Last Rights (Francis Hancock)
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Product Description
Product Description
October 1940. The London borough of West Ham is in the grip of yet another night of bombing, and undertaker Francis Hancock is in the grip of yet another night of temporary insanity.
A veteran of World War One, Francis is forced by the nightly air raids to relive the trauma of the trenches, and all he can do is try to outrun the horrific flashbacks. So when he sees a man lurching through the rubble, screaming about being stabbed but with no visible wound, Francis dismisses it at the ravings of another lost soul... until the man's body turns up at his funeral parlour, two days later. Suspecting foul play, Francis feels compelled to discover what really happened that night - but he finds himself pitted against violent thugs, an impenetrable network of lies and his own fragile sanity.
A veteran of World War One, Francis is forced by the nightly air raids to relive the trauma of the trenches, and all he can do is try to outrun the horrific flashbacks. So when he sees a man lurching through the rubble, screaming about being stabbed but with no visible wound, Francis dismisses it at the ravings of another lost soul... until the man's body turns up at his funeral parlour, two days later. Suspecting foul play, Francis feels compelled to discover what really happened that night - but he finds himself pitted against violent thugs, an impenetrable network of lies and his own fragile sanity.
About the Author
Trained as an actress, Barbara Nadel is now a public relations officer for rethink severe mental illness's Good Companions Project. Her previous job was a mental health advocate in a psychiatric hospital. She has also worked with sexually abused teenagers and taught psychology in both schools and colleges. Born in the East End of London, she now lives in Essex and has been a regular visitor to Turkey for over twenty years.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first Barbara Nadel book I have read and I will be searching for more immediately!
It is 1940 and London is suffering nightly bombardments by enemy bombs.An undertaker in West Ham - Francis Hancock - is so traumatised by his WWI experiences in the trenches that he can't seek the relative safety of the Anderson shelter and he is compelled to run through the empty streets whilst London explodes around him. One night he encounters a man who seems like him - disoriented and screaming. Another shell-shocked veteran? But this man says he has been stabbed...two days later he arrives in Francis's funeral parlour. Dead.
So starts this intriguing and absorbing story that takes us through the wartime streets of East London and introduces us to the characters that abounded in the Jewish and Gentile communities, the ordinary people, the thugs, the hookers - good and bad. A great read from beginning to end - highly recommended
It is 1940 and London is suffering nightly bombardments by enemy bombs.An undertaker in West Ham - Francis Hancock - is so traumatised by his WWI experiences in the trenches that he can't seek the relative safety of the Anderson shelter and he is compelled to run through the empty streets whilst London explodes around him. One night he encounters a man who seems like him - disoriented and screaming. Another shell-shocked veteran? But this man says he has been stabbed...two days later he arrives in Francis's funeral parlour. Dead.
So starts this intriguing and absorbing story that takes us through the wartime streets of East London and introduces us to the characters that abounded in the Jewish and Gentile communities, the ordinary people, the thugs, the hookers - good and bad. A great read from beginning to end - highly recommended
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I got rather fed up with Inspector Ikmen, and his increasingly unlikely plots, so I wasn't expecting too much of Barbara Nadel's Last Rights, set in wartime London. I was wrong. This is a tight, disciplined and very interesting novel. Francis Hancock is a well-drawn character and a sympathetic hero. We see a side of the Battle of Britain which is usually conveniently forgotten - low life looters, black marketeers and draft dodgers. The plot is pretty good, and keeps the reader involved to the slightly staged denouement.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book intriguing from beginning to end.
As thoroughly researched as any of her Ikman books, this one is based in the London area - in a funeral home - during the 2nd World War.
The main character, Francis, is the Funeral Director, who is still suffering from shell shock from the previous war. As a result, he is unable to cope with Air raid shelters; and so spends the air-raid wandering...which eventually leads to a murder mystery when he encounters a man who claims to have been stabbed. in spite of their being no blood, 2 days later the man appears in the funeral parlour - stone dead - and Francis cannot let it drop. He has to find out who did it, and why!
The characters are all well drawn and believable in this easy-to-read book. I love the way Nadel pulls characters from so many different strands of London life - from Catholics to Jews; from funeral directors to police to 'working girls'; almost all sympathetically presented.
Read it and enjoy. I'm now waiting for the third in the series - for a third there surely has to be!
As thoroughly researched as any of her Ikman books, this one is based in the London area - in a funeral home - during the 2nd World War.
The main character, Francis, is the Funeral Director, who is still suffering from shell shock from the previous war. As a result, he is unable to cope with Air raid shelters; and so spends the air-raid wandering...which eventually leads to a murder mystery when he encounters a man who claims to have been stabbed. in spite of their being no blood, 2 days later the man appears in the funeral parlour - stone dead - and Francis cannot let it drop. He has to find out who did it, and why!
The characters are all well drawn and believable in this easy-to-read book. I love the way Nadel pulls characters from so many different strands of London life - from Catholics to Jews; from funeral directors to police to 'working girls'; almost all sympathetically presented.
Read it and enjoy. I'm now waiting for the third in the series - for a third there surely has to be!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
last rights
A good, atmospheric read for those of us who enjoy a good murder. This is the first in the Francis Hancock series and I bought it as a pressie for a friend who hasn't read any of... Read more
Published 9 months ago by freerangehips
A question
I really enjoyed this book but one thing I cannot follow
What do 'paper and string men' do?
What do 'paper and string men' do?
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It's been a week since I finished reading this book and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by P. Rees
Blitz Crime and Intrigue so close to home
I live in the 'manor' where this brilliant and well researched novel is set. Nadal brings the horrors of the blitz straight home to the reader in a very readable way that no... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2008 by Joan H. Hammond
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