Cat and Mouse [Kindle Edition]

As far as summarising the plot is concerned, there's not much that can be added to the previous reviews without spoiling surprises for readers. And surprises there certainly are.

Suffice it to say that this book contains a remarkable number of separate plots, that the author orchestrates their parallel progress with much skill, and that these plots converge in an extraordinary finale. The latter is tense, protracted, well-narrated and as horrifying and memorable as the climax of De Niro's `Taxi Driver' - though much more thought-provoking through the anguished dilemmas which arise for each participant. What a nightmare situation for each individual to face, each for different and often secret reasons! If nothing else, keep reading so you can understand the threads which converge in the utterly gripping last five chapters.

Some compelling tales from history form the backcloth behind this story. These are tales which largely have been muted in British history books or censored altogether. The extremes to which British Suffragettes took women's struggle for the right to vote, for instance, and the horrors of force-feeding of Suffragette hunger-strikers. The huge armed revolt by the original Ulster Volunteer Force and the help it received from Fifth Columnists within government forces. The underworld of vice and child prostitution serving the Edwardian gentry. The culture of sexual abuse in the British Empire's exclusive boys' boarding schools and the resulting misogynistic homosexuality common among officers in Kitchener's army. The darkest part of `Cat and Mouse' is a double saga of gay revenge between misogynistic militarists of the 1914 warmonger kind. `Cat and Mouse' presents such history with the lightest of touch. There are no heavy-handed passages over-explaining things. Some readers may find a peep at Wikipedia helpful to further illumine real events, like some Suffragette tactics, about which nowadays so many Britons are ignorant.

But while `Cat and Mouse' features such historical issues, they are not its focus. First and foremost it is a novel and about people, a mixture of romance and thriller. First it engagingly explores its characters' very different worlds. Then it carefully brings them together for a shattering conclusion. You won't forget this book!

This is a long book, but that's fine, because I didn't really want it to end. Set just before the war in 1914, it reminded me a bit of Downton Abbey. There are the same conflicts between the apparently happy, wealthy facade of the Edwardian aristocracy and the secret passions seething beneath the surface. This is a story of two sisters - one in London, one in Ulster - who between them uncover a whole world of horrors: the cruelty of men towards suffragettes, the scandal of child prostitution, the poverty of striking industrial workers, and for one, the awful secret of her husband's homosexuality. Into this mix (as if it were not enough) is thrown the spectre of a German plot to provoke civil war in Ulster, the kidnap of a young boy, and the blackmailing of his parents. So there's an awful lot going on; but the author has woven it all together very cleverly. I thought it was well written, easy to read, and hard to put down.

The same author also has other books on Kindle: A Game of Proof (The trials of Sarah Newby)Bold Counsel (The Trials of Sarah Newby)A Fatal Verdict (The Trials of Sarah Newby)The Blood Upon the Rose

Tim's books never fail to deliver,this again is a really great book,strong story line,great characters,and gets you riveted from the start,it is unbelievable the historical facts that ocurred during these times, were not that long ago,and for what these ladies put themselves through as suffragettes we need to be grateful.It is not just about this there are many different things going on within the book,read it you will not be disappointed.
The only problem I have once finished a book by Tim,is finding another good enough to match it.