The Wreck Of The Margherita
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Boredom’s dangerous. The shipwreck is all over the TV news. And Danny Lancaster is pretty sure anything washed ashore is fair game.
So when the giant cargo ship Margherita sheds her containers in a Channel storm Danny and his mates go beachcombing.
Down on a storm-lashed beach it’s like Aladdin’s cave. The stuff is only going to get ruined so, what the hell, finders-keepers. Insurance pays out, no one dies.
But among the mangled containers they find more than they bargained for.
The discovery draws Danny to a network of gangsters and dodgy politicians.
A lap dancer goes missing, Ambrose and Everard are plotting and crime boss Big Eddie Archer wants a word,
Then Danny remembers one bloody day in Afghanistan and calls in a debt from his old platoon commander to track down a secret factory.
And once Danny gets angry, that’s it. His training is all about speed and ferocity behind enemy lines.
The fuse is lit for a bonfire night confrontation.
That’s when the real storm breaks. People start to die.
Customer Reviews
A Compelling Read
Back a few weeks ago I read a UK Book group’s excellent author spotlight on Bill Todd, which had me pick up and read The Wreck of the Margherita, the first in Todd’s Danny Lancaster series. I’d read a few of Todd’s short stories posted in the group which are always good, but this book was special. The story centers on Lancaster, a former para military man, decompressing from time served in Afghanistan, finding his new life purpose in investigating, or as he puts it ‘detecting’. These different incidents make up the storylines which join together to become an engaging character driven read. While the book may be focused on Lancaster’s need to find justice in a world gone slightly askew, it also pays a subtle but moving homage and respect to those who have served in the military. I liked this book a lot. Todd has a deft touch with characters as well as with setting. Both draw you into the story, making it more vivid. But there are also strong moments of humor, emotion, and seemingly harsh but honest scenes (one in which Danny takes a fall while running and a woman rider comes to his aid and is just pitch perfect). This is not a perfect book, but it has that great feeling which catches you and makes it difficult to put down or to stop thinking about.
The Wreck of the Margherita
Very good! Characters seem to come to life and some of them would be worth knowing.