It’s Christmas Eve and there’s trouble in the capital. A body has been found in the Chapter House, and the large chest of ceremonial gold coins which the king normally distributes to the poor on Boxing Day has gone missing.
Newly-qualified Kingsman, Socko Garrett has just joined the Special Investigations unit (KSI), along with Corporal Dan Barnes. But with heightened security for the king’s visit, and their lieutenant called away for other duties, it’s up to Socko and Barnes to catch the killer and find the gold, and they’ve got less than 48 hours before the king arrives�
Set before the events of WANTED and featuring crossover characters from both WANTED and HUNTED.
Tim Arnot claims to remember the Sixties, although that almost certainly means he wasn't there. In his defence though, he does claim to have been very small. He had a college education from which he spectacularly failed to get any qualifications at all. But that didn't stop him from going on to be a successful writer of programs for computers and apps for iThings (if you buy a train ticket in the UK from one of those touchy-feely machines, there's a good chance that Tim wrote the software inside it - unless it screwed up, in which case it was someone else).
Tim lives in Oxfordshire with his kindle and a collection of iThings. His first novel, Wanted (Flick Carter book 1) was published in 2013.
Andy ‘Socko� Garrett is seventeen and a Kingsman cadet. It’s his first case and it involves stolen gold and a dead body � and it’s the king’s gold. Talk about starting at the top! With his more experienced partner Corporal Barnes, he is given the task of solving the mystery and recovering the gold in time for Boxing Day when it’s to be given to the poor. Socko started (and lasted less than a day) in the local Watch. The difference between him and the local watchmen is that he has brains!
This is a great little story set in the time of the author’s full length novel Wanted. You can read this as a stand-alone though. I thoroughly enjoy the post-apocalyptic setting when the constraints of minimum technology are in place. Excellent stuff � and I still want the second novel!
Socko’s First Case by Tim Arnot This cracking little whodunit story is based on the post-apocalyptic world of Flick Carter and follows on from Socko’s First day and is a fantastic read. Sadly it is only a short story, as the characters are very good. I would like to see a full length novel sometime, where Socko’s character can fully develop. Nevertheless, for a quick whodunit, it can’t be beaten ... well maybe in a dark alley, by a few of his fellow Kingsmen.
Got this after Socko's First Day and once again loved the story. The character of Socko is a definite winner and I can't wait to read more of his exploits in a world without all the normal technology and back to basics policing. Well done to the author for keeping me hooked, again!
I really liked this introduction to Socko. It's the first time I've read anything by Tim Arnot and I'm glad I picked out this short story to take on holiday. If you like neat whodunits, then I recommend this.