It's not often you get a review book and you're reading about the author's back story more than the book's synopsis - but Charles Maclean appears to have quite the backstory.
He's a Knight of Mark Twain and the 16th Captain and Keeper of Dunconnel in the Isles of the Sea; he produces 'The MacPhunn' single malt whisky; his father was allegedly the model for James Bond; he launched, with Edward Goldsmith, the 'Blueprint for Survival', the manifesto for what was to grow into the Green movement in the UK; he's a former associated editor of Travel and Leisure magazine and founding member of the Ecologist magazine. And now he's written a psychological thriller.
From the Blurb:
Wealthy and urbane, with a thriving business and a beautiful wife, Ed Lister has all he could ever want - until his daughter is cruelly murdered while studying in Florence. Frustrated with the police enquiry, Ed sets out to discover the finite details of his daughter's last days resolute to discover who killed her, and why.
Opening Lines:
'There will be days, maybe not now but in the months and even years to come, when she happens to be on your mind and the phone will ring and without thinking you'll pick up, wondering if this could be her calling to let you know she's all right.'
About to close a major deal, Ed Lister is called to the phone. It's the news every parent dreads. His art-student daughter Sophie has been found brutally murdered in Florence.
Frustrated with the official police inquiry, Ed vows to find Sophie's killer. When his quest leads to a mysterious website, Ed hires a young cyber sleuth to track down the web-master, Ward - the most companionably lethal psychopath you could ever hope not to meet.