Royal Military Police Captain Stef Maguire is called out in the early morning to examine a body that has been discovered behind a barracks hut. The victim is still barely alive, but mortally wounded in his chest and manages to whisper a few words to Stef before finally expiring. The death is considered by the army as suicide as the victim was holding an army issue Browning pistol. But Stef is not so sure, as the victim is a TV producer named Dan Simmons who was supposed to be going out with the battalion to Afghanistan the following day.

The title of this story and its initial facts are very reminiscent of the real life controversy that occurred at Deepcut Army Barracks when four young army recruits died as a result of bullet wounds in separate incidents between 1995 and 2002. The deaths were held to be suicides as well but was it as a result of bullying, or what really occurred?

The dying man's words to Stef Maguire indicate that Tom Fletcher, ex-cop and ex-PI has been sent a message that will explain everything. Tom Fletcher is living in an isolated farmhouse with his wife and two young children raising bees - hence his nickname of the "honey-man".

Fletcher doesn't know why the TV producer killed himself but some very dangerous people believe that he does and try to threaten him and his family because of it. The story then heads off on a chain of events that can only result in either tragedy or the final conclusion to this story. More bruised and battered bodies are met on the way.

This book which is the author's third, is very good and a really exhilarating page turner which I finished very quickly. Though his next book begins a new series, I hope that Patrick Lennon returns to the adventures of Tom Fletcher someday.

Terry Halligan, England
April 2010