Somewhat in denial, as he was unaware his wife was seeing a therapist, Peter is summoned to the morgue to identify his wife. To his great relief, the body is not that of his wife, but a stranger. Several questions arise. Why were these people murdered? Was robbery a motive? Who was the unknown woman? Was the unknown woman murdered because her assailant thought she was Harriet Ashton?

Because Harriet is an ex-SIS agent, it is possible that government secrets have been breached. It appears that someone has gained access to Peter and Harriet’s personnel files. Peter has, therefore, several reasons for tracing the perpetrator of the crime. Not only is his personal life in jeopardy, but his professional life is also at stake.

I cannot say that Mr. Engleton is not an able writer. I have no complaint with his character portrayal, his plot, or his writing style. But in Dead Reckoning, I found myself overwhelmed by the 342 pages of Irish terrorists, political unrest in India, and various opportunists hopeful to make a living by helping to carry out some subterfuge or other.

The various pieces of the plot seem to fit together quite properly, but it was beyond the comprehension of my non-historic, non-political brain to appreciate the beauty of Mr. Engleton’s work. I am sure that readers who have an affection for this type of plot will be aghast at my reaction, but I was confused from about the second chapter onward and never felt I got my bearings.

Admittedly, Mr. Engleton would have had to write on a much simpler plane for me to obtain much benefit from his book. I am sure he expects his audience to have a working knowledge of the unrest in Ireland and India, and, therefore, does not feel the need to provide much background information. But for those of us with a non-political bent, this is the kiss of death. It was a real struggle for me to make much sense of the story and, although I finished the book, I’m not sure it was worth it.

--Andy Plonka