Cold Crash
As seen:
By Jennifer Young
avg rating
1 review
For archaeologist Maxine ‘Max’ Falkland, life in early-50s London is difficult enough as she tries to move on from the death of her brother, an RAF pilot shot down over Korea. But, when she meets John Knox things get more complicated, before they get outright dangerous.
Flying her light plane to Scotland, Max overhears whispered arguments in Russian coming from the next-door room and sees lights across the moors that appear to answer flashes from the sea. Add the mysterious malfunction of her plane and she has a lot to confide when she encounters the enigmatic Richard Ash, a local landowner and recluse. But when Knox unexpectedly reappears and a dive goes disastrously wrong, Max must act fast as she finds herself in the middle of a Soviet military plot.
An accomplished debut novel from a US voice writing in the UK, Cold Crash is fast-paced with enthralling characters and perfect detail.
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A bit of a ripping yarn and quite enjoyable. Felt frustrated on the heroine's behalf at all the restrictions on women in the 1950's and her so feisty, too. Had to suspend belief at some points in the plot though.
For example (spoiler alert): why did she go up to Mull for two days knowing she'd have to come down for her birthday only to have to go straight back up again if not just to introduce Angus (unnecessarily in my view) to the plot; would Victor and Emma really have followed her up and missed the party?; would the Russians really have acted as they did on the word of Richard Ash who had met her twice? I won't go on.
*End of spoilers* But once belief was suspended and I went with it it was an easy read that romped along quite entertainingly. I'll be interested to discuss it with the rest of the group to see whether they found it more believable.