David Jarvis - The Tip of The Iceberg

David Jarvis - The Tip of The Iceberg 

4⭐

Genre: Thriller, Espionage, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction 

Pages: 313

Format: Paperback 

Publisher:  Troubador/Matador

Date Published: 28th October 2022

Huge thank you to the Author, David Jarvis, for sending me a copy of The Tip of the Iceberg in exchange for an honest review.  

Book Blurb: 

Charles Yelland was leading the perfect life until a faked photograph appeared in a newspaper on the morning of his oil company’s AGM showing an exploration rig in Antarctica. After this he didn’t think that his world could get any worse … he was seriously wrong.

Within hours Presidents and Prime Ministers were telephoning each other to find out whether oil had actually been discovered and whether the 60 year old Antarctic Treaty with its suspension of territorial claims was now dead.

What would countries and companies do to gain access to an area one and a half times the size of the USA with 11% of the Earth’s land mass and minerals?
The Tip of the Iceberg is a thought-provoking and gripping story of kidnap and intrigue.

My Review: 

Yet another amazing thriller/mystery from David Jarvis. The tip of the Iceberg has it all, suspense, mystery, humour, witty conversations and it also discusses important societal issues and geopolitics (and as a geographer I love geopolitics). What’s not to like? Oh, and don’t forget the writing that just captures you from the beginning. Such an interesting, captivating, funny and compelling book.

One picture in a newspaper and everyone is panicking…Has oil been discovered in Antarctica, and if it was, who does that oil belong to? Politicians from the UK, the USA, Norway and other Antarctic Treaty countries are all lining up to be the first ones to get the oil. That said, there is an issue of how to address it during the Climate Conference where conditions of the Antarctic Treaty will also be discussed. At the same time, the biggest oil company in the UK owner’s daughter is kidnapped, and a spy turned detective Mike Kingdom is called in to help find the missing girl.

Although this book has a lot, the way the author portrays everything and develops the plot, all of those scattered pieces just come together perfectly. Also, I loved Mike’s character as she is one strong female protagonist. I adored the ins and outs of geopolitics and, the Antarctic Treaty, especially the way the author presents quite complicated issues and politics in a simple, entertaining, interesting and funny way. Place descriptions were brilliant too, especially when I knew most of them quite well and whilst reading, I imagined myself there with the characters.

What I love the most about this book is that is it a ‘What If?’ story, and although it is fiction, part of me did start to wonder What If the Antarctic Treaty didn’t exist or what if we changed it? So definitely this book gave me a lot of food for thought, whilst being entertaining and captivating too.

Overall: Love the writing, love the characters, love the topic…Can’t recommend it enough and can’t wait to see what Mike Kingdom is up to in the next book, This Is Not A Pipe. 

About the Author:

After going to Art College in the 1970s David Jarvis set up an international planning practice which he ran for 40 years. His canvases just got bigger and bigger. He has now retired to Wiltshire. The Collation Unit is his debut novel. 

https://www.whisperingstories.com/the-writing-life-of-david-jarvis/

David Jarvis - The Collation Unit

David Jarvis - The Collation Unit 

4.5⭐

Genre: Thriller, Espionage, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction 

Pages:  336

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Troubador

Date Published: 28th March 2021 

Huge thank you to the Author, David Jarvis, for sending me a copy of The Collation Unit in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Blurb: 

In the 1970s computers were beginning to overwhelm the Secret Services. Quickly, too much information was coming into GCHQ and things were being missed. The Collation Unit was set up underground in six floors beneath some old aircraft hangars at Mannington airfield just outside Cheltenham to make connections and prioritise everything.

In April/May 1982 they spotted some very strange things happening in Georgia and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, London decided to move the only satellite covering this area down to the South Atlantic where some Argentinians had begun to invade the Falklands. When tensions began to develop with London, Mannington had to resort to old-fashioned means of finding out what was going on in the Middle East. They found Mark Tanner, an irrigation engineer from High Wycombe, who was working on new Military Cities in Saudi Arabia. He was there to make enough money to pay off his mortgage after a small difficulty involving a fire. It is true to say that however technology moves on, it still all comes down to people on the ground …

A tense and exciting story with an unguessable ending, this is a must-read for spy thriller enthusiasts and anyone who has always wondered what goes on behind closed doors.

My Review: 

Such an enjoyable political spy thriller that I read in a day! I really liked how historical events were mixed with quite a complex set of characters, and their private lives, whilst they all are also working for the British Secret Services. Loved the refreshing wit and dry humour in this story too, as it made the characters and the story itself very real. Not a traditional spy novel but definitely a well-written and fascinating book that I very much enjoyed reading.

The main part of the story is set in 1982, when The Collation Unit, which was set up a decade ago by GCHQ, starts to spot very strange things happening just off the coast of Saudi Arabia and Georgia. Soon The Collation Unit links these two places together and believes that Georgia is supplying all things needed for new Military Cities in Saudi Arabia. However, at the same time tensions are rising in the Falklands and London decides to move all the satellite coverage to the South Atlantic, leaving the area between Saudi Arabia and Georgia not fully monitored by technology. Thus, The Collation Unit goes in an old fashion way, they decide to depend on a person on the ground to supply all the needed information… However, will their chosen person be up to the job and will the job bear any fruits…

In the beginning, I was a bit confused about all the characters (and their names), but soon everything clicked into place and I loved how each of the characters added so much to the plot, especially as the book progressed. Empty’s character is hands down my favourite. The way he is portrayed to be quite sarcastic and humorous around everyone, which from the outside makes him look quite odd. However, he is anything but odd. Inside he is so intelligent and has that strategic mindset that gets him in and out of different, but sometimes not-so-good situations. However, he is such a great and lovable character.

Although it was a slow burn at first, the tension in this book just kept me going and by the end, I didn’t want to put it down…Oh and the ending was definitely a crème de la crème. This book was definitely a new take on spy novels and I thoroughly enjoyed that, especially the fact of how well researched the book was and how much information, action and plot it packs inside one book.  

Overall: It is such an enjoyable book, with multi-dimensional and complex characters, great writing and humour, which balances perfectly with the tension and action. I enjoyed reading this story and can’t wait to see what David Jarvis is going to release next, as I am sure it’s going to be just as great. 

About the Author:

After going to Art College in the 1970s David Jarvis set up an international planning practice which he ran for 40 years. His canvases just got bigger and bigger. He has now retired to Wiltshire. The Collation Unit is his debut novel. 

https://www.whisperingstories.com/the-writing-life-of-david-jarvis/