Simon R. Green
Author of Something from the Nightside
About the Author
Science fiction and fantasy author Simon R. Green was born in 1955 in Bradford-on-Avon, England. He received an M.A. in Modern English and American Literature from Leicester University. He is the author of the Deathstalker series, a member of the British Fantasy Society, and occasionally does some show more Shakespearean acting. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Simon R. Green
The Dark Side of the Road [Dramatized Adaptation]: Ishmael Jones Mystery, Book 1 (2020) 5 copies, 1 review
Appetite for Murder 3 copies
He Said, Laughing 3 copies
Deathstalker Legacy - Episode 2, Winning Friends and Influencing People [graphic audio] (2007) 3 copies
Street Wizard 2 copies
Deathstalker War & Deathstalker Legacy & Deathstalker Return & Deathstalker Coda & Deathstalker Honor & Deathstalker Destiny ( set of 6 books ) (1997) 2 copies
Till Sudden Death Do Us Part [Dramatized Adaptation]: An Ishmael Jones Mystery, Book 7 (2020) 2 copies
Awake Awake Ye Northern Winds 2 copies
The Difference a Day Makes 1 copy
Cascade (short story) 1 copy
The Man Who Would be Dracula 1 copy
Garbės kaina (Antroji knyga) 1 copy
Soulhunter (short story) 1 copy
The Spirit of the Thing 1 copy
Once In A Blue Moon (2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation]: The Forest Kingdom Saga, Book 5, Part 2 (2020) 1 copy
Manslayer (short story) 1 copy
Associated Works
Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond (2013) — Contributor — 166 copies, 12 reviews
What the #@&% Is That?: The Saga Anthology of the Monstrous and the Macabre (2016) — Contributor — 93 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Green, Simon Richard
- Other names
- Green, Simon
- Birthdate
- 1955-08-25
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Leicester (Modern English and American Literature)
- Occupations
- actor
science fiction writer - Agent
- JABberwocky Literary Agency
[UK & Commonwealth] John Berlyne (Zeno Agency) - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Found: Older Fantasy Story - or a fever dream... in Name that Book (August 2023)
Reviews
{First of 5 Forest Kingdom series; fantasy} (1992)
Prince Rupert is the second son of the king of the Forest Land and has been sent into the Tanglewood on a quest to slay a dragon. He knows that the hidden purpose of the quest is to get rid of him so he won’t become a rival to his brother, Prince Harald, but he has an unquenchable sense of duty. So not only does he survive but he finds the dragon and rescues it from a princess ... and then the story really gets going.
The Tanglewood has always buffered the Forest Land from the Darkwood where demons and other evils live. Now, with the Blue Moon on the rise, the power of the Demon Prince is increasing, the Darkwood is spreading and the long night is threatening to cover the land. Only magic can hold it back, but magic has been disappearing as humans and human logic proliferate. Rupert returns to a castle under desperate siege and a court full of treachery. It seems that the only hope to save the kingdom - and the world - is the High Warlock, who was banished to the Dark Tower years ago. Which means that Rupert will have to brave the Darkwood again to bring him back.
This was a re-read and, more than likely, a re-re-read for me. I’ve found that this year I’ve been struggling with re-reads probably because there’s less sense of anticipation than the first time through. But I do remember being on tenterhooks the previous time(s) I read this because I didn’t know which characters to trust.
This sword-and-sorcery story was one of my favourites when I first read it (fairly close to its publication date); I like my heroes to show a little bit of vulnerability. It’s full of doom and (no, not gloom) dark humour, which appealed to me. I did find it a bit portentous this time - but I may add back half a star for nostalgia. A side note: I had read some of the Hawk and Fisher books before I read this the first time and Rob Hawke makes an appearance here; the two series are set in the same world (possibly reverse engineered, I felt) and were later amalgamated.
March 2021
4.5-5 stars show less
Prince Rupert is the second son of the king of the Forest Land and has been sent into the Tanglewood on a quest to slay a dragon. He knows that the hidden purpose of the quest is to get rid of him so he won’t become a rival to his brother, Prince Harald, but he has an unquenchable sense of duty. So not only does he survive but he finds the dragon and rescues it from a princess ... and then the story really gets going.
'Rupert, you wereshow more
supposed to bring back the valuable parts of a dead dragon and at least some of his hoard. Haven't you brought back any gold?'
'No,' said Rupert. 'There wasn't any.'
'What about the dragon's hoard?'
'He collected butterflies.'
They all stared at the sleeping dragon. 'Only you, Rupert,' said the Champion quietly. 'Only you ...'
'Haven't you brought back anything of value?' asked the King.
'Just this,' said Rupert, drawing his sword. Everybody studied the gleaming blade warily.
'It has a strong magical aura,' said the Astrologer dubiously. 'What does it do?'
'It summons rainbows,' said Rupert, just a little lamely.
There was a long pause.
'Let's talk about the Darkwood,' said King John.
The Tanglewood has always buffered the Forest Land from the Darkwood where demons and other evils live. Now, with the Blue Moon on the rise, the power of the Demon Prince is increasing, the Darkwood is spreading and the long night is threatening to cover the land. Only magic can hold it back, but magic has been disappearing as humans and human logic proliferate. Rupert returns to a castle under desperate siege and a court full of treachery. It seems that the only hope to save the kingdom - and the world - is the High Warlock, who was banished to the Dark Tower years ago. Which means that Rupert will have to brave the Darkwood again to bring him back.
This was a re-read and, more than likely, a re-re-read for me. I’ve found that this year I’ve been struggling with re-reads probably because there’s less sense of anticipation than the first time through. But I do remember being on tenterhooks the previous time(s) I read this because I didn’t know which characters to trust.
This sword-and-sorcery story was one of my favourites when I first read it (fairly close to its publication date); I like my heroes to show a little bit of vulnerability. It’s full of doom and (no, not gloom) dark humour, which appealed to me. I did find it a bit portentous this time - but I may add back half a star for nostalgia. A side note: I had read some of the Hawk and Fisher books before I read this the first time and Rob Hawke makes an appearance here; the two series are set in the same world (possibly reverse engineered, I felt) and were later amalgamated.
March 2021
4.5-5 stars show less
Read: September 2015
Rating: 5/5 stars - one of the best reads of 2015
The plot: the Ghost Finders and their boss, Catherine Latimer are forced to work with their enemies, agents for the Crowley Project in order to destroy a monstrous being that has been forced into their world from another dimension - the Flesh Undying.
Things I liked:
- I love Green's style of writing. It really shouldn't work as he is choppy, includes way too much exposition and pulls the deus ex machina card more often that show more any writer should but it all works for Simon R Green.
- The nods to Green's other series like the Nightside and the Secret History. I haven't read the Secret History series (though I do own the first few) but I enjoyed seeing an old Nightside character make an appearance, and to find out how he is connected to the Carnacki Institute.
- As always I am impressed with the depth of Green's imagination and how original he is as a writer.
- The ending. I was so sure that Happy would survive despite being told repeatedly during the course of the book that he was dying. I never could have imagined the way events played out. I'm sorry that Melody had to die alongside Happy as I think she could've learned to live without him and move on and find happiness but it was emotional and I felt JC's loneliness at the thought he'd been left all alone. I'm glad he found some sort of happiness with Kim in Natasha's body though that must've been very weird at first :)
Things I didn't like:
- I thought the beginning of the book - the haunted hotel room - was a bit carelessly written as though Green wasn't as interested in writing this introductory adventure as he was in writing about the main storyline.
Overall I loved this book and I am so sad that there will be no more Ghost Finders adventures in the future. show less
Rating: 5/5 stars - one of the best reads of 2015
The plot: the Ghost Finders and their boss, Catherine Latimer are forced to work with their enemies, agents for the Crowley Project in order to destroy a monstrous being that has been forced into their world from another dimension - the Flesh Undying.
Things I liked:
- I love Green's style of writing. It really shouldn't work as he is choppy, includes way too much exposition and pulls the deus ex machina card more often that show more any writer should but it all works for Simon R Green.
- The nods to Green's other series like the Nightside and the Secret History. I haven't read the Secret History series (though I do own the first few) but I enjoyed seeing an old Nightside character make an appearance, and to find out how he is connected to the Carnacki Institute.
- As always I am impressed with the depth of Green's imagination and how original he is as a writer.
- The ending.
Things I didn't like:
- I thought the beginning of the book - the haunted hotel room - was a bit carelessly written as though Green wasn't as interested in writing this introductory adventure as he was in writing about the main storyline.
Overall I loved this book and I am so sad that there will be no more Ghost Finders adventures in the future. show less
Night Train to Murder is the eighth book in the Ishmael Jones mystery series by Simon R. Green. Usually, this series makes me suspect that Mr. Green is paying homage to the late William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost Finder. This time Mr. Green seemed to be paying homage to one or both of two classic mystery greats: Agatha Christie, or Master of the Locked Room Puzzle John D. Carr.
The introduction tells new readers that Ishmael Jones is really an alien whose spaceship crashed in a field show more in England in 1963. The machines in the ship made Ishmael look human, but also took away his memories. He hasn't aged a day, so he keeps having to move around. He's worked for plenty of secret organizations over the decades. His current employer is called 'The Organization'.
It's autumn. Ishmael and his human partner/lover Penny Belcourt are at Paddington railway station, waiting to meet the Colonel, Ishmael's contact with the Organization. The couple usually investigate weird happenings in isolated places (see chapter 8 of book seven, Till Sudden Death Do Us Part for why). If not for the title, the reader might reasonably expect the train to be no more than the means of getting to the Place That Must be Investigated. Yes, the weird happenings will be taking place on a special express train to the city of Bath. Ishmael and Penny are supposed to prevent a psychic assassin from murdering Sir Dennis Gregson, a sleazy politician who has just been appointed to head the British Psychic Weapons Division. Of course the British psychics will be doing what they can to prevent the assassination, but our duo can deal with physical attacks that might be too much for the Sir Dennis' bodyguard. In some of their past cases, Ishmael and Penny were the only two left standing. Will Sir Dennis arrive alive? Will it be much of a loss to humanity if he doesn't?
NOTES:
Chapter 1:
a. Penny tells Ishmael about Sir Dennis Gregson, VIP [very important person] when they see him passing by.
b. The Hipster Bar's location is given and its interior described. Don't try their coffee. The Colonel meets our heroes there. (For the Colonel's name and backstory, see book four, Death Shall Come. He gives his briefing and Ishmael his objections.
c. By 'twenty-two thirty train,' the Colonel means the train that leaves at 10:30 p.m.
d. Ishmael tells Penny what he knows about psychics and psychic fallout (I've heard of rains of frogs, but not of mice).
e. Ishmael quotes the little poem about the man who wasn't there ('Antagonish,' 1899, by William Hughes, Mearns, American educator/poet).
f. We meet the psychic who calls himself 'Nemo', 'Mr. Nemo if one prefers. He explains how he keeps from being seen.
Mentions: Doctor [John] Watson, Sherlock Holmes, and the tv show, 'Britain's Got Talent'
Chapter 2:
a. At least Sir Dennis Gregson rates a first class compartment, which his bodyguard, Ishmael, Penny, and three strangers share.
b. Ishmael tells Penny about 'the Case of the Missing Carriage' that he solved before they met (not as scary as the London underground (subway) case in Mr. Green's Ghost of a Chance, but still bad for the passengers).
c. We meet Eric Holder, the railway guard and Dee, the refreshment trolley lady.
d. Ishmael learned psychic self-defense from a chap named Sewell back in the 1990s, when he worked for the Alien Trespass Bureau.
c. Ishmael gives the code names for three psychics he's worked with before: Lucky Pierre, Fair Weather Frankie, and Mad Mental Maggie.
Mentions: WHSmith (chain of books/toys/games/stationery/periodical stores at places such as railway stations), the 'Fortean Times' ('Weeding Today' and 'What Trowel Monthly' do not seem to be real magazines), the Twilight Zone
Chapter 3: The train will reach Bath in about an hour. The crime must be solved by then if our heroes don't want to be in too much trouble.
Chapter 4:
a. We get the names of the other passengers in that first class compartment. Brian Mitchell is the bodyguard. The younger man is Rupert Hall. The older man is Howard Goldwasser. The Indian woman is Sita Patel. They're interrogated. I think what Mr. Goldwasser plans to do in Bath is extremely selfish and inconsiderate. (I wonder if that rumor about how Gregson got his knighthood is true.)
b. Dee returns. Her name is Dee Calder.
Mentions: Woolwich Arsenal, the MOD [Ministry of Defense]
Chapter 6: The killer has a new plan.
Chapter 7: Ishmael remembers something important, thanks to Mr. Nemo.
Normally I wouldn't dock half a star from a book in this series because it was much too easy to figure out who the killer was -- thank you Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe. However, there wasn't enough else that distracted me from being frustrated waiting for Ishmael to put it together. One of the reveals at the end I had already figured out. The last surprise, I admit, I did not see coming.
This is my least favorite Ishmael Jones book, but I was frustrated, not bored. As is usual for this series, it falls in one of the categories of Carnacki's cases: genuine hauntings or monsters, faked, or mostly fake with a touch of the supernatural. show less
The introduction tells new readers that Ishmael Jones is really an alien whose spaceship crashed in a field show more in England in 1963. The machines in the ship made Ishmael look human, but also took away his memories. He hasn't aged a day, so he keeps having to move around. He's worked for plenty of secret organizations over the decades. His current employer is called 'The Organization'.
It's autumn. Ishmael and his human partner/lover Penny Belcourt are at Paddington railway station, waiting to meet the Colonel, Ishmael's contact with the Organization. The couple usually investigate weird happenings in isolated places (see chapter 8 of book seven, Till Sudden Death Do Us Part for why). If not for the title, the reader might reasonably expect the train to be no more than the means of getting to the Place That Must be Investigated. Yes, the weird happenings will be taking place on a special express train to the city of Bath. Ishmael and Penny are supposed to prevent a psychic assassin from murdering Sir Dennis Gregson, a sleazy politician who has just been appointed to head the British Psychic Weapons Division. Of course the British psychics will be doing what they can to prevent the assassination, but our duo can deal with physical attacks that might be too much for the Sir Dennis' bodyguard. In some of their past cases, Ishmael and Penny were the only two left standing. Will Sir Dennis arrive alive? Will it be much of a loss to humanity if he doesn't?
NOTES:
Chapter 1:
a. Penny tells Ishmael about Sir Dennis Gregson, VIP [very important person] when they see him passing by.
b. The Hipster Bar's location is given and its interior described. Don't try their coffee. The Colonel meets our heroes there. (For the Colonel's name and backstory, see book four, Death Shall Come. He gives his briefing and Ishmael his objections.
c. By 'twenty-two thirty train,' the Colonel means the train that leaves at 10:30 p.m.
d. Ishmael tells Penny what he knows about psychics and psychic fallout (I've heard of rains of frogs, but not of mice).
e. Ishmael quotes the little poem about the man who wasn't there ('Antagonish,' 1899, by William Hughes, Mearns, American educator/poet).
f. We meet the psychic who calls himself 'Nemo', 'Mr. Nemo if one prefers. He explains how he keeps from being seen.
Mentions: Doctor [John] Watson, Sherlock Holmes, and the tv show, 'Britain's Got Talent'
Chapter 2:
a. At least Sir Dennis Gregson rates a first class compartment, which his bodyguard, Ishmael, Penny, and three strangers share.
b. Ishmael tells Penny about 'the Case of the Missing Carriage' that he solved before they met (not as scary as the London underground (subway) case in Mr. Green's Ghost of a Chance, but still bad for the passengers).
c. We meet Eric Holder, the railway guard and Dee, the refreshment trolley lady.
d. Ishmael learned psychic self-defense from a chap named Sewell back in the 1990s, when he worked for the Alien Trespass Bureau.
c. Ishmael gives the code names for three psychics he's worked with before: Lucky Pierre, Fair Weather Frankie, and Mad Mental Maggie.
Mentions: WHSmith (chain of books/toys/games/stationery/periodical stores at places such as railway stations), the 'Fortean Times' ('Weeding Today' and 'What Trowel Monthly' do not seem to be real magazines), the Twilight Zone
Chapter 3: The train will reach Bath in about an hour. The crime must be solved by then if our heroes don't want to be in too much trouble.
Chapter 4:
a. We get the names of the other passengers in that first class compartment. Brian Mitchell is the bodyguard. The younger man is Rupert Hall. The older man is Howard Goldwasser. The Indian woman is Sita Patel. They're interrogated. I think what Mr. Goldwasser plans to do in Bath is extremely selfish and inconsiderate. (I wonder if that rumor about how Gregson got his knighthood is true.)
b. Dee returns. Her name is Dee Calder.
Mentions: Woolwich Arsenal, the MOD [Ministry of Defense]
Chapter 6: The killer has a new plan.
Chapter 7: Ishmael remembers something important, thanks to Mr. Nemo.
Normally I wouldn't dock half a star from a book in this series because it was much too easy to figure out who the killer was -- thank you Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe. However, there wasn't enough else that distracted me from being frustrated waiting for Ishmael to put it together. One of the reveals at the end I had already figured out. The last surprise, I admit, I did not see coming.
This is my least favorite Ishmael Jones book, but I was frustrated, not bored. As is usual for this series, it falls in one of the categories of Carnacki's cases: genuine hauntings or monsters, faked, or mostly fake with a touch of the supernatural. show less
Very Important Corpses is book three in the Ishmael Jones mystery series. As with the other four books in the series (so far), the mystery takes place in a building with no close neighbors in a less-populated area of the United Kingdom. As usual, there's a reason (besides legal investigation), everyone can't just flee after the first body is discovered. The number of staff is much reduced from the norm and there aren't that many residents or guests. Here Ishmael is spoiled for choice. There show more are the twelve members of the extremely secret and powerfully rich Baphomet Group. Each has his/her own bodyguard. The ones who didn't bring their spouses have a selection of what I will euphemistically call pleasure persons to choose from. Helen McGregor is the Major Domo. She has twenty staff members, but some of them are new because the some of the regular staff didn't have security clearance high enough for this meeting. She suspects that one of the newcomers is secretly a reporter. There are also the regular and extra guards.
Ishmael was not the Organization's first field agent sent to make sure nothing bad happened at this meeting at Coronach House on the shores of Loch Ness, Scotland. Jennifer Rifkin was murdered under unusual circumstances. While the Loch Ness monster, 'Nessie', is not among the suspects, could it have been the legendary Coronach creature? Ishmael is accompanied by his kickass partner, Penny Belcourt, so at least he has one person he can trust.
Our hero wastes no time in letting the Baphomet Group and their bodyguards know who the new head of security is. The scene where he gets past the guards is fun for the reader, if not for them. An examination of the corpse shows her condition is even stranger than that of the room she was staying in.
How many more deaths will Coronach House see before Ishmael and Penny solve the case?
Notes:
Chapter 1:
a. Ishmael and Penny discuss Nessie.
b. The Baphomet group is explained.
c. Ishmael and the Colonel recount the infamous history of Coronach House.
d. Had to laugh at the mention of Crow Lee as the Most Evil Man in the World, who stayed at Coronach House in the 1930s. [see Aleister Crowley] Since Ishmael met Crow Lee while he was working for Black Heir, and Crowley died in 1947, it makes sense that we have a homage character.
e. Ishmael tells the legend of the Coronach creature. (it's crueler than the legend of the Monster of Glamis Castle.)
f. Penny wants spy gadgets, but settles for the use of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
g. Jennifer Rifkin was also ex-Black Heir.
h. Penny brings up the Bilderburg [not Bilderberg] Group and things their members are reputed to be.
i. See From Hell With Love, book four in Mr. Green's Secret Histories series, for the Spawn of Frankenstein and the Droods versus the Immortals. (I have to laugh at Ishmael bringing up Penny believing in ghosts but balking at the Droods. Since Ishmael Jones' series is in the same universe as the Droods, the ghosts Jones refuses to believe in ARE real.)
Mentions: the Loch Ness monster, Aleister Crowley (homage to), Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lizardoids, Alien Greys, Secret Ascended Masters, Baron Frankenstein, Roswell, the Knights Templar, Alien Infiltration, New World Order, and the Great Satanic Conspiracy
Chapter 2:
a. Ismael explains the Men in Black to the readers.
b. Coronach House's exterior is described, as is Loch Ness.
c. We meet Helen McGregor, the Major Domo of Coronach House.
d. The reception area is described.
e. McGregor explains the problems with the members of the Baphomet Group, also known as the principals.
f. Ishmael and Penny are taken to examine the late Ms. Rifkin's body.
g. Ismael has fought a vampire before.
h. Look here for where Ishmael schools the principals' bodyguards.
i. Only December and November bother to speak to Ishmael.
j. Here is where we learn that the principals insisted every last bit of surveillance equipment be taken down for the duration of the meeting and the house's secret passages were sealed centuries ago.
Mentions: Men in Black and UFO contactees
Chapter 3:
a. There's some more description of the interior of Coronach House.
b. We meet Emily, one of the maids. She flirts and answers questions. (A servant named Laura found Ms. Rifkin.)
c. The sex workers are met in a private bar in the house.
d. A woman called Scarlett talks to Ishmael. She says she used to be a field agent. Three other sex workers are called 'Lovely Lola,' 'Ranger Rider,' and 'Wanda Whiplash'.
e. Ishmael spots someone he's worked with/against when he and Penny return to the reception area. The man is going by 'Chris Baron' these days.
f. Chris was brought in as head of house security.
g. Ishmael's first job was with MI13 back in the 1960s. He met Chris there. Chris names the case that caused them to leave MI13. He joined the Space Pirates and Ishmael the Demon Runners. (Ishmael didn't stay with the DR for long.) They met up again in the 1970s when they both joined the Beachcombers, the group that was replaced by Black Heir. Chris talks about the project that made Ishmael leave.
h. Chris worked for awhile at the Carnacki Institute - the Ghost Finders. (This is another of Mr. Green's series. The first books is Ghost of a Chance. I recommend it and the other five.)
i. Chris talks about a rumored connection between the Beachcombers and the Immortals.
j. Penny brings up the Illuminati
Mentions: cat-stroking [James] Bond villains and the Illuminati
Chapter 4:
a. The Great Hall of Coronach House is described.
b. Ishmael and Penny eat with the McGregor and Chris. They discuss the murder. Chris talks about something the outside guards told him they've seen.
c. A servant named Holroyd brings important news.
d. Dessert is plum duff, as it was in chapter six of book one. If I recall correctly, it was the same in book five.
e. October's room is searched.
f. the investigative reporter among the staff is unmasked and spouts nonsense.
Mentions: 'Stag at Bay' firescreens, Daniel in the lion's [lions'] den, the German Black Forest, the True Believers, Communists
Chapter 5:
a. Ishmael runs for the top floor. Penny catches up. It's a situation. The principals are not happy with it.
b. January, March, and August are briefly described. They and December have reasons they aren't with sex workers.
c. Chris Baron claims he stropped working for the organization because he found out who they really are.
d. See book two, Dead Man Walking, for Frank Parker and Ringstone Lodge.
e. Chris passes on a story about an old family cellar in the house.
f. Penny makes a proclamation about proper old-house mysteries.
g. Ishmael and Penny go to the cellar where they discuss the Coronach creature.
h. Penny is sent to help the Major Domo while Ishmael and Chris talk.
Chapter 6:
a. Ismael thinks about Chris and the shared parts of their past.
b. January and March can't fool Penny.
c. Ishmael brings up Ringstone Lodge.
d. Penny notices something about August and someone else.
f. Irwin the security guard has something to report.
g. We find out how long ago the Baphomet Group formed.
h. Ishmael talks to John Smith, chauffeur through the dining hall door.
i. Scarlett comes to fetch Ishmael and Penny.
j. More of the escorts are named: Georgina, professional tomboy; Maurice, muscle man; and Lady Paine, la Belle Dame Sans Merci.
k. Indiana Jones used that line about the years and the mileage.
Mentions: hell hounds and elves
Chapter 7:
a. Ishmael and Penny discuss a clue about what happened in the cellar.
b. Ishmael and Penny return to Jennifer Rifkin's room.
c. Penny and Ishmael state what they gave each other for Christmas.
d. Chris claims to know something about Ishmael's past that Ishmael doesn't.
Mentions: werewolves, the Jacobite times, Fifty Shades of Grey, a tin of Quality Street [chocolates and toffees], DNA, and a wolfman
Chapter 8:
The book has one last surprise for us.
I enjoy these books. They're short, fun mystery romps. I love the banter. I love the way Ishmael talks to twits who assume they can order him around. His relationship with Penny is delightful. If some things are extremely easy to figure out if one pays attention, Mr. Green can still throw in a surprise or two.
William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost-Finder is an obvious inspiration for this series, although I like Ishmael Jones better than Thomas Carnacki. Some of Carnacki's cases involved genuine hauntings or monsters, some had been faked, and some were mostly fake with a touch of the supernatural. This novel definitely falls into one of those categories. show less
Ishmael was not the Organization's first field agent sent to make sure nothing bad happened at this meeting at Coronach House on the shores of Loch Ness, Scotland. Jennifer Rifkin was murdered under unusual circumstances. While the Loch Ness monster, 'Nessie', is not among the suspects, could it have been the legendary Coronach creature? Ishmael is accompanied by his kickass partner, Penny Belcourt, so at least he has one person he can trust.
Our hero wastes no time in letting the Baphomet Group and their bodyguards know who the new head of security is. The scene where he gets past the guards is fun for the reader, if not for them. An examination of the corpse shows her condition is even stranger than that of the room she was staying in.
How many more deaths will Coronach House see before Ishmael and Penny solve the case?
Notes:
Chapter 1:
a. Ishmael and Penny discuss Nessie.
b. The Baphomet group is explained.
c. Ishmael and the Colonel recount the infamous history of Coronach House.
d. Had to laugh at the mention of Crow Lee as the Most Evil Man in the World, who stayed at Coronach House in the 1930s. [see Aleister Crowley] Since Ishmael met Crow Lee while he was working for Black Heir, and Crowley died in 1947, it makes sense that we have a homage character.
e. Ishmael tells the legend of the Coronach creature. (it's crueler than the legend of the Monster of Glamis Castle.)
f. Penny wants spy gadgets, but settles for the use of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
g. Jennifer Rifkin was also ex-Black Heir.
h. Penny brings up the Bilderburg [not Bilderberg] Group and things their members are reputed to be.
i. See From Hell With Love, book four in Mr. Green's Secret Histories series, for the Spawn of Frankenstein and the Droods versus the Immortals. (I have to laugh at Ishmael bringing up Penny believing in ghosts but balking at the Droods. Since Ishmael Jones' series is in the same universe as the Droods, the ghosts Jones refuses to believe in ARE real.)
Mentions: the Loch Ness monster, Aleister Crowley (homage to), Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lizardoids, Alien Greys, Secret Ascended Masters, Baron Frankenstein, Roswell, the Knights Templar, Alien Infiltration, New World Order, and the Great Satanic Conspiracy
Chapter 2:
a. Ismael explains the Men in Black to the readers.
b. Coronach House's exterior is described, as is Loch Ness.
c. We meet Helen McGregor, the Major Domo of Coronach House.
d. The reception area is described.
e. McGregor explains the problems with the members of the Baphomet Group, also known as the principals.
f. Ishmael and Penny are taken to examine the late Ms. Rifkin's body.
g. Ismael has fought a vampire before.
h. Look here for where Ishmael schools the principals' bodyguards.
i. Only December and November bother to speak to Ishmael.
j. Here is where we learn that the principals insisted every last bit of surveillance equipment be taken down for the duration of the meeting and the house's secret passages were sealed centuries ago.
Mentions: Men in Black and UFO contactees
Chapter 3:
a. There's some more description of the interior of Coronach House.
b. We meet Emily, one of the maids. She flirts and answers questions. (A servant named Laura found Ms. Rifkin.)
c. The sex workers are met in a private bar in the house.
d. A woman called Scarlett talks to Ishmael. She says she used to be a field agent. Three other sex workers are called 'Lovely Lola,' 'Ranger Rider,' and 'Wanda Whiplash'.
e. Ishmael spots someone he's worked with/against when he and Penny return to the reception area. The man is going by 'Chris Baron' these days.
f. Chris was brought in as head of house security.
g. Ishmael's first job was with MI13 back in the 1960s. He met Chris there. Chris names the case that caused them to leave MI13. He joined the Space Pirates and Ishmael the Demon Runners. (Ishmael didn't stay with the DR for long.) They met up again in the 1970s when they both joined the Beachcombers, the group that was replaced by Black Heir. Chris talks about the project that made Ishmael leave.
h. Chris worked for awhile at the Carnacki Institute - the Ghost Finders. (This is another of Mr. Green's series. The first books is Ghost of a Chance. I recommend it and the other five.)
i. Chris talks about a rumored connection between the Beachcombers and the Immortals.
j. Penny brings up the Illuminati
Mentions: cat-stroking [James] Bond villains and the Illuminati
Chapter 4:
a. The Great Hall of Coronach House is described.
b. Ishmael and Penny eat with the McGregor and Chris. They discuss the murder. Chris talks about something the outside guards told him they've seen.
c. A servant named Holroyd brings important news.
d. Dessert is plum duff, as it was in chapter six of book one. If I recall correctly, it was the same in book five.
e. October's room is searched.
f. the investigative reporter among the staff is unmasked and spouts nonsense.
Mentions: 'Stag at Bay' firescreens, Daniel in the lion's [lions'] den, the German Black Forest, the True Believers, Communists
Chapter 5:
a. Ishmael runs for the top floor. Penny catches up. It's a situation. The principals are not happy with it.
b. January, March, and August are briefly described. They and December have reasons they aren't with sex workers.
c. Chris Baron claims he stropped working for the organization because he found out who they really are.
d. See book two, Dead Man Walking, for Frank Parker and Ringstone Lodge.
e. Chris passes on a story about an old family cellar in the house.
f. Penny makes a proclamation about proper old-house mysteries.
g. Ishmael and Penny go to the cellar where they discuss the Coronach creature.
h. Penny is sent to help the Major Domo while Ishmael and Chris talk.
Chapter 6:
a. Ismael thinks about Chris and the shared parts of their past.
b. January and March can't fool Penny.
c. Ishmael brings up Ringstone Lodge.
d. Penny notices something about August and someone else.
f. Irwin the security guard has something to report.
g. We find out how long ago the Baphomet Group formed.
h. Ishmael talks to John Smith, chauffeur through the dining hall door.
i. Scarlett comes to fetch Ishmael and Penny.
j. More of the escorts are named: Georgina, professional tomboy; Maurice, muscle man; and Lady Paine, la Belle Dame Sans Merci.
k. Indiana Jones used that line about the years and the mileage.
Mentions: hell hounds and elves
Chapter 7:
a. Ishmael and Penny discuss a clue about what happened in the cellar.
b. Ishmael and Penny return to Jennifer Rifkin's room.
c. Penny and Ishmael state what they gave each other for Christmas.
d. Chris claims to know something about Ishmael's past that Ishmael doesn't.
Mentions: werewolves, the Jacobite times, Fifty Shades of Grey, a tin of Quality Street [chocolates and toffees], DNA, and a wolfman
Chapter 8:
The book has one last surprise for us.
I enjoy these books. They're short, fun mystery romps. I love the banter. I love the way Ishmael talks to twits who assume they can order him around. His relationship with Penny is delightful. If some things are extremely easy to figure out if one pays attention, Mr. Green can still throw in a surprise or two.
William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost-Finder is an obvious inspiration for this series, although I like Ishmael Jones better than Thomas Carnacki. Some of Carnacki's cases involved genuine hauntings or monsters, some had been faked, and some were mostly fake with a touch of the supernatural. This novel definitely falls into one of those categories. show less
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