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John Law is 'The Cryptographer', the world's first quadrillionaire. A wealth earned by developing the unbreakable code behind the electronic money called Soft Gold. Anna Moore is a tax inspector, working for the 'Revenue'. The 'Revenue' has found some irregularities in Law's accounts and assigns Anna to his case. Law and Anna reach an agreement, circumventing a six-month investigation but it seems there is an attraction between them and she really wants to know why a man so wealthy would try and hide some money. They meet from time to time and then the unthinkable happens and the code is broken. The Law family disappears and Anna tries to track them down.

THE CRYPTOGRAPHER is not really a thriller or much of a crime novel. Set a decade or more into the future, it's part science fiction, part romance but in total an absorbing listen. Told in first person present tense, the listener cannot predict the outcome and Anna's narrative flows along. It's no surprise that the author is an award-winning poet.

As usual, Patricia Gallimore gives a fine narration with a range of accents from male Scottish to female Scandinavian. A recommended listen, for something a little bit different.

Karen Meek, England
April 2006

Details of the author's other books with links to reviews can be found on the Books page.
More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.