Buried Memories (Ishmael Jones Series #10)

by Simon R. Green

Overview

Returning to the small town where he crash-landed in 1963, Ishmael Jones is in search of answers. But his investigation is de-railed by a brutal murder.

"I think something very bad and very dangerous has come to your little town, Inspector . . ."

As long-buried memories from his hidden past begin to resurface, Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny feel compelled to return to the small country town where Ishmael crash-landed in 1963; the place where his memories began.

Norton Hedley is no ordinary town. Apparitions, sudden disappearances, sightings of unusual beasts: for centuries, the place has been plagued by a series of inexplicable events. Ishmael's first task is to track down local author Vincent Smith, the one man he believes may have some answers.

Ishmael and Penny aren't the only ones seeking the mysterious Mr Smith. When their search unearths a newly-dead body in the local mortuary - a body that's definitely not supposed to be there - Ishmael becomes the prime suspect in the ensuing murder investigation. His only hope of discovering the truth about his origins lies in exposing a ruthless killer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780298153
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	10/25/2022
Series:	Ishmael Jones Series , #10
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	690,253
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Simon R. Green was born in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, where he still lives. He is the author of more than fifty science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Nightside, Secret Histories and Ghost Finders series.

Editorial Reviews

Fans of the series will be delighted to reconnect with the quick-witted detective and to learn a little more about his early days on the planet

Booklist on Till Sudden Death Do Us Part

A delightful series, a wonderful amalgam of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery, well anchored in a solid reality by the cleverly designed and beauitfully executed character of Ishmael Jones

Booklist on The House on Widows Hill

Jones is a very interesting character, a man (?) of many layers ... Readers who have not yet made Jones' acquaintance need to get with the program

Booklist on Murder in the Dark

08/30/2021

British author Green starts to provide some answers about his unusual sleuth in his intriguing 10th mystery featuring alien-in-disguise Ishmael Jones (after 2020’s The House on Widows Hill). Jones, apparently the sole survivor of an extraterrestrial spaceship that crashed in the English countryside in 1963, was transformed by the craft’s artificial intelligence into human form, became a successful operative for secret underground organizations, and acquired a romantic partner, Penny Belcourt. Fifty years after his arrival on Earth, Jones learns that another of his kind survived the crash, and journeys with Penny to Norton Hedley, the town nearest the crash site, in search of more information. Instead, Jones finds odd locals, unexplained disappearances (some of which predate the aliens’ arrival), reports of claw marks from unidentified creatures, and a ghostly manor that burned down centuries earlier. Jones hopes that a Norton Hedley resident, an expert on UFOs and folklore, can help, but instead he ends up a prime suspect in multiple murders. Green offers enough to please series fans and hook newcomers, while posing new mysteries. X-Files devotees will be satisfied. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-07-28
An Earth-acculturated alien’s fragmentary memories encourage him to learn more about where he came from.

In all his years as an alien on Earth, Ishmael Jones has never come as close to discovering the truth of his origins as in his most recent case, when he was visited by recollections of his early years. Could it be that Ishmael wasn’t alone when his spaceship crashed to Earth? Drawing on his dreams, visions, and superior alien senses, Ishmael has done what he can to piece together his background, but his real hope lies in his long-term association with the Organization, a vaguely purposed group for whom he’s been solving a variety of supernatural mysteries over the years. The Organization has information on Ishmael’s past that leads him and Penny Belcourt, his partner in life and work, to hop a train from London to little Norton Hedley. Once there, Ishmael and Penny seek out virtually unknown author Vincent Smith, whose low-profile lifestyle seems incongruent with their intel that he may have been Ishmael’s traveling companion. But, in a shock that seems unsurprising even to Ishmael and Penny, Vincent suddenly dies the day before their arrival. Instead of connecting with Vincent, Ishmael and Penny are welcomed by Lucy Parker, an employee of Black Heir, perhaps the only organization whose purpose is more amorphous than that of the Organization, and definitely more nefarious. Ishmael and Penny must shake their new friend, who they suspect is more a tail than anything else, and discover the truth about Vincent if they have any chance of learning about Ishmael’s origin.

Book 10 of Green's series boldly fleshes out the hero’s origin story to fine effect.

Kirkus Reviews