Direct Hit - The Blitz Detective 1 - by Mike Hollow

This was an interesting story with a unique plot.  It's a mystery set during World War II.  London is being bombed by the Nazis, but a body is discovered and it looks like murder.  However, before it can truly be examined, a bomb lands and destroys all of the evidence.  Luckily, Detective Inspector John Jago was able to identify the body before that happened.  The deceased was a magistrate and also owned a printing business.  As Jago and his partner Cradock question relatives and acquaintances of the magistrate, it becomes clear that he wasn't well liked.

The stress of the continued bombings and interrupted sleep, along with an assignment to guide a nosy American reporter around London, starts to wear on Jago.  He remembers what the
first World War was like when he fought over there and this brings it all back.  He has to sort fact from fiction from more than one person he interviews and it doesn't help that the deceased man had secrets that might or might not be related to his death.

I think my favorite part of this story was the time period.  It was fascinating to imagine what it would have been like living in London when the Blitz was going on.   The details really made me feel like I was in the story.  Adding in the mystery made it even more interesting. Jago was an intriguing character.  He was very good at his job and was always thinking.  There were some interesting discussions about God, truth and chance, though it seems Jago isn't too sure about what he believes.  There were a few uses of the word, "damn," which I would have preferred not to have been in the book, but otherwise it was clean.  I liked the varied viewpoints in the story.  I would recommend this book if you like historical or mystery fiction.

I received a free copy of this book from Kregel Publications in exchange for an honest review.