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Book Summary and Reviews of The Shadow of the Rock by Thomas Mogford

The Shadow of the Rock by Thomas Mogford

The Shadow of the Rock

A Spike Sanguinetti Novel

by Thomas Mogford

  • Published:
  • Aug 2012, 272 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

On a humid summer night in Gibraltar, lawyer Spike Sanguinetti finds Solomon Hassan, an old school friend, waiting on his doorstep. Accused of murdering a Spanish girl in Tangiers, Solomon swears his innocence. He has managed to skip across the Straits, but the Moroccan authorities demand his return. Spike travels to Tangiers in the hope of delaying the extradition.

Solomon's boss, Nadeer - the founder of a renewable-energy company called Dunetech that is on the verge of financing an enormous solar-powered site in the Sahara - suggests that if Spike can delay Solomon's trial until after the deal is signed, he will persuade the governor of Tangiers to bury the extradition demand. Complicating this offer, Spike encounters a Bedouin girl who insists that Dunetech is engaged in a nefarious scheme linked to the disappearance of her father. As Spike uncovers the truth, he finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a world of secrets, corruption, and murderous lies.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Guns, grit, and torture: this breathtaking debut runs through the shifting sands with aplomb. Mogford's exotic locales, gorgeous prose, and closing twist make this debut a showstopper." - Library Journal

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Author Information

Thomas Mogford

Thomas Mogford studied modern languages at Oxford University and holds a postgraduate diploma in law from City University, London. He works for ITV Sport as a translator and reporter on the UEFA Champions League. His short fiction has been published in the Field, Litro, and Notes from the Underground. An early work featuring Spike Sanguinetti was a semifinalist for the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and was referred to by Publishers Weekly as "an exotic, addictive mystery." Mogford is married and lives in London.

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