I am breathless!! One of my favourite authors, Damian Boyd published his latest book, ‘Blast From the Past‘, on the 6th January, and obviously I got it hot off the press – if e-readers have a press (which I doubt) and plunged straight in as soon as I was able. Many people will know Damien from his Nick Dixon series, contemporary police procedurals set in Somerset and the west country. If you are not one of the “many people”, and don’t know either Damien or Nick, then I really recommend them as a first class read, with very interesting details of the west of England where the novels are set. Damien assures us that a new Nick Dixon book is in the offing, but his most recent publication is the second novel in his Bob Willis series.
The name Bob Willis maybe familiar to cricket fans:
Robert George Dylan Willis ( May 1949 – December 2019) was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984. A right-handed fast bowler, Willis is regarded by many as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. “His indomitable service to England is handsomely reflected in his great collection of Test wickets. Although often beset with aches and pains, he never spared himself when bowling for his country.”
Wikipedia
Damien has borrowed Bob’s name for the main character in his new series, set in the 1980’s, the first being ‘Deceived by the Light‘, and the latest, as I mentioned above, ‘Blast From the Past‘.
It is 1986. Assigned to a new Cold Case Unit, retired Detective Inspector Mungo ‘Bob’ Willis has reopened the investigation into the 1962 disappearance of a nine-year-old boy. Paul Bromfield was snatched from one of the last steam trains from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and later found dead in an abandoned bunker.
A day at the seaside turned to tragedy. And a child’s name everyone remembers.
The killer has been watching—waiting for this moment. When another child vanishes and chilling messages begin to arrive, Bob finds himself caught in a dangerous game. With time running out, he must decipher clues that have been hidden in plain sight for decades; clues that point to the lasting fallout of a forgotten nightmare.
The truth is still out there. And it’s not finished with him yet.
https://www.damienboyd.com/bob-willis/
As you can imagine from this blurb, a story which starts with the abduction and murder of a child is challenging. However Damien is such a skilled writer, and as the setting is forty years ago, it is interesting to follow the investigation by Bob, and by the main police force, when they don’t have the technology and the forensic investigation skills and knowledge which is available now. Aspects of the story are of great historical interest, but I won’t give away any clues or hints about why that is. By the way, there is a subtle nod to the mystery in the blurb.
‘Blast From the Past’ kept me up until five in the morning, and once I’d finished there was so much to think about and mull over, it took me a while to get to sleep! As you might imagine, reading in that way meant that although I read every word, I did read at a gallop, so I’m going to start it from the beginning again this evening. I may have to report back again on extras i notice and realise after a second Bob session!
My featured image is taken in Burnham-on-Sea, where much of the book is set (I won’t say more about this particular picture as I don’t want to give anything away! I took it ten years ago last December.
Lois Elsden 