Dead Men Don't Bite - Andrew Towning.

This is Andrew Towning's second book - 'The Constantine Legacy' being his first that introduced the world to Jake Dillon - who returns here.
The plot line is good and packed - involving covert operations in Cuba, the wreck of a WW2 Nazi U-boat, gold bullion and the Spear of Destiny - one of it's many associations being with Hitler.

The first thing I noticed about this book from the beginning was how easy-going it is to read and therefore easy to get into. It is written in a good descriptive manner without being overly so and therefore none of the story is lost or wasted. The same can be said of the interplay between the characters - casual and convincing without being forced. General, everyday observations between and of the characters themselves is also very good throughout. It is very easy to picture scenes and characters in your mind as you are reading - almost like watching a movie.

Jake Dillon is an instantly likeable character - assertive without being aggressive unless needs be. It is nice to see the main character being written without having to be a 'rambo/schwarzenegger' clone.
The heroes and villains in this story are all written spectacularly well - something that can be lacking in a lot of action cliffhangers that tend to revolve on one main character and the remaining ones being rather weakly written in - this is most definitely not the case here.

It is obvious research has been done before and during writing which makes the storyline all the greater and gives it the added strength needed when involving anything historical such as the Spear of Destiny.

I have to admit that I do not read a lot of this genre - even though I could sometimes be described as a devourer of books - both fiction and non-fiction - so I was a little apprehensive as to whether I would be able to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I have read a couple - which have tended to go on to be documentaries - rather than fiction novels and involve too many facts and the story gets lost along the way. I am pleased to say that did not happen here.

I picked the book up and was very comfortable with it immediately and soon in full recline on my favorite armchair reading avidly. I wanted to turn the pages - I wanted to see what was happening and how it would play out - and oh how I cursed the phone when it rang for work!

I look for 3 qualities in any book I read and this certainly had all of them.
A good story line with good, interesting characters.
A book that is easy to get into but hard to put down.
Something that makes me want more!

This book covered all 3 easily and yes - I shall be back for more!