Sign of the Cross

Spike Sanguinetti #2

by Thomas Mogford

Just as a degree of calm returns to Spike Sanguinetti's life in Gibraltar, he receives the shocking news that his Maltese uncle and aunt are dead after a domestic dispute escalated into a blood-soaked murder-suicide.

Accompanied by his aging father, Spike crosses the Mediterranean to Malta for the funerals. It falls to Spike, a lawyer, to act as executor of the wills. The more he looks into his relatives' deaths, however, the more he is faced by a troubling question: what could have prompted a mild-mannered art historian to stab his wife to death, then turn the knife upon himself?

After reuniting with an ex-girlfriend, Zahra, now working in Malta as a translator, Spike embarks on a dangerous trail that leads all the way from the island's squalid immigrant tent camps to the ornate palazzos of the legendary Knights of St John. In Malta, the oldest Christian nation in the world, self-interest can masquerade as charity, and what first appears to be worthless can prove valuable beyond price.

Genres: Ebooks, Crime

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2013

About the author

Thomas has worked as a journalist for Time Out and as a translator for the European Parliament and the UEFA Champions League. While studying to be a lawyer, he looked into practising abroad. Instead, he decided to write a series of thrillers set in the Mediterranean region.

In addition to writing mystery / thriller fiction under the name Thomas Mogford, he also writes historical fiction under the name T.L. Mogford

Reviews

[Judge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up the book based upon the local it takes place at. Fortunately it is a short book. Nothing really special. Maybe I would connect with the main character more if I read the first book? Who knows. I don't think I care to find out.

[Bernie Critchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the Spike Sanguinetti books, and this is third one I’ve read (I started with the fourth, before going back to the start!). They’re easy to read, the stories keep me engaged, and I like the main characters.

Sign of the Cross is very violent in points, and graphic in its descriptions of the conditions of the refugee camps in Malta, so at points it’s a tough read. Also, the story does get over the top towards the end with Spike turning into a kind of action hero. However, I stayed gripped throughout and started the next book in the series straight away as I wanted to continue the the story!

[Shiela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great find for this armchair traveler! A four-and -a-half star rating if there is one.
A solid protagonist in Spike, spattering of history, stolen art masterpiece , migrants stranded and abused, hint of romance - all in an exotic setting of Malta. A jackpot!
I hope Thomas Mogford is busily writing more.

[Bachyboy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started with a very brutal murder and I am finding myself wanting to avoid that, in television as well. The book was reasonably complex but the Malta setting different. Not recommending this.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mogford is again splendid in his depiction of place - this one largely Malta - and the scale of the intrigue he presents. Spike Sanguinetti's beloved Zahra is back for a time.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second outing for the debonair but troubled lawyer, Spike Sanguinetti, I picked up on a palpable change of tone and feel to this book. From the brutal opening of the murder of Sanguinetti’s aunt and uncle in Malta, necessitating Sanguinetti and his ailing father to travel and deal with the deceased’s personal affairs, this novel was altogether darker and more circumspect in terms of the investigation, the character of Sanguinetti himself and the overall feel of the book. The more light-hearted aspects of its predecessor Shadow of the Rock were largely absent and there was a significantly less incorporation of wit and humerous interplay between the characters, perhaps reflecting that the events were much more close to Sanguinetti personally than those of the previous book. Having had his relatives murdered by person or persons unknown, the intensity of his father’s illness becoming more evident (and maybe the chance of Sanguinetti falling prey to this hereditary disease himself) and the reappearance of Zahra, forging a new life for herself away from Sanguinetti, the emotional toll on our erstwhile hero is much more in evidence. This perhaps suppresses the more jocular aspects of Mogford’s writing, but in truth, I rather enjoyed the apparent difference in style between the books, and thought this darker tone heightened the sinister and quite brutal path that the story took. As the story plays out, and the facts behind his relatives’ murders come to light, there is also an insidious additional storyline on the exploitation of female migrants that puts Zahra into huge danger, following her work at an immigrant’s camp. A bold but necessary depiction of the plight of women seeking a better life for themselves, but so at risk by those who seem to be aiding their escape. I thought this was both a powerful and well-realised strand of the story, that made for uncomfortable reading, but was good to expose in this context.

As with Shadow of the Rock, Mogford’s sense of location and atmosphere is without doubt another compelling facet to the cut and thrust of the central narrative. By shifting the action to Malta, as he had done using Gibraltar and Morocco in the first, Mogford has centred on a country with a multi-layered history both in terms of religion and demography, fuelling the book with additional points of interest for the reading, but not resorting to a travel guide commentary of the locations and historical anomalies of this fascinating location. Malta has a rich and varied history that Mogford unveils piece by piece as Sanguinetti traverses this island nation in pursuit of the guilty and each location is vividly brought to life from the comfortable neighbourhood of his family dwelling, to the claustrophobic migrant camp and to the less than salubrious Marsa where the seamier side of Maltese life resides.

Building on the strength of his excellent debut Shadow of the Rock, Mogford has produced a subtly different but equally enthralling follow-up, with an intriguing ending- one that I guarantee like me, will have you eagerly awaiting the next instalment…

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book so was quite happy to be able to read it and in turn review it early in the books release days. Now I only wish I’d read the first one first… well, that’s ok. It doesn’t seem as if you really need to, but I really enjoyed this one and have a thing about reading books in order. I’ll just have to go back and read it, then read this one again but I’m forgetting my purpose here and drifting off! Snapping back to the current moment, here comes that review now!

This book is one heck of a thrill ride. From start to finish, it keeps you on the edge of your seat with fast paced action. I really don’t want to give the story away because that would be completely and totally mean for me to do since you would be doing yourself a disfavor by not reading it for yourself but I will give a little. The main character, Spike’s, uncle and his wife are found dead being involved in what is being called a murder-suicide. The story heads to Malta where the murders take place and where Spike is originally from. Things begin to take a sinister turn when Spike starts to see that perhaps there is more to the “murder-suicide” than meets the eye. Now you have to read to find out what happens next!

This book has it all. Murder, mystery, love, twists and turns, betrayal, blood and gore, and a good old fast paced thriller straight through. The characters are well developed and have human flaws rather than being “literary perfection” which you see a lot, especially in books where you have mysteries such as these. This book sets up nicely for more to follow and this could be a very successful long standing series should that be the direction it’s heading. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SIGN OF THE CROSS is the second Spike Sanguinetti novel, in a series that really does need to be read in order. Not that it's any trial to have to do so, as this is shaping up to be a standout.

It's not just the brutality of the murder, there's a fundamental sombreness about these books which works. The first book, THE SHADOW OF THE ROCK, was also set partly outside Gibraltar in Morocco, yet somehow that idea of a Shadow being cast carries through both stories. Sanguinetti is troubled in this book. By the brutal death of a loved aunt and uncle, the increasing frailty of his father, life itself. That's not to say he's morbid or tedious, it's a reflective man who struggles with the relationships around him - the lost and the failing.

A strong character study, with a clever and engaging plot, SIGN OF THE CROSS also has a very strong sense of place. Malta is as complex a society and history as was Morocco and Gibraltar in the first book. The books aren't travel guides, or postcards from, but they weave the place and the history into the story. The sense of culture and location informing the actions of the people now as it obviously has done for generations. Pulling the multi-generations of Sanguinetti's family into the action echoes those aspects beautifully.

Neither of these books are fast thriller styled crime fiction. They are enthralling, involving, intriguing studies of places and peoples, mistakes, history and relationships. And so far, two books down, very worth reading.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mogford has created an endurable and fascinating character in Spike Sanguinetti. He's not a tough, uncompromising detective who can always handle himself in dangerous situations and come out the winner in any fight. He's a smart attorney who just wants to do what's right and yearns not for high-powered boardrooms and wealthy clients, but for a quiet life on his beloved Gibraltar. It's just that his curiosity and inclination to find the truth always lead to trouble.

His first Sanguinetti novel, Shadow of the Rock, was do compelling that when I picked up this latest installment, I was certain that there had been two previous novels. This episode is more contained than the first, but still engages the reader fully in Spike's quest to get to the bottom of the mystery. A sense of place is important to Mogford, so he mixes in some history and description that draws you into a visualization of Spike's actions. This time, the action occurs on the island of Malta, where Spike is reunited transiently with Zahra, the beautiful and mysterious object of his desire introduced in the first novel. One of the draws for me is how Mogford makes the reader feel the yearning that Spike and Zahra have for each other, but also the frustration when events and unsettled feelings keep them apart.

I hope Mr. Mogford is working on a new Spike Sanguinetti mystery!

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spike travels to Malta to act as executor of his aunt and uncle's wills and has a hard time accepting their deaths. He doesn't believe his uncle killed his aunt then himself. He gets reunited with Zahra and she takes him to a migrant camp. He starts looking into the activities of his aunt and uncle prior to their deaths and it takes him to her charity work and his uncles interest in paintings. He is warned to go home but doesn't listen. Zahra vanishes and he starts searching for her. All these elements are connected. He ends up saving two young girls, killing a bad guy, finding a lost famous painting and then destroying it along with another bad guy who he thought was a friend. There is lots of tension on Malta with the number of migrants on the island. Girls being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. The end leaves some things hanging and sets up for the next book in the series.
Learned a few things about Malta and Gibraltor as I am not familiar with these places at all. Spike is a likeable character that tries to help others while dealing with his own problems. His dad is coping with a serious hereditary disease and Spike is his care giver. He also has a bit of a frustrated love life, afraid to trust. Good book.

[Papalodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a new book at the library. Their were reviews of Mogford's previous book that stated - fans of mysteries are in for a treat - Mogford's exotic locales, gorgeous prose, and closing twist make this debut a showstopper - put this series n your radar.

This is a quick read and interesting. The characters were, in some cases well defined; others less so. One appeared out of the blue, and was entertaining. I, for once, ws able to figure out the bad guy. The Sanguinetti character should move nicely into the next novel.

When I returned the book to the library, Shadow of the Rock, was newly acquired by the library; providing a nice opportunity to 'start at the very begining' (sorry Oscar).

Mogford's picture on the back cover, I find interesting. No sure if he is apprehensive, bewildered or frightened; or hopeful that the reader will enjoy the tale he has told. I enjoyed it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I picked it up because I thought it was set in Gibraltar, a place I have been, but the main character immediately goes to Malta. Also interesting, because I knew nothing about Malta. The story was well written with a good amount of suspense.

Plot: Just as a degree of calm returns to Spike Sanguinetti's life in Gibraltar, he receives the shocking news that his Maltese uncle and aunt are dead after a domestic dispute escalated into a blood-soaked murder-suicide.

Accompanied by his aging father, Spike crosses the Mediterranean to Malta for the funerals. It falls to Spike, a lawyer, to act as executor of the wills. The more he looks into his relatives' deaths, however, the more he is faced by a troubling question: what could have prompted a mild-mannered art historian to stab his wife to death, then turn the knife upon himself?

[John Haskins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong main characters. Exotic setting. Secondary characters not as fully drawn. The plotting didn't flow as naturally as the one would expect from the original setting. The strength was in the protagonist,his attempts to maintain his code and his love for the ill fated woman of a different culture. some plotlines sagged in the attempt to keep the narrative flowing. I expect a follow up that ties the characters and trials together. Worth reading for those other worldly lives clashing with european mores and the atmospheric setting.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spike goes to Malta after the apparent murder-suicide of his aunt and uncle. Mogford obviously is not writing for the Maltese tourist board, because while he gets in much history of the island, he is fairly nasty about its present state, at least to his Gibraltor-born lawyer lead character. The mystery is not deep, but engages, mixing immigration, the trafficking of women, and art history.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much darker, more brutal outing than the first in this series hence my giving it one less star than Shadow of The Rock. I enjoyed the setting on the island of Malta and an interesting storyline but I feel I'm yet to fully appreciate the the main protagonist Spike Sanguinetti. I'm certainly going to continue with this series -just enjoyed this a little less than the debut.

[Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracker from the author of Shadow of the Rock. A very British hero (if I can say that as he's Gibraltean), mixed up in some murky Mediterranean murders.
Clearly going to be a very readable saga.
Already looking forward to the sequel.

[A. Lieberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mystery which takes place in Malta. The protagonist is a lawyer, Spike Sanguinetti, who goes to Malta to execute the will of his uncle and aunt. He begins to question whether the original conclusion of murder/suicide is the truth.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it was the setting-- unknown territory to me (Malta)-- but I found it difficult to keep up with the story. Seemed to jump from place to place without good transitions. It did portray the fact that even the "best" of people can get caught in the trap of desire for wealth and power.

[Annika Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the glimpse into the Maltese culture, while at the same time kept turning the page to read what the characters would find next.

[Al Stoess · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his first book I learned about Gibraltar and Morocco. In this book I gained knowledge about Malta.
An interesting crime story. Will our hero find Zahra? Wait till the next book.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gripping... though a little too violent to my taste. Ends on a cliff-hanger, which means will have to get the next installment too soonest