Gavin Scott

This is boy's own adventure stuff, a blend of James Bond meets Indiana Jones (especially given the author scripted 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'). Our central character, in post-war Oxford, is a junior Ancient History don (it says Archaeology in the book, so he seems to hover between the two, perhaps) - and of course he has a past: his daring exploits during the war, he suffers from moments of trauma and stress, and mourns a lost love for which he blames himself.

In this, the first of a series, he investigates the murder of a fellow don, and uncovers a mystery that involves Norse mythology, secret codes, Nazi spies and dastardly shenanigans behind the doors of his very own Oxford college.

It's a fun page-turner, with enough action to keep the momentum going and twists and turns to keep you guessing. There is the obligatory love-interest (with a mysterious Norwegian countess) and the denouement, and the reveal of how the murder was carried out, is so preposterous it actually made me laugh. But, it is what it is, and this was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a central character interesting enough to carry the plot. Nonsense, but with books 2 and 3 in my possession, I actually can't wait to read the next one!… (meer)