Book Review: City of Vultures

Reviewed By: Ali Karim - RAM

City of Vultures     Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada HC
Ron Ellis
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Johnny Ace # 7
Alison and Busby

This is the seventh novel to feature Ellis’s Liverpool based Private Eye [and part-time Radio D.J.] Johnny Ace, and a welcome addition to the series. After the events of ‘Single Shot’ – Johnny Ace returns from Spain to his partner Marie and re-establishes his detective agency. Liverpool during Johnny’s absence has been transformed due to it being named ‘European City of Culture’ – money is flooding in and property speculators have moved in. There is a scamble for land needed for development, and this soon turns to murder and these events become cases for Johnny Ace and his new partner, the flame-headed martial artist Cameron. The mysterious Jeanne McGhee, who is the mistress for an estate agent found decapitated turns to Johnny for protection, but why was he disguised as a tramp? Meanwhile a club singer, Lucky Learoyd also needs protection, as does Ollie Clarke, whose garage has been vandalized, and head mechanic murdered. Corpses start to pile up on the streets of Liverpool, and so Johnny zig-zags across the city to get to the bottom of the cases that he finds himself embroiled in. The cases are all linked to the escalating property prices and the greed that has nurtured in the city. Soon Johnny Ace realizes that city of Liverpool has attracted some vultures who want to pick at the bones of the old city to line their own pockets. Fast paced, witty and genuinely entertaining fare from under the shadows of the Liver building. – Good stuff indeed.

Ali Karim - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Ali Karim - RAM

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