Book description
Philip Garve, a journalist on secondment in Jerusalem for a British
newspaper, is more than familiar with the perils of the ancient city and
the skirmishes between its people, so when he discovers a secret weapons
stash by a roadside he begins to sense that an Arab uprising may be
imminent. Complicating matters further are the charming Esther
Willoughby, daughter of a famous author residing in the city, who has
captivated Garve with her charms, and the cool and collected Anthony
Hayson, an archaeologist working in the city's underground tunnels, who
also has his sights set on Esther.
As his journalist’s instinct to chase a good story becomes hopelessly
entangled with more personal reasons for keeping himself - and Esther -
out of danger, Garve finds his own safety compromised in the secret
tunnels on more than one occasion. And, as tensions mount and the pieces
of the political puzzle come together, Garve begins to realise that his
enemies may be a lot closer to home than he first thought.
Roger Bax is the pen name of Paul Winterton (1908-2001). He was born
in Leicester and educated at the Hulme Grammar School, Manchester and
Purley County School, Surrey, after which he took a degree in Economics
at London University. He was on the staff of The Economist
for four years, and then worked for fourteen years for the London
News Chronicle
as reporter, leader writer and foreign correspondent. He was assigned
to Moscow from 1942 to 1945, where he was also the correspondent of the
BBC’s Overseas Service.
After the war he turned to full-time writing of detective and adventure
novels and produced more than forty-five books. His work was serialized,
televised, broadcast, filmed and translated into some twenty languages.
He is noted for his varied and unusual backgrounds - which have included
Russia, newspaper offices, the West Indies, ocean sailing, the
Australian outback, politics, mountaineering and forestry - and for
never repeating a plot.
Paul Winterton was a founder member and first joint secretary of the
Crime Writers’ Association.
