** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Very Important Corpses, by Simon R. Green
Ishmael Jones, 03
★★★★☆

201 Pages
1st person, single character POV
Themes: murder, science fiction, aliens, secret organisations, forced proximity, shape-shifters
Triggers: mentions of gore, violence and supernatural beings, mentions of escorts
Genre: Contemporary, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction, Crime


As the third book in the Ishmael Jones series, Very Important Corpses takes a new slant on the outlandish crimes Ishmael is tasked with investigating. A clandestine financial body are gathering on the bank of Loch Ness for their annual meeting and an Organisation agent has already been killed in the household. It's up to Ishmael to find out how and why, as well as root out one of the members – called principals – who may be an imposter. Worse, when he arrives, he's also told that there's a journalist posing as a member of staff but no one is sure who they are.

With mysteries abound, it's no wonder it takes a long time for Ishmael and Penny to piece the solution together. That's also helped by the fact there are easily three times as many suspects as any of the previous books.

Our cast includes the usual: the Colonel, Ishmael and Penny. It also introduces the Major Domo of the house, twelve principals who all have one guard each, as well as their own staff, chauffeur and the household staff. That makes a little over forty residents in the house, who are all stuck with each other as murder rampages throughout the house.
(NOTE: I wrote Major Domo on purpose, because that's how she's written in the book, however the only reference I can find for her title online is the majordomo.)

Another interesting note about the cast is that one of the security members is an old Organisation member, Baron, who Ishmael has worked with and against multiple times in the past. His presence is enough of a distraction for Ishmael, but also poses some interesting questions about Ishmael's past when we discover Baron has had access to Ishmael's file and knows secrets about his past that he really shouldn't know.

The story is full of twists and turns, a lot of second guessing and misdirection. Again, it's a little hard to come up with a plausible theory of what and who because so many of the connections are in Ishmael's head and not always shown on page until the last minute. However, they all seem perfectly plausible within the world that's written, and I always suspect the right person very early on, but for entirely my own reasons – usually just the Agatha Christie logic of who has the most access and who is most conveniently placed to make events unfold.

As usual, I find Ishmael highly interesting as a main character and we finally get to see a little of that deeply rooted alien-ness coming out in this book. It made for a good continuation of the worry he's had that the deeply buried part of himself is fighting to be set loose. Then there's Penny, who I adore. She's so smart, strong and funny, strong and playful. She's not afraid of being vulnerable or ashamed of being afraid, but she's also not afraid to take care of Ishmael when he needs reassurance.

Overall, it was a solid book and I'll enjoy continuing the series into the next book and beyond.

I now have another series to fit into one of my favorite reading niches: the paranormal, witty, mystery novel. Thank you Simon Green for adding to my reading pleasure and your obvious love of the English language.

Call me Ishmael. Ishmael Jones.
There is a hidden world, of the strange and unnatural. A
shadowy world, of aliens and monsters and men who
have monsters in them. I operate in the darkest parts of
the hidden world, dealing with things that shouldn’t exist
but unfortunately do. And if I’ve done my job properly,
none of you will ever know I was there.

So the story begins with the vaguest of hints at what might be to come and the style with which it will be presented.

Ishmael is a monster hunter with a past, a past I will not share as learning about him is part of the fun. This is the third book in the series (I haven’t read the first two and that didn’t bother me). I’m sure more history exists in earlier and later books as he seems to be a “man in progress”.

The premise here: Ishmael and partner Penny are assigned to get to Scotland ASAP to investigate a conference being held at a great house on the shore of Loch Ness. Their immediate concern: the previous operative on the job has been killed under strange circumstances. The inconvenience: the meeting involves a secretive international economic group of untold power who are not known by the world and want no interference. What could go wrong?

Well, throw in legends of monsters in the house, possible people who aren’t who they seem to be, crimes that don’t make sense, all presented in language that’s a joy to read.

I will definitely continue with this series.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Once upon a time, a tour guide told me that “sightings of the monster are directly related to consumption of the Highland beverage.” In other words, if you stand around Loch Ness and drink enough Scotch, you’ll definitely improve your odds of seeing Nessie. Or possibly two or three Nessies, depending on how many bottles you need to find the monster in the lake.

Alternatively, as Penny Belcourt discovers in this third book in the Ishmael Jones series, (after The Dark Side of the Road and Dead Man Walking) all she has to do is go with Ishmael to one of his assignments for the mysterious “Organization” and she’s bound to see A monster if not THE monster.

Whether that’s an actual monster, or just the monster that lurks inside entirely too many of the “people” that the Organization sends Ishmael to deal with, is generally a toss up. It certainly pays to be prepared for either eventuality – and every other they can think of. In their line of work, paranoia isn’t a psychological condition – it’s more of a survival trait.

And if there’s one thing Ishmael Jones is good at, it’s survival. He’s been successfully surviving, and hiding in not so plain sight, since his space ship crashed in 1963 and turned him into a reasonable facsimile of a human male in his mid-20s. Just with a few useful and additional skills as well as an unchanging face and body. Ishmael has been 25 or thereabouts for over 50 years now, and it’s getting harder to hide.

Hence his work for the Organization, which keeps his secrets in exchange for his cleaning up and keeping some of theirs.

That’s what brings Ishmael – and Penny – to Coronach House on the shore of Loch Ness. One of those super-secret cabals that conspiracy wonks love to foam at the mouth about is secretly meeting at this secure and remote house, and that security has been compromised. The first Organization agent sent to figure out what’s gone wrong is dead, and Ishmael is sent to solve the mystery, clean up the mess, and make sure that someone gets the message that messing with the Organization shortens the life expectancy.

But the Organization never sends Ishmael to any easy jobs. That’s certainly the case here – especially as the body count rises and the level of wanton destruction that accompanies each body ramps up from merely vicious to downright cataclysmic.

And as usual, the people that Ishmael is supposed to protect all think that they really don’t have to listen to him. And of course they do, at least if they want to live. Not that they all manage that, either.

There are puzzles within puzzles, and wheels within wheels, as the murderer, whoever or whatever they might be, does his, her or its level best to keep Ishmael so horrified and occupied that he doesn’t have time to put the clues together until it’s nearly too late.

Escape Rating B+: Like all of the books in this series so far, Very Important Corpses was a whole lot of creepy fun. It is very definitely horror-adjacent, which makes it just the right book to review for Halloween.

One of the things that I really like about this series is the way that the horror elements are used as set decoration and distraction – and that Ishmael generally knows that’s their purpose. He’s aware that the increasing level of creepy is designed to put him off his game, and he’s determined not to be sucked in by it.

There is a hidden world in this series, a hidden world that Ishmael is definitely a part of, but he knows what’s possible and what actually isn’t – even if his range of what’s possible veers into fairly weird waters. He believes in aliens because he is one. He believes in alien tech because he’s seen it.

He doesn’t believe in ghosts. Or ancestral monsters like the one that is supposed to haunt Coronach House. And in spite of being garden-variety human, AND seeming rather open-minded about these things, Penny doesn’t believe in them either. She just asks the questions about them that Ishmael refuses to ask.

One of the things I love about this author is that the snark-o-meter is always set to high, and this book was no exception. One of the things I’ve been wondering about was whether that trademark snark would also include this author’s usual throwaway references to the other worlds he has created. While those first two books didn’t, this one does. Not in a way that will keep anyone from getting into this book, but just enough to make a reader already familiar smile in recognition.

At the beginning this series reminded me a lot of Torchwood, with Ishmael as Captain Jack. This particular entry in the series reminded me of a very specific episode of Torchwood, Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, where someone from Captain Jack’s past shows up and we get a glimpse of who and what he was before Torchwood. That same thing happens in Very Important Corpses, where someone from Ishmael’s past turns up, and we learn a bit more about what he’s been up to in those 50 plus years.

And just as it was in Torchwood, Ishmael’s old frenemy is not exactly what he appears to be. While I didn’t figure out exactly what he was, that he wasn’t exactly on the up and up was clear fairly early on.

But it didn’t stop my compulsive turning of the pages, not one little bit. As long as I kept the lights on.

I'm such a fan of this series! Another great little story full of humour, thrills and weirdness!

I enjoy this author yet the book is uhhhmm for me. It was dry in places interesting in others yet it just doesn't flow. The story keeps changing and the additional character's didn't add anything to the story

Ishmael Jones and Penny Belcourt are sent to Coronach House on the shores of Loch Ness with two missions - protect the Baphamet Group (a secretive financial organization) and discover who or what killed a fellow Organization agent. Plenty of murder, a bit of romance, and a few clues regarding Ishmael's past and his powers. A nice edition to the series.

Severn House and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Very Important Corpses. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Ishmael Jones came into the world in 1963, but not in the way that you would expect. Working for the Organization with his partner, Penny Belcourt, the pair end up in Loch Ness, Scotland for some very nasty business. After the head of security for a secret organization was murdered, Ishmael is sent in to take over her place. As the investigation begins, with a fair amount of stonewalling from those in residence, Ismael is surprised to find an old acquaintance working there. Will Ishmael and Penny be able to solve the mystery before more people are murdered?

I had trouble with some of the dialogue, as it seemed forced and two dimensional in places. The pacing of the story was good and the book included just the right mix of horror, humor, and intrigue. Having read other series by Simon R. Green, I can definitely say that the Ishmael Jones books pale in comparison, but the relatively short length of the novels make them a quick way to spend an afternoon.

"Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends..."


I am a great fan of Simon R. Green, and believe that his "Nightside" series is one of the most clever, atmospheric, wildly creative, and crisply paced noir/horror/detective series available. In a pinch I'm happy to pick up a "Secret History" book to see what the Droods are up to. The Ishmael Jones books, of which this is the third, follow along the same lines as "Nightside" and "Secret History", (as opposed to, say, the "Deathstalker" or "Mistworld" series, which are more sci-fi-ish books). As a consequence, if you've run out of other Greens, this is a good place to stop for a pick me up.

But, while the Ishmael Jones books are good fun and fine diversions, they don't compare well with the much more creative, twisty and varied "Nightside" and "Secret History" books. If confronted with a snap quiz I would have a hard time remembering the differences among "The Dark Side of the Road", (Book #1), "Dead Man Walking", (Book #2), and this book. They all have the same isolated country house settings, the same sorts of threats, the same sorts of violent dispatches of the innocents, (what is it with all of those lose heads that keep turning up in the books?), and the same sorts of resolutions. Ishmael does a lot of monologuing for a supposedly close-mouthed secret operative, but the monologues don't change much from book to book.

That said, sometimes predictable and dependable are what you want and need. Ishmael and his spunky sidekick/girlfriend Penny are both quick with a quip, have an interesting chemistry, and make a fine double-act. Penny is good at perky-deadpan, which is hard to write, and Ishmael does resigned and tormented about as well as possible. Whether they are lurking, or skulking, or fighting creatures, or gathering clues, or doing a big reveal in the drawing room in the presence of all the suspects - well, they are just fun and entertaining company. Sometimes that's what you want, and on that score Green delivers fairly and admirably.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Simon Green explores the nature of monsters in Very Important Corpses. Ishmael, the alien, who works for the Organization, goes to Loch Ness with his partner Penny to find out what monster is killing members of a secret organization. Body count explodes and monsters come out of the woodwork. Gory and satisfying.

I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed its predecessor. The house murder that needs to be solved by the main character along with his plucky side kick is fun reading to me. As we're getting closer to learning more about the background of the main character I find myself enjoying the side kick more and more. These books have been fun for me especially with the added supernatural and super science elements to these stories. The characters are what keep bringing me back to these stories. This book played out in my head like a movie that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would do well in as the lead character. We'll see what comes of it but I look forward to the next book in this series.

I’ve done my usual trick of dropping into the middle of a series, but while I was aware there was something of a backstory that I didn’t know, most of the action and focus was on the current situation so it wasn’t an issue. Ishamael is certainly an intriguing figure. Endowed with superhuman powers, he is used to dealing with the nasties coming from other dimensions. Neither is he wholly on the side of the angels – he’s been involved in plenty of dirty operations in the past, although he’s doing his best to clean up his act, these days. So he isn’t an operative who would usually be in evidence for this kind of assignment, where he is dealing with VIPs who require some finesse when dealing with them. But a colleague has been brutally murdered, so he has been sent, along with his pretty young colleague Penny, to sort it out.

This story is the equivalent of the locked room puzzle, except it is a locked house tucked away on the shores of Loch Ness, with a shadowy creature roaming around in the grounds – and a savage killer in their midst. Ishmael stomps around thoroughly upsetting everyone, while Penny smooths them over. Meanwhile, the bodycount is rising and so are the stakes… This is an enjoyable, fast-paced whodunit with plenty of plot twists and turns. No, I didn’t guess who the villain was as I just tucked in and went along for the ride. If you enjoy your whodunits with a paranormal twist, then have a go at this one – it’s fun.

While I obtained the arc of Very Important Corpses from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.

I loved Very Important Corpses. Ishmael Jones' snarky one liners had me literately smiling throughout the entire book. Add his partner, Penny and her obsession with anything occult or supernatural, and you have something special.

Simon Green created a very complex, but interesting world in Very Important Corpses. Ishmael is sent in to solve a murder and keep a whole houseful rich, self-important people alive. Green keeps the story moving and you guessing all the way to the end. The entire book felt like if James Bond worked for Rob Sterling on the Twilight Zone, and I loved every minute of it!

Very Important Corpses by Simon R Green

3 stars

A fun, sci-fi mystery that would have worked better as a children’s book

Ishmael Jones is a not-quite human special agent who works for the mysterious Organisation. He and his partner Penny are sent to Coronach House on the shores of Loch Ness to investigate a possible intruder in a meeting of the highly secretive and influential ‘Baphamet group’. The second part of their mission is to look into the murder of a previous agent sent by the Organisation, who was found violently killed in her room. Ishmael and Penny must work quickly to unmask the murderer and identify the infiltrator, but with the body count increasing, the rumours spreading round about the mythical ‘Coronach creature’ may turn out to be more than just stories.

The plot of “Very Important Corpses” is fast-paced and gets the reader straight into the action with no time wasted on lengthy descriptions or character backgrounds. We get to know Ishmael and the other characters through their actions, although much about his supernatural origins is left as a mystery presumably to tempt readers into continuing with the series of books. The setting of a centuries-old house with a dark history provided a good atmosphere for a paranormal murder mystery and there were plenty of potential suspects to be found in the shady characters staying there. The plot was slick and never dragged with a few twists, turns and false leads included, that kept me guessing what was going on for most of the story. The whole idea is extremely creative and it is obvious that the author has a huge and expansive imagination.

Unfortunately, whilst this book was easy to read, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it would have worked far better if it had been written for children. The plot was relatively simple and easy to follow. The ideas of aliens and secret organisations were fantastical and the character of Ishmael Jones – a cool, possibly alien super-fighter – seemed designed to be popular with kids. Any interactions between the characters seemed almost ‘dumbed-down’ to make them simpler to understand and all the obviously adult elements – such as the escorts who are invited to the house to provide companionship to the members of the group – didn’t really add to the plot and felt unnecessary. It all felt quite immature and never really touched on any deep or complex issues. Whilst children’s books obviously can be entertaining for adults to read, this particular story felt like something I would pass on to younger members of my family rather than read myself, obviously with a bit of editing to remove the few swear words, some descriptions of violence and the whole escort part.


The character of Penny was also a big issue I had with this story – I found her vapid, boring and useless except as a foil to Ishmael. I’m not sure why she would be hired as a secret agent as she seems to have no real talent or abilities other than being impressed by Ishmael’s intelligence and superhuman abilities. Also, whilst she seemed to be in a romantic relationship with Ishmael, the two have little to no chemistry, and that part of the plot seemed to be unnecessarily shoe-horned in. I haven’t read the previous two instalments in the Ishmael Jones series so perhaps I am not as up-to-speed as other readers on the characters but I didn’t really connect with them and found the fantastical element a bit ridiculous.

In conclusion, this felt like it was a children’s story that had been tweaked to make it more grown-up – the characters felt quite flat and the supernatural element was a little forced at times. However, it was entertaining and if it were written for children, would probably be extremely popular so I am giving it 3 stars for its creativity and imagination.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

3.5

*Book source ~ NetGalley

An Organization agent has been murdered at a hush-hush corporate retreat featuring the Baphamet Group, so they send Ishmael Jones to take over the security for the event, protect the VIPs, and find her killer. Not necessarily in that order.

Why does this author insist on dumbing down his books? Is he making a statement? Or am I just not getting the humor? I love the world, Ishmael’s character, and the murder mystery, but the stupidity is taking a toll on my interest in continuing this series. There is some humor and some twists and turns, but his girlfriend Penny is a twit and the dumb shit that happens is getting old right quick and in a hurry, ruining an otherwise excellent supernatural story revolving around a murder mystery. After three books with basically the same cocktail of stupid shit, I’m going to make a wild guess and say it’s done on purpose. It’s not impressive. Anyway, I may check the next story out when it’s pubbed, but then again, I may not.

Extra Review: My son also has read this series and he agrees that the stupid shit is just…stupid and it’s getting on his nerves. He really likes Ishmael though. For this book, he figured out the murderer, but then was thrown for a loop and then figured it out again. He enjoys the mysteries and will most likely continue with the series.
Rating~4 stars

This is the third book in the Ishmael Jones series. In this installment, Ishmael and Penny are called in by the Organisation to be security for a secret meeting of a group called the Baphamet Group because the Organisation’s original security person was murdered. Once arriving and taking over, nothing is as it seems, as it never is whenever Ishmael is called in. Everyone thinks it’s a legendary creature called Coronach Creature named after the place where the meeting is taking place, but Ishmael isn’t so sure. Will Ishmael and Penny find the murderer before everyone involved dies? As always, the book was well-written, it had an interesting plot, and it had lots of non-stop action. I really enjoy the interaction between Ishmael and Penny. They just seem so happy together. And, Mr. Green’s unique sense of humor is present is the book as it is in all of the books I’ve read by him. I find all of his books engrossing and hard to put down. However, I have to admit, I’m finding this series just a tad formulaic. Not enough to give up on the series, because I still really enjoy the books, but maybe something a little different. Don’t let this minor thing bother you; this book was a great book and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the e-copy of the book. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.

**The review of this book will appear on my review blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on January 29th. It has already been posted to Goodreads. I will add more links after the review goes live on my blog.**

Ishmael and his sidekick, Penny, return in Very Important Corpses, book #3 of the Ismael Jones series. This time, The Organization is sending them to investigate the death of another agent during a top secret meeting in Scotland. The agent was murdered at Coronach House at Loch Ness, and The Organization wants Ishmael to investigate and protect the members of the Illuminati-like group holding the meeting. There are 12 members of the Baphamet Group. That number is quickly reduced to 11 when one of their number is ripped to shreds just after Ishmael arrives on the scene. Is the killer a man or a monster? Can Ishmael and Penny solve the mystery before more people die?

I love this series! It mixes military, spies, supernatural and alien beings, horror and mystery all together to come up with something creepily thrilling. I am not new to Simon Green's writing. The Nightside series is a favorite of mine. Reading Ishmael Jones makes me want to also read Green's Ghost Finders and Secret Histories series.

The main characters are intriguing. I like how Penny loves Ishmael, even though at times she has difficulty dealing with the part of himself that he keeps hidden. Ishmael is an enigma. He doesn't age. He isn't exactly human. But, he has a moral code that he never waivers from. And, he totally kicks ass. Gotta respect a man for that....or a whatever-he-is. I like the humor that Green sprinkles into the mix. A couple times off-handed remarks from the MCs made me laugh out loud while reading.

The setting of Loch Ness for a supernatural/monster/violent killing story has been done a zillion times. But, this wasn't a tired, old, recycled plot. A plesiosaur didn't jump up out of the Loch and eat people. The setting just added to the eeriness of the manor house, and added in the possibility of a monster. Green went beyond the old legends, only using Loch Ness as a backdrop.

This was book #3 in this series. It isn't totally necessary to read the books in order, but there are some details about the characters that will be more readily understood if you start at the beginning. But, it isn't absolutely necessary. Enough background is given in this book to understand who the main characters are without having read the first two books. Events in this book are stand-alone, not a continuation of a story line from prior books.

Very Important Corpses will be released on March 1st. Fans of mysterious secret agent tales, supernatural stories, science fiction or horror would love this series!

For more information on Simon Green and his books, check out his website: http://simonrgreen.co.uk/

**I voluntarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book from Severn House via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

(Lengthened review to come shortly... Stay tuned...)

I absolutely love the Ishmael Jones novels. They showcase Green’s characteristic wit, while providing readers with mysteries which while falling into the manor house mystery tradition (which has sadly fallen out of favor with many writers) are distinctly unique and always exciting. Like all of Green’s novels, the culprits may be more or less than human but Ishmael and Penny are always willing to deal with what is thrown at them no matter how weird - and do so with style. Besides, who can resist a hero who is an alien in human form.

In Very Important Corpses, Ishmael and Penny are called to represent the Organization when an agent is killed mysteriously at a meeting of the Baphomet Society - a group of 12 influential businessmen who control the world’s financial markets. This time, the annual meeting is taking place in an isolated manor house off the shore of Loch Ness. Coronach House has an unusual history of its own, including rumors of a monster. But is it a monster who is responsible for the murders..

Simon R Green has a unique talent for surprising the reader by taking common tropes and turning them on their ear. When you add in his wit, it is no surprise that his novels are refreshing, fun and more than a little out of the ordinary. Very Important Corpses is a terrific addition to the Ishmael Jones series.

5/5

I received a copy of Very Important Corpses from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

—Crittermom