A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

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Book Review – The Fatal Coin, by Lucienne Boyce

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The Fatal Coin is a novella, commissioned by Lucienne Boyce’s publisher as an e-book-only taster for her Dan Foster historical mysteries. Although short, there’s plenty of drama and danger for Bow Street Runner Dan Foster as he heads to Staffordshire to solve his latest case.

Historian Lucienne Boyce hails from Wolverhampton, and brings the roots of the present day Midlands landscape to life as she describes canals being built and the bullion coach leaving Matthew Boulton’s Soho Works in Birmingham. The story revolves around a stash of gold coins turning up in a Staffordshire field and then promptly disappearing. This is not, incidentally, the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard on display in Birmingham today, but Roman Empire gold and artefacts. Naturally, the find draws unsavoury characters as well as serious archaeologists to the area. The two groups do not combine well, with fatal consequences.

Dan Foster has crossed swords with the villainous Colonel Pepper before, and is determined to bring him to justice. A killer, thief and forger, Colonel Pepper is also cautious and clever. Dan does not survive unscathed in his task, almost losing his life in his quest to outwit the Colonel.

As well as exciting action and an interesting historical setting, emotions are played out in the tale. Dan, who is beginning to regret his own shaky marriage, is sympathetic to the misfortunes of others. He spots a young woman’s unrequited love and a squire’s alcoholic loneliness, even noticing that Colonel Pepper may not be quite the blackguard that he seems. Yet he is a lawman, not a social worker. Ultimately, he cracks the case and moves on. It will be interesting to see what writer Lucienne Boyce has in store for him next.

The Fatal Coin is a gripping historical mystery by Lucienne Boyce, Read my book review.

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I also write crime stories. If you like a good read on your Kindle, check out my Trail series of crime thrillers set in the British cities of London and Birmingham. You can download free samples from Amazon, or even read all three books completely free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.

When Crime Pays – Narconomics, a Book Review

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When I’m writing a crime thriller, I get advice from specialists – prison officers, policemen and even a farmer who once grew hemp (the legal equivalent of cannabis). One of these experts recommended “Narconomics”.

“You won’t know what drives criminals until you understand the economics of the drugs trade,” he said, assuring me that “Narconomics” would explain just that.

I expected the book, written by “Economist” journalist Tom Wainwright, to be rather dry. It turned out to be anything but. Wainwright describes meeting murderous central American crime bosses, harassed-looking lawmen and colourful designer chemical developers. He delves into the dark web, finding drugs freely available from dealers with feedback ratings just like sellers on ebay. A little old lady tells him about her heroin addiction, while Colorado’s cannabis entrepreneurs trumpet the jobs they’ve created since the drug was legalised. The goods and services on offer include weed tours and whacky chocolate as well as the predictable reefer shops.

Throughout his journey, Wainwright explains how criminals are seizing opportunities to supply products for which a demand exists. Just like a legal business, they must balance risk and reward. The extreme violence used by Mexican cartels and the friendly customer service from online dealers are two sides of the same coin, and no accident: they’re a rational response to market forces.

Although the book is free from graphs and turgid tables of figures, Wainwright occasionally refers to statistics. He shows how consumption of drugs hasn’t fallen despite the billions of taxpayers’ money spent on (attempting) to reduce the supply. Accordingly, he suggests that governments target demand. Prevention, he says, is cheaper than cure. Controversially, he also advocates legalisation. As an aside, he says that Colorado’s new marijuana factories and jobs might not survive worldwide weed liberalisation: global corporations would grow the product more cheaply in Asia and South America.

“Narconomics” is subtitled “How to Run a Drug Cartel”. It doesn’t deliver on this grandiose claim, and anyone expecting a primer in setting up an illegal business will be sadly disappointed. However, as an entertaining account of the business side of the drugs trade, “Narconomics” should be of interest both to readers and writers of crime fiction.

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My last crime thriller, “The Grass Trail” followed the fortunes of a drugs baron desperately trying to escape from his south London prison, and a Brummie businessman dallying with dope farmers in order to grow raw materials for a cancer-busting drug. Check it out here.