by Terrance Mc Arthur
This week we have a review & giveaway of Shadow of the Tiger. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, along with a link to purchase the book from Amazon.
In the first of Barry H. Wiley’s Adventures in Second Sight books, The Revelations of the Impossible Piddingtons, Kyame Piddington was a sixteen-year-old stage psychic who doubled as a lockpicker and a martial arts master while solving crimes and taking revenge in the West and pre-earthquake San Francisco. In the sequel, Shadow of the Tiger, she is the secret weapon of the United States, loaned to British Intelligence by Grover Cleveland, to find out why and how all the English agents are turning up dead….in Monte Carlo.
It’s James Bond/Modesty Blaise time in the late 1800s, climbing in and out of casinos and hotels, battling German agents, crossing oceans on luxury liners, protecting a prince, killing assassins, foiling plots, and falling in love. Kyame breaks into rooms, shoots unerringly, and strangles with the scarf of Kali… and she’s only seventeen, now. Imagine what she’ll do when she’s all grown up!
Wiley fills his historical venues with delicate details from the floorplan of a royal yacht to the details of Oriental jadecraft masterworks. He reveals the secrets of illusionists in a way that you could only duplicate if you had a photographic memory, which Kyame does. The private lives of closely related English and German royalty are gleefully dissected, revealing how the powerful may not be people you would trust with ruling large parts of the world.
Kyame is an art-school graduate, kills when she has to, therapeutically hypnotizes a prime minister, drinks occasionally, and is strikingly beautiful—all the other characters, male and female, good and evil, notice this. She seems to attract danger. There are points in this book where I can imagine Wiley thinking, “What life-threatening situation haven’t I put her in…the last ten pages?” There are more attempts made on her life than there were on Rasputin’s.
The contrast between the glitter and opulence of Monte Carlo and the rough life of her traveling show days, the ease with which she slides from glamorous eye-candy to lethal secret agent, and the interweaving of historical figures into the plot make for a wild and wooly adventure.
To enter to win a copy of Shadow of the Tiger, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “tiger,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 20, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.
You can use this link to purchase this book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link.
Sounds like an interesting read.
I love to read books with exotic settings and in another time period. Give me a chance for this one, please!!
This book sounds like an interesting read. The first Second Sight book also sounds like a must read also. I like books set in the Victorian era. Wourld really like to read “Shadow of the Tiger”.
diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
This novel sounds fascinating and the era is extremely interesting as is the locale. Thanks for this chance.
HAVE THE FIRST, WOULD LOVE TO WIN THIS ONE TO FINISH THE STORY! THANKS FOR THE CHANCE! calicolady60@hotmail.com
We have a winner!