Death in Helmand

One man murdered, another missing. A race against time...Helmand, 2004: Afghanistan's most lawless province, where nearly 90 per cent of the world's opium is grown. Pink and lilac poppies flutter innocently in the breeze in fields that stretch for miles and miles along the Helmand River south of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.Gangsters and warlords battle for supremacy in the lucrative trade, territories well-known, and fiercely contested. Well Diggers, an Anglo-Dutch NGO helping the farming community, comes under attack. One man is dead and another man is missing - suspected kidnapped, so head of security Ginger Jameson calls in his old friend Alasdair 'Mac' MacKenzie to help.But when the expected ransom demand fails to materialise, rumours blossom, creating a web of deceit and a multitude of false leads. Embarking on a rescue mission into the no-go reaches of southern Helmand might look like a major scoop to Mac's girlfriend, investigative reporter Baz Khan, but it puts the whole team in danger. And if they don't find him soon, they won't find him at all...From Helmand's shimmering poppy fields to the blistering Desert of Death and the opium bazaars of Bahram Char, where nothing is as cheap as a man's life, this is the gripping sequel to Death in Kabul. Praise for Death in Kabul'A tense, taut and totally authentic thriller that grips from the first page and doesn't let go. Death in Kabul immerses you in 2003 Kabul, riven by corruption where danger lurks in every alley.Be careful who you trust' D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance'A vividly portrayed murder mystery in a fresh and fascinating setting.With wonderful characters and a great plot, I hope this is the first of many from this duo' Susi Holliday, author of The Last Resort'Authentic, thrilling and brilliantly plotted, Death in Kabul is a cracking action thriller that brings the city vividly to life - just read it!' Marion Todd, author of See Them Run'Rich and atmospheric, Death in Kabul plunges us directly into the grubby, noisy streets of the capital and to a murder investigation that kept me in its thrall to the end' Louisa Scarr, author of Under a Dark Cloud'It's a first class police thriller with a big difference. The investigation whips through shady characters and locales at breakneck pace but the setting removes all the familiar procedural techniques, keeping you on the edge of your seat right to the stunning finale. Explosive stuff!' D.L. Marshall, author of Black Run'One of the most authentic thrillers I've read for ages. Drags you headfirst into the colourful Kabul underworld, and sends you barrelling down its backstreets at a frenetic pace that just doesn't let up' Robert Scragg, author of End of the Line