The Spectral Island by Stephen de Burges is an excellent read and I thoroughly recommend it to those who enjoy intrigue and suspense in a contemporary setting.

Dr Jamieson is an independent investigator/agent called in by the UK government to investigate unusual activtiy on Ivundé, in the Indian Ocean as detected by satellite images, The primary cover story is that a school/madrassa is being built on the island. The real story is that there is gold. But Dr Jamieson quickly deduces that the gold story is also a ruse. On the suspiciously dark side, there is North Korean, Chinese, and Iranian involvement including a Chinese naval fleet in the Indian Ocean and a North Korean submarine just off the the island’s coast. There is intriguing interplay between the governments of UK and USA, the military on Diego Garcia, the embassy staff on the island, Ivundé’s corrupt president, and the locals who assist Dr Jamieson.

The writer gives the reader plenty of expert detail to support the well-written and well-paced plot. The primary characters are described and used well to advance the story which felt very credible throughout and kept me interested and keen to read more throughout. The language and writing style make the book both easy to read and also carry an air of authenticity and credibility. I would certainly like to read more by this author.