Thriller set in Georgia (the country…)

1st July 2016

The Searcher by Chris Morgan Jones – thriller set in Georgia

The Searcher is a really good thriller – full of fast moving action, intrigue, and a cleverly worked denouement.

Chris Morgan Jones is a former espionage detective / spy – and clearly knows his subject very well. Ike Hammer runs a London based investigation agency called Ikertu. His partner, Ben Webster, goes missing and the police want to track him down and interview him with regard to alleged illegal computer hacking. The action moves to Georgia (where Ike believes Ben to be investigating the death of a journalist…). He travels to Tbilisi to begin the search – and to either bring Ben back to ‘justice’ or to prove his innocence. The police investigation threatens the very existence of Ikertu – and that is something Ike isn’t going to permit.

In Georgia, Ike encounters a motley collection of police, security service personnel, and all powerful criminal gangs. He is unsure of the individual agendas and motivations… He and a driver set off to follow Ben’s trail. They head from Tbilisi to Gori (where an explosion had occurred that is at the heart of the story…) to Batumi on the Black Sea coast, and to Diklo high up in the Caucasus mountains close to the Russian border. The last third of the book is set in Diklo and the surrounding border country. It is an incredibly underpopulated part of the world – very sparse and beautiful, but also pretty foreboding. The final action is played out in awe inspiring forests and rivers on either side of the Russian border…

The Searcher is an excellent read for TripFiction. The recent (and not so recent) history of Georgia is woven into the story and – although the country may not be top of your must visit holiday destinations – it clearly has a lot going for it. The Caucasus mountain range is often described as the dividing line between Europe and Asia, and Tbilisi (in north Asia by this definition) has a very definite European feel – wide avenues and beautiful buildings… although the communist legacy of neglect lives on. We also move in the book to the beautiful Black Sea coast (with a sub tropical climate) and up into the high Caucasus mountains themselves. Sounds like a pretty ideal place (at least in summer) to enjoy an adventurous – but quite basic – walking holiday in a quite stunning environment.

The Searcher is both a very exciting and a very informative read.

Tony for the TripFiction team

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