World War II is over and Duncan Forrester is a history
professor -- no longer a spy. When death follows him to
Oxford and a close friend is accused of murder, he must use
his knowledge of the past and his skills as an operative to
uncover the motive and the murderer.
THE AGE OF TREACHERY is, at its core, a locked door mystery.
Key suspects are in a room full of people when their
colleague plummets to the courtyard right outside. Author
Gavin Scott weaves together Norse mythology, wartime
politics, and academic espionage in a plot that takes
Forrester from his prestigious campus to post-war Berlin and
the snowy peaks of Norway.
Scott references many well-known historical
figures -- from Oxford scholars, which is not entirely
unexpected in a story set on campus, to a key personage in
the Satanic church. Sometimes it's interesting and
appropriate, other times the
name-dropping elicited a disbelieving, "Oh, come on."
The mystery itself is very compelling. Forrester's friend
has a very good reason for wishing the victim dead; could
Forrester be wrong about his innocence? Several others have
motives as well, though. And how does it all connect to a
German spy and a long-missing manuscript?
THE AGE OF TREACHERY is a very cinematic read -- not
surprising considering author Scott is also a screenwriter --
and it will keep the most ardent mystery lover guessing the
whole way. I recommend this book for readers interested in
the World War II era as well as lovers of murder-mysteries.
If you find it as enjoyable as I did, you'll be glad to note
that two other Duncan Forrester mysteries are already
scheduled for publication.
It is the winter of 1946, and after years of war, ex-Special Operations Executive agent Duncan Forrester is back at his Oxford college as a junior Ancient History Fellow. But his peace is shattered when a much-disliked Fellow is found dead in the quad, stabbed and pushed from an upper window. A don is suspected and arrested for the murder, but Forrester is not convinced of his friend’s guilt. On the hunt for the true killer, he finds himself plunged into a mystery involving lost Viking sagas, Satanic rituals and wartime espionage.
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