The atmospheric description transports you to the impoverished area of Whitechapel. You can almost taste the decay & despondency. The investigation is hampered by interfering politicians & a foe, who seems able to know the team’s thoughts before they do. This fascination with endless life is what drew me into this story, and it was what kept me reading when I became a little weary of the main character. Rob Deakin is equal parts everyman and no-man, but is ultimately generally unlikeable and his “glass half-empty” personality made the times he lived through, and the people he interacted with more ‘history textbook’ and less ‘historical novel’. A Life Eternal is a poignant exploration that really gets you thinking about whether immortality would be a blessing or a curse. Sam once again is on the trail of X-Ray and nothing is going to stop him getting his man. There is also the shadowy 'Widower Maker' to contend with, a serial killer who is as gruesome and awful as any character can be. All in all, Sam has his hands full, but, being the man he is, he isn't going to stop until he's won the day. When Sergeant Rob Deakin is mortally wounded during the First World War, he is destined to become just another nameless casualty of a terrible conflict.

A brilliant, humane, thrilling story spanning decades of significant events in world history. It explores a subject that human beings have been pondering since the beginning of time. Eternal life on this earth. Eternal youth. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Living forever in a body that never ages yet having the wisdom of an ancient soul.If there's one thing this story has, it's atmosphere. Coming from the other end of the country I have no idea what the south west is like (apart from a few holidays in the general area), but Kruse has created a sense of time and place brilliantly. Life is simply a clutter of lines, moving in every direction.” (p99) and it’s was. How differently would we live life if we knew we couldn’t die?

This was a great book about war, love, death, betrayal, pain, laughter, and life. All of which very importantly shower us the dualistic nature of the human condition. I laughed, I was angry, I loved, I despaired, and I cried true tears of joy and acceptance. Well done, sir! I'm looking forward too reading more of your work! The protagonist of the novel, Rob Deakin experiences life and love and death in equal measure. Each experience shaping and changing him, the indestructible life force within him changing and hardening his attitude towards humanity. And bringing him to a life long resolution that is poignant and well considered.This is a psychological study as well as a journey through the ages. It’s a sociological study as well. Rob’s experiences change him, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. It’s interesting to follow along and to wonder what turn he’s going to make next. It makes one wonder what they would do in his situation. The writing style is solid and again, very much like reading a first person interview. It reminded me of "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice, in its style, but Rob’s unburdening of self is less story and more ‘police report”...”I did this, and then I did that, and then I went here...”. The quest to find out how this eternal life came about ran along side chapters of his life, the sort we all have, the places we live ad the relationships we’re in, yet we know, with some certainty that it’s going to end at some point. Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-life-eternal-richard-ayre/1137644772?ean=9781912946099

The primary theme of "A Life Eternal' is as much a philosophical reflection on humanity and the sometimes sordid, sometimes mundane details of living, loving, and dying as it is a rote recital of events and people from a seemingly disengaged and disinterested main character. And that is only the first part. From Dunkirk to D-Day, the Cuban Missile Crisis to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the horrors of the twentieth century intensify while Deakin faces a new threat: a man who knows his secret and desires it for his own dark purposes. What follows is a cursed journey through a century of incredible change, seen through the eyes of a man immune to death, while he searches endlessly for the answers to what makes him so unique.

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I should warn you that there are some very, very gory details in relation to the murders – the victims are ripped apart and entrails feature extensively – so this will not be the best read for anyone with a weak stomach, and I would recommend reading it on an empty stomach, just to be on the safe side! Richard Ayre was born in Northumberland, too many years ago now to remember. He has had a variety of jobs including roofer, milkman, and factory worker. Tiring of this, Richard studied for a degree with the Open University and now teaches History for a living. An If there's one thing this story has, it's atmosphere. Coming from the other end of the country I have no idea what the south west is like (apart from a few holidays in the general area), but Kruse has created a sense of time and place brilliantly. This book truly shows the talents of Fullerton; a modern John le Carre mixed with a hint of Clive Cussler. All in all a fabulous, well-researched, gripping thriller. This book should be a movie; it has everything needed. All in all, a victory for the author. His characterisation of the two protagonists is sublime, and we see their weaknesses as well as their obvious strenghts (especially Boswell's love of booze which is used at times for a bit of comic relief from all the mystery and horror.