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Reviews

Below are some recent reviews of The Greek Ring.

"The Mediterranean never falters as a backdrop for a tale of enigma. It brings out the daring spirit in authors, albeit to various degrees of success. The Greek Ring by Richard Pim – republished thirteen years after it was first written – is a captivating “treasure hunt” full of twists and surprises.

The story’s centres around Sebastian North, a “dark stranger” with an eye for espionage, who during a visit to the Rivera encounters Countess Octavia Delmonte being chased to death by her betrayed fiancé. 

After helping the “damsel in distress” escape, North discovers an ancient ring she wears holds the “key to great wealth”. Her father is found to have initiated in dirty business involving the Mafia, with associates of the Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu looking for retribution.

Although its setting is tranquil (the sea being a “millpond of tranquillity”), The Greek Ring is a fiery thriller of hypnotic mystery. The pace is hypnotic, if not enervating.

The moments where Pim allows the classical European characters and romantic backdrops to thrive are where The Greek Ring is at its best. Pim claims to have conducted hours of research into the location, and you can tell. The scene of the flamenco dancers performing, despite the “dark shadows” masking their “transfixed” emotions, captures the essence of the novel. It was as if I was there in the Sicilian and Sardinian climate.

There are plenty of dynamics on show (the theme of Octavia being trapped between two men being the most prevalent). Nevertheless, The Greek Ring feels authentic and daring, with the reader never losing sight of the main storyline. Impressive and colourful, The Greek Ring is a valiant book that does the locale justice.” - Bill Bowkett

This article was written by Bill Bowkett for Reaction Books Digest. You can find the article on their website here. Bowkett is a journalist based in London. He is primarily a political reporter in Westminster for Reaction a commentary news  publication, and is responsible for the diary column 'The Hound'. As well as this he is also a contributor for Reaction Weekend, writing features and reviewing books such as The Greek Ring. Previously he worked as an editorial assistant on the Daily Mail's features desk, and was executive editor of the award-winning student newspaper InQuire. You can find out more about Bill Bowkett here.

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"I was given this book in paperback form a few months ago but never got round to reading it. It was on receipt of a kindle that I took the plunge and downloaded it. The description of this book is absolutely correct, sensual, dangerous, and intriguing. I could almost see and feel the Sicilian and Sardinian settings, such was the detail they were described. The research into the locations was amazing, not only did you get the images of the climate, foods, smells etc, you also got a detailed historic account of how these locations came about, how a town or castle came to be there in the first place, who built it and why, which added to the story. If you can picture a Captain Corelli scenery, alongside the modern day glamour of a James Bond riviera setting, coupled with a slight Sherlock Holmes analytical logic when it came down to the perilous and murderous scenes, and what the next game play was going to be. On top of that you have the beautiful emotion of falling in love, the simple gestures than mean so much, such as the first touch of each others hands that can symbolize so much, a simple romantic walk, seeing a flamenco dancer perform and being captured by the theatrics of that. All in all a truly enjoyable read that enables the reader to conjure up all sorts of images of the characters and locations."

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Caversham Bridge News Paper 

March 2023 

Latest Great Review 

Alena Carvalho

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping debut novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 April 2023

Verified Purchase.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the charismatic author in person and couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of his debut novel! I wasn't disappointed as it delivered everything he promised it would - a novel packed with adventure, passion, deceit, murder, love, history, all set in the most stunning locations of the Mediterranean. The author has put a lot of research and detailed descriptions into his book, from historical events, fencing techniques, flamenco dance moves to the inner workings of the mafia, corrupt government and espionage. But at the heart of the story is true love that conquers all. Very enjoyable read!

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