any of David Lambkin’s previous novels (Plain of Darkness, The Hanging Tree, Night Jasmine Man and The Voyeur), but I will be looking out for them at second-hand bookshops, trusting that they would be as readable and entertaining as Whisper of Death, his current offering.
According to the blurb on the back cover of the book, Lambkin is English by birth, but has travelled far and wide through East, Central and Southern Africa, where he has now made his home in the bushveld. His intimate knowledge of the aforementioned countries and their customs shines through in the various settings described in Whisper of Death, making it totally believable for readers, both local and international.
The lead character in this adventurous tale is Paul Morgan,
a novelist who has lost his creative spark, busying himself with travel writing
while his publisher waits for his promised manuscript. He is about to fly out
from Zanzibar, where he has been researching the Arab slaver sea routes, when
he meets an intriguing young orphan girl, Angelika, and her guardian, a retired
British spy by the name of Amedeo Sandollar, who has more than interesting
stories to relate.
Morgan is intrigued by Sandollar’s tale of his spy shenanigans during the Second World War – assassinations, Nazi gold disappearing, double agents, and agrees to help Sandollar track down a psychotic British spymaster who betrayed him to keep a secret known only to the high-ups in British espionage during the War.
Lambkin has an easy-going writing style that takes the reader into many locations, including Zanzibar, Mozambique, Tanzania, the wilderness of Central Africa and even London. Each location springs to life with utterly believable characters adding to the excitement and adventure, as Morgan goes about his quest to exonerate Sandollar and keep Angelika safe from some really dangerous arms and drug dealers.
Whisper Of Death will keep you guessing, and is highly recommended reading. - Barry Meehan
Whisper Of Death is published by Penguin Random House South Africa: ISBN 9781776390350
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