Front Page Fridays Week-17
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-17. On Fridays I highlight a new book by showcasing the first page.
My Front Page Fridays Week-17 guest is David Jarvis and his about-to-be-published Mike Kingdom spy thriller, The Violin and Candlestick. Here’s a sneak, pre-publication peek at the opening:
Who could ever forget that splash?
Stepping down from the coach should have been such a relief to everyone, including Tanya, the tour guide. Morocco in summer is so hot – as in, really hot. The coach had been vibrating oddly since leaving the hotel, and she had been standing at the front, shaving her chin (well, that’s what it looked like to everyone at the back as no one could hear a word she was saying). The photo opportunity had turned out to be the fish market in Essaouira, and almost everyone had regretted leaving the cool of the air conditioning the second that their feet had hit the dusty ground.
Tanya, who had a degree in Stating the Bleeding Obvious, was pointing out the boxes of silvery fish and the sharp knives. Over the previous three days, she had demonstrated her complete unsuitability for the job: speaking neither French nor Arabic, and having had a major charisma bypass. Norman – the tall, old man wearing the same pale-blue, seersucker shorts he had worn since his holiday had begun – was busy photographing some ticket office and ignoring the vibrant local scene. This meant he never saw Jessica, the railway station announcer from somewhere in London, trip over her kaftan and…
The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis. Published 16 July 2024 by Hobeck Books.
About the Book
Former CIA analyst Michaela ‘Mike’ Kingdom is forced into the field once more for her most challenging assignment yet…
Habib Murchison is a hugely successful but enigmatic businessman. A Canadian-born convert to Islam, his wealth grew from the building boom across the Gulf states. But Murchison also has a secret identity. He’s one of the West’s most important intelligence assets in the troubled region.
In London, outgoing ‘Five Eyes’ boss Leonard De Vries is under pressure. Recalled to Langley to face questions from his CIA bosses, he senses he’ll need off-the-books help and calls again on former colleague Michaela ‘Mike’ Kingdom to sort things out, along with ex-CIA operative, Chris Crippen.
Mike and Chris are faced with a nightmare: Murchison is dead, his two grieving sons are being threatened, and then Leonard goes missing. Never trained as a field operative, Mike faces a race to find out what Murchison was hiding, who is prepared to kill to keep it secret, and if there is anyone that she can truly trust?
The Violin and Candlestick is the gripping and thought-provoking third thriller in the Mike Kingdom Series by UK author David Jarvis.
Purchasing Links
The Violin and Candlestick: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D54FBVK8
About the Author
David Jarvis went to art college, and then ran his design and planning practice for forty years, working all over the world. He ended up planning countries. His canvases just got bigger and bigger.
Social Media Link
Twitter/X @David_Jarvis_
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-17. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant