Political Thriller Which Echoes London Life Today
- Book: The Missing Activist
- Location: London
- Author: Louise Burfitt-Dons
The Missing Activist is a contemporary political thriller about corrupt politicians and ISIS extremists set in 2016. It echoes London with its language, humour and locations. It’s also as relevant as it is fast-paced.
The protagonist is Karen Andersen, a private investigator who works from a tightly packed home office in Chiswick for a soon-to-be-retired Met officer, Quacker Partridge who is looking to his future in setting up a private security firm. He tasks her with finding a missing Tory activist last seen at St. James’s Park Underground station having just left a disciplinary meeting with a party chief.
In doing her job she uncovers a Jihadi bridal recruiting network working for ISIS out of a damp basement in West London.
A lot of twists and turns and a book with many vivid and original characters representing modern Britain today.
The author has done a lot of research before writing and it shows.
The setting is the world of politics and there are many references to the drinking holes of politicians, Westminster eating spots, and heaps of background into how the UK political systems work at the grassroots level.
Excerpt: …….During the war, the five-star hotel had been the gathering place for lobbyists and civil servants, and somewhere for industry representatives to make their case. Rationing had affected companies and mingling with those in government gave an opportunity to influence things. It meant they had one ear to the heart of Westminster. And nothing much had changed. It was still a favourite with those who wanted to be physically near to the seat of power……..End of excerpt.
The villain in this story, who almost gets high on a shopping expedition to Harrods where she meets her naïve teenage recruits, is a deluded fantasist. Her undercover occupation exposes a side of London most visitors don’t get to see.
Excerpt …….Where Zinah made deliveries that day was a bit of a drudge. There were a hundred and one other things to do back at Acton. The drop involved a hike up the Lea Bridge Road. This part of the city was a million miles in style from the glossy West End.
Next time she’d wear trainers, she thought, looking down at her tired feet in the flimsy pumps. But Allah urged her forward. Allahu Akbar! Doing this painful walk would please the Prophet.
As the obedient soldier of Islam marched across the River Lea, a dog sniffed the marshy ground below and seagulls cawed overhead. This particular circuit was a long one, but by now Zinah knew the route well. The old Cinema with its bare hoarding. Then, a few houses later, the red-brick building with its unlit fairy lights and shabby fittings. The mosque………….End of excerpt
The author constructs plots and sub plots aplenty leading to a major terrorist attack at a party political conference in Birmingham. But overall this book sparkles because of its fine detail and nuances of London life today.
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