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Winged with Death spans three and a half decades, beginning in Uruguay in 1972, a country suffering under the oppression of military rule, and ending in York and a new millennium. Frederick Boyle arrives in Montevideo as an eighteen-year-old with nothing but his youth and arrogance to protect him, he is quickly renamed Ramon Bolio, and is welcomed into the local community. As Montevideo simmers in the dust and heat, teetering on the brink of dictatorship, its people cowed, thousands 'disappeared' by the state, Bolio discovers the tango, and begins the long process of becoming a Molinguero – a master of dance. The tango, with its passion and colour acts as a metaphor for the suppressed defiance, individualism and self expression of a nation. From Baker's capable pen, the movements of the dance are transliterated into a language which describes and even transcends the emotions it symbolizes.

Scenes which alternate between Montevideo and York simulate the elegance and the teasing nature of the tango. Baker in this, as in all his work, investigates the mysteries of life and how to live it – if not well, then fully, and with heart. And at its heart, Winged With Death is a mystery; one that will keep you guessing until the final terrible moments of the denouement.

John Baker writes books that do more than just fill a few pleasant hours: they have depth and substance. His novels are about what it means to be human, the mistakes we make, the nature of good and evil, and the often blurred line between the two.

Margaret Murphy

Winged With Death by John Baker

Flambard Press ISBN 978-1-906601-02-7, £8.99