This is another gripping murder story from Geoff Brookes, set in Victorian Swansea. It is the second in a series of novels featuring Inspector Rumsey Bucke and continues the story of the characters we first met in the popular In Knives We Trust.
This time Swansea finds itself in the grip of a vicious religious cult. Only true believers will be saved in the imminent Apocalypse, just as long as they have surrendered all they have to Our Lady of Mumbles and follow the Spear of Jehovah.
As a result, all normal values have been abandoned. Neither the old nor the young are safe. Young women are missing and bodies are found. There are symbols and portents everywhere, belief in reincarnation is common, angels are seen, and all the time crime prospers. Now that evil flourishes so freely, the rats abound, swarming through the graveyard. Are these really the Last Days?
In such a world, where happiness is denied and love is punished, Inspector Rumsey Bucke uncovers murder, suicide and dark family secrets. His own relationship with Constance is questioned and he is under pressure from an unprincipled reporter pursuing him for immorality, determined to ruin Bucke’s career for his own advancement. No one is safe.
Bucke finds the strength he needs in the support he gets from two resourceful women who help him uncover a wicked web of abuse and murder. But it is a dangerous time to be a woman, and as time runs out, Bucke realises that those who he cares most about are in desperate danger.
Can he save them before the Church of Our Lady of Mumbles eats itself?
Published by Llyfrau Cambria Books, Wales and available in bookshops, on-line and at www.geoffbrookes.co.uk.
Geoff Brookes spent his professional life as a teacher in Leicester and in two Swansea Comprehensive schools. His writing career began with pieces in The Independent newspaper and he was soon writing regularly for The Times Education Supplement. In 2011 he was nominated as Columnist of the Year (Business Media Category) in the PPA Awards for his work with the TES. He has written a number of books about secondary education including English Literature study guides, additional learning needs and school management.
He is now a featured writer for Welsh Country Magazine where he explores the stories beneath interesting gravestones. He is also the author of a number of books about Swansea and Welsh history. His first novel, In Knives We Trust, was published by Matador in 2018, the first in his series of books about Inspector Rumsey Bucke,
He is married to Liz, a retired midwife. They have four children, eight grandchildren and an expensive wine habit.
