The Golden Silence - Tapa dura

'Paul Johnston is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated crime writers ...This book is original and high-paced ... Johnston deserves to be a bestseller with this one.' - Shots Magazine 'As in all the best thrillers, bullets and fists fly in profusion as Alex follows the trail to the missing girl and finds relationships moulded in the agonising fires of Greece's awful time under the colonels.' -- The Times 'Paul Johnston reveals the Athens that the Greek Tourist Board don't want us to know about. Dark, terrifying and still shadowed by its past, this is a city that nurses its secrets until the tenacious Alex Mavros rips the curtain aside. This is a grippingly good read.' -- Val McDermid '[A] compelling crime novel which speeds along, never faltering in pace, to a gripping showdown.' - Scotsman 'Crime aficionados have particular cause to be grateful to the talented Paul Johnston: apart from the much-acclaimed series of Quintin Dalrymple, Scottish-set novels, Johnston has created another, equally distinctive series. The Alex Mavros books are set in Greece (where the author now lives), and this half-Greek, half-Scots private eye is a memorable creation; resourceful, quixotic and sympathetic. A Deeper Shade of Blue was a powerful outing for Mavros; The Golden Silence is, if anything, even better. This time, Alex is assigned to track down a missing teenager. As Alex searches, he is aware of a host of savage deaths in Athens. Then Alex begins to notice connections, and as he enters a dangerous criminal underworld, the remnants of the civil war begin to figure in a lethal scenario. Mavros is a more straightforward character than the eccentric Dalrymple, but this new series is proving to be Paul Johnston's most trenchant work yet.' -- Good Book Guide / Crime Time 'With this gripping, vicious thriller, Paul Johnston proves yet again why he deserves his place on the crime-writing pedestal beside Ian Rankin and Quintin Jardine' -- Daily Record 'fast-moving and exciting, delving into the criminal hierarchy of Athens' - Western Mail 'THE LAST RED DEATH is that rare breed of thriller: a ripping page-turner that is also stylish and intelligent. The heart, passions and politics of Greece come absolutely alive under Johnston's masterful touch' JEFFERY DEAVER 'THE LAST RED DEATH is a compelling, carefully crafted, top-notch thriller. Paul Johnston is playing at the top of his game' GEORGE PELECANOS 'The character of Mavros and the portrait of Greece make THE LAST RED DEATH stand out from the crowd' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'I loved Paul Johnston's Quint Dalrymple series, and Alex Mavros is shaping up to be just as good, if not better' PETER ROBINSON 'A sensual portrait of modern Greece, as well as a great page-turner: taste the salt, feel the heat as you follow the dramatic story!offers much more than the crime fiction genre usually encompasses: a rich and intelligent story, with fascinating characters' Scotland on Sunday on A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE 'A new departure for an immensely talented author, and the change of scene from the Scotland of the earlier books to the author's new home of Greece pays great dividends' Barry Forshaw, Publishing News on A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE 'The Alex Mavros books are set in Greece (where the author now lives), and this half-Greek, half-Scots private eye is a memorable creation; resourceful, quixotic and sympathetic. A DEEPER SHADE OF BLUE was a powerful outing for Mavros; THE GOLDEN SILENCE is, if anything, even better.' -- Good Book Guide

When half-Greek, half-Scots private investigator Alex Mavros is asked to trace a missing teenager, an immigrant of the former Soviet Union, he doesn't see any connection with the recent plague of violent killings afflicting Athens. As his search plunges him deep into the intricate network of underground crime, he is confronted by a wall of gang-inspired silence. One lead, however, takes him into a criminal organisation trading in illegal antiquities. As he follows the trail to the missing girl, he discovers that the present day killings have their roots in the brutal civil war. And that he has put himself in grave danger...