Julie Ryan Reviews Isia's Secret

An Enda Osin Mystery

Political correspondent Enda Osin and his beautiful assistant Jessica Du Ross must foil one man’s political dream for Cypriot Sovereignty. With a powerful position in Brussels Paul Hrisacopolis, who has an heir with hatred in his heart, could bring a terrorist war to the island. While Enda struggles to end the nightmare, he infolds the tragic tale of two women living lives of poverty and an illegitimate son.


Enda Osin is a sharp cookie when it comes to political intrigue. His daily column in the Herald is controversial and popular. Upsetting the incumbents of the White House and Downing Street over an embarrassing article, his editor has been forced to side-line him. He has been assigned to write a series of articles for the Herald’s Sunday supplement about Paul Hrisacopolis, a shipping billionaire with a thirst for power in the European Union and a believer in Enosis for Cyprus.

To help him is art correspondent, Jessica Du Rosse, a beautiful and sophisticated West Indian half his age and with whom he is soon falling in love.

Hrisacopolis has offered to transport priceless artifacts that the British Museum has agreed to relinquish claim to, from London to Athens on board the flagship of his cruise line. He’s looking forward to partying on the cruise with influential European politicians who can vote him onto a powerful committee chairmanship. That position could be used to influence public opinion against Turkey and cause the return of civil war on Cyprus. With news that Paul’s only grandson, essential key player to take his grandfather’s place as figurehead, has agreed to end a family feud, the old man has everything going his way. A few loose tongues need silencing. Ahmet Zeki, Paul’s murderous Turkish shipping agent is ordered to deal with the situation. Ahmet however, has his own plans. Working for the KKA, a Turkish terrorist group and the Turkish Secret Service, his sole aim as a double agent is to destroy Paul and profit from the chaos by using his son as an impostor to replace the real grandson.

It doesn’t take Enda long to get entangled in the Hrisacopolis family mystery involving Paul’s brother, Ioannis, George his dead son and Isia the young girl George hoped to marry. Dating back to the dark days of the EOKA terrorist campaign from the fifties to the seventies, Enda and Jessica find themselves unearthing Isia’s secret, something that would rock Greek and Turkish societies and bring shame and disgrace to Hrisacopolis if made public. Escaping an attempt on their lives, Enda and Jessica learn of a heart-breaking story involving an illegitimate lovechild and Isia’s desperate bid to find freedom; a freedom that ends in tragedy. Enda is even more determined to seek the truth when he is told the grandson, Baki, is dead by one source and alive by another. Confusion reigns while Enda struggles to control his own personal demons that haunt him; involving a fire from his childhood that killed his parents.

Baki, surviving an explosion, escapes the army and hides his true identity behind the name of ‘Anthony’ He has hatred in his heart for a man who broke a promise to his father and caused his mother to lead a life of poverty until her untimely death. On hearing the news of his grandfather’s philanthropic plan, Baki vows to kill the man in a terrible act of revenge. Hiring the services of a ruthless ex legionnaire, Baki makes meticulous plans to confront and kill his grandfather in a daring assault on the liner.

 

 

My Review

This is such a fast moving spy thriller that you almost need a ‘who’s who’ to keep up with the ever- changing list of characters. However, as it is well written I’m prepared to forgive the author on this occasion. The story is set against the backdrop of Cyprus in 1974 and takes us from there to the present day passing through Turkey, Greece, the South of France and various other locations that are described in such detail that the reader feels immediately transported there.

I enjoyed the modern politics less than the relationship between newspaper columnist Enda and his colleague Jessica. Nevertheless, this novel will appeal to those who love a thriller with lots of twists and turns – I didn’t read the blurb beforehand so each development really was a surprise – and equally to those who enjoy a good story set in some fantastic locations. It will certainly keep you on your toes.

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