Violence and strong language occur from the start of this private investigator thriller about McGinnis Investigations. This group of people work more as a whole than usual, because they are not separately employed to tail cheating spouses. They are delving into the reasons for one of their staff getting badly beaten, to the extent that he can’t tell them what happened.

NUMBER FIFTEEN is set in eastern Australia, but the story is truly international. An auction is about to be held, with twenty-two lots imported from South-East Asia. Two unpleasant people from Russia are hired muscle to make sure nothing disturbs the illegal processes. Dan McGinnis gets interested at his office in Campbelltown near Sydney, Australia, because Andy Smith, a tough PI, was working on personal matters during holiday time and that got him assaulted. The other PIs including Kat, a young woman keen to make a difference, band together and hunt those responsible.

Due to the location we get a good level of tech – Kat’s first response is always to grab her phone - and some guns, but not many. Some Aussie chat might be unfamiliar to readers, like a ute for a utility vehicle or pickup, and a roo bar for kangaroos on the truck front. This isn’t too hard to follow. I took some chapters to get absorbed in the story, but once it became clear that NUMBER FIFTEEN referred to a girl of twelve, Andy’s daughter Kelly, and an evil trade, I was in for the long haul. I started saying no, disable a tyre on the bus, don’t try to hotwire it.

I found similarities with ‘Livia Lone’ by Barry Eisler, so fans of that US-set series might like to switch continents. Tony McFadden has more of a closed-loop approach though, demonstrated by trying to make a minor character a significant piece of the puzzle. An unlikely scenario develops in which the gang boss persists in wanting to sell Number Fifteen even after she gains an identity in Australia. This just ensures that the forces of good will keep tracking him down. I am sure Kelly would be too hot to handle at that point, but it makes for an exciting story and reveals the foul money at stake.

While I had not read the first book in ‘McGinnis Investigations’, I don’t think that would be required to get on well with the cast of characters. An amiable upcountry PI, Mac, is also involved, the lead in the earlier ‘Mac D’ series. NUMBER FIFTEEN is a rewarding crime read, lifting the lid on trafficking.

Book Summary