Westwind
The classic lost thriller from the Iconic #1 Bestselling Writer of Channel 4’s MURDER ISLAND
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3.9 • 31 Ratings
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- £4.49
Publisher Description
THE CLASSIC LOST THRILLER FROM THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
'Shockingly good' The Sun
'A prescient, high-octane thriller' Daily Express
'Totally on the money - and ripe for this republication' i Newspaper
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It always starts with a small lie. That's how you stop noticing the bigger ones.
After his friend suspects something strange going on at the satellite facility where they both work - and then goes missing - Martin Hepton doesn't believe the official line of "long-term sick leave"...
Refusing to stop asking questions, he leaves his old life behind, aware that someone is shadowing his every move. But why?
The only hope he has is his ex-girlfriend Jill Watson - the only journalist who will believe his story.
But neither of them can believe the puzzle they're piecing together - or just how shocking the secret is that everybody wants to stay hidden...
DISCOVER THE CLASSIC LOST THRILLER FROM THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER.
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'Rankin is a master storyteller'
Guardian
'Great fiction, full stop'
The Times
'Ian Rankin is a genius'
Lee Child
'One of Britain's leading novelists in any genre'
New Statesman
'A virtuoso of the craft'
Daily Mail
'Rankin is a phenomenon'
Spectator
'Britain's No.1 crime writer'
Mirror
'Quite simply, crime writing of the highest order'
Express
'Worthy of Agatha Christie at her best'
Scotsman
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First published in 1990 and long out of print, this sophomoric thriller from bestseller Rankin (the John Rebus series) opens at a ground tracking station in England, where technician Paul Vincent notices that Zephyr, Britain's latest spy satellite, has gone offline. In the U.S., the space shuttle Argos crashes, killing everyone aboard except for a British astronaut, Maj. Mike Dreyfuss. Could there be a connection? To keep the Zephyr fiasco quiet, the Brits seclude Vincent in a hospital, where he's soon on his deathbed; he manages a final utterance to his friend Martin Hepton: "Argos." Hepton subsequently realizes he's being followed and his life is in danger. Meanwhile, Dreyfuss is recovering in a hospital in the States, but is also being kept out of the public eye. Decent prose doesn't compensate for poor plotting. In a preface, Rankin admits the novel had problems, but finds some resonance with current events. That's a thin and unconvincing justification for this reissue, which does the author's reputation no favors. This one's strictly for Rankin completists.
Customer Reviews
How quickly tech dates
Despite the occasional references to Filofax and having to ask the landlord if there’s a public phone, this stands up well as a ripping good yarn for the 21st century.
References to America pulling out of Europe and a cooling of the relationship with the UK have a surprisingly contemporary feel. As always with Rankin great plotting and pacey writing keeps me turning the pages