LUKAS STOLZ, an ex-East German maths guru is murdered outside the Hotel Napoli in Milan. Lifelong criminal, PETE SALTERTON believes the bullet was really meant for him and he sets off a chain of events that will lead the police in the wrong direction. STOLZ's murder is investigated by CAPTAIN BROCELLI, a gruff, lazy individual who clashes with his counterpart LIEUTENANT RAPHAEL CONZA; a detail orientated high-flyer with little respect for his uniformed colleague. LUKAS STOLZ's murderer escapes on a Vespa, but is recognised by fifteen-year-old, NYALA ABEBE (daughter of an Ethiopian emigre). Both the police and SALTERTON's gang pursue the killer and the witness - and whoever set up the contract. The assassin escapes and makes a discovery about criminal activities that blows the case wide open. With the help of a British barrister, RAPHAEL CONZA is drawn into the world of treason, espionage and sabotage and his journey takes him to Berlin, where he learns why LUKAS STOLZ was killed and the man behind it.
Stephen Franks served in both the British Army and Royal Air Force during a career spanning more than twenty years. Stephen took up law in the 2000's and was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 2016. However, he has always harboured the desire to write and in the autumn of 2020, he set out the story that became The Milan Contract. He says of this, his first novel that, ...writing The Milan Contract wasn't so much an ambition, as a burning desire to put into writing a tale that came to me as I stood on the steps of a Milanese hotel waiting for a taxi. As strange as it may sound, I have always believed that the story was somehow already in existence - it was just waiting for someone to come along to tell it. That story is still in much the same form as it was when it first 'appeared' to Stephen more than twenty years ago! In addition to his writing, Stephen continues to offer legal advice and support to a small portfolio of private clients in the south of the UK. He lives with his wife and two sons in Dorset.
Title: The Milan Contract: A Gripping Tale of Murder, Intrigue and Betrayal
Author: Franks, Stephen
ISBN: 9781838396206
Binding:
Publisher: Mooncat Books Ltd
Publication Date: 2021-02-12
Number of Pages: 318
Weight: 0.4537 kg
Wow! It's so hard to sit and write a proper review over this novel when my mind is still exploding from the creativity that went into writing it. To state that it's a page turner simply doesn't do it justice. From the first moment I began flipping through the pages and reading, I knew I was going to love it. Mixing thrill with an adrenaline pumping storyline, Franks goes into an amazing tale about corruption, betrayal, and sticking things out to the end. Throughout the book, it was difficult to force myself to put it down at night. The way it's so beautifully written, it's as if the book is a 5-star meal at the best steakhouse in the city. Each chapter, written in various perspectives of the characters, details their trials and thoughts. It leaves you curious, wondering how the different pieces are going to fit together by the end. And, when that ending comes, it is as action packed as expected. To keep things short, would I pick this up at a bookstore and read it again? Yes. I'd take it with me on my next flight and spend hours reading through and picking apart the flaws in each wonderfully detailed character. Both good and bad are part of humanity, and I think this book does more than represent a realistic crime story. It leaves you wanting more. Phenomenal read. Asa Ray Henson - Reviewer
