cover image No Hearts, No Roses

No Hearts, No Roses

Colin Murray. Severn, $28.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7278-6998-2

Set in 1955, this complex but satisfying series debut from British author Murray (After a Dead Dog) introduces Tony G%C3%A9rard, a London "producer's assistant" trained as an accountant who soon finds himself in the role of tough guy sleuth. On retainer to Les Jackson's Hoxton Films, G%C3%A9rard must locate Jonathan Harrison, film star Beverley Beaumont's missing brother. The quest for Harrison leads G%C3%A9rard, who served in France as a special ops soldier during WWII, into a deadly world of bodies, drugs, and diamond smuggling. A dangerous complication arrives in the form of Ghislaine Rieux, the beautiful wife of a former French comrade of G%C3%A9rard's, the "frighteningly ruthless" Robert Rieux, who's sure to follow. Murray's 1950s England, with men hardened by war and willing to take long chances, is the perfect milieu for the unflappable G%C3%A9rard, who manages to keep himself in play, despite threats, beatings, and occasional gunfire. (June)