Direct Hit is the first book in a new series by Mike Hollow. Detective Inspector John Jago is The Blitz Detective. The series is set in London during World War II amidst the frequent bombings of the German Blitz. It was during one of those bombings that a body was found, and DI Jago was called to investigate it. Unfortunately, a bomb wipes out his evidence, but that doesn't keep him from finding the killer.
Direct Hit has a wide cast of characters, with multiple suspects as their lives all entwine with the dead business owner and Justice of the Peace. The scene frequently changes and although you don't know who the killer is, you see overlapping scenes which provide information to you before Jago has been able to discover it, though it's really just hints of information. The story took several surprising turns along the way, and though I did suspect the culprit of being involved, I was surprised by the motive. Occasionally, this change in scene and "players in the story" would confuse me. I had to check back once or twice on names to be sure I knew who was in this chapter.
Although I expected some romance to unfold as the story progressed, that was not to be. Perhaps there will be an evolving romance between Jago and Dorothy Appleton, the American journalist he's been assigned to escort around London. It was interesting to discover at the end that he had previously met and held feelings for Dorothy's older sister, but there was never any resolution to why Dorothy didn't want to tell Jago about her brother yet. I assume that story will come in a future book, which means this friendship is likely to continue throughout the series.
Mike Hollow has developed an excellent new series, with a very intriguing character in DI Jago. His growing friendships and trust with both his assistant Cradock and the journalist Dorothy are being carefully built. They are not being slapped together in a shallow way, but are very well-developed. The book was serious, engaging and surprising. The dialogue was very well-written and matters of faith, truth, philosophies, and personal beliefs are handled carefully. Jago isn't a Christian, and the book didn't wrap up "neatly" with him making a sudden conversion. He may never become a Christian in this series (I don't know) but the book was completely clean and safe to read.
I highly recommend Direct Hit and will be looking forward to the rest of The Blitz Detective series.
April E.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Direct Hit from Kregel Publications in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received.
