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JESS TURNER

turner_jess_bk_diplom turner_jess_bk_deceit turner_jess_bk_missin
 
Full Name: Jess Turner
Nationality: British
Organization: British Foreign Office
Occupation Other - Diplomat

Creator: Jean Harrod
Time Span: 2014 - 2018

ABOUT THE SERIES

Jessica 'Jess' Turner is a diplomat with the British Foreign Office.

In her first recorded adventure it is mentioned that her position was that of British Consul during a stint in Australia. Whether she had a title per se in the other locations she will operate in I did not see but in each of the exciting situations she finds herself in, she is definitely working in the capacity of an official with the British government.

When we first meet her she is Down Under in a recent posting after having suffered the horrific loss of her husband, Jack, and their 5-year old daughter, Amy, in a traffic accident. Though a bit of time has passed since the event, the grief and the hurt are still very much with her and she keeps a much treasured photo of both near her bed as a devotion. Though she is still hurting, she has found some respite through her work and that work is what brings her into this compendium.

She is absolutely not a spy. Her credentials put her as a diplomat and that is what she is. Nevertheless, she gets involved in several unpleasantries which throw her in the midst of international intrigue and on a couple occasions up against those living in the cloak and dagger world.

In these adventures which are a combination of diplomacy, crime, and espionage, Turner will have considerable dealings with Australian Detective Inspector Tom Sangster, which is interesting since he works in Queensland but life will present reasons why he should also show up at the other spots in the world where she will be sent. Theirs will become an interesting relationship and it would be fun to see how it might progress with more time.

BOOKS

Number of Books:3
First Appearance:2014
Last Appearance:2018

1 Deadly Diplomacy Deadly Diplomacy
Written by Jean Harrod
Copyright: 2014

A British businesswoman is horrifically murdered at a resort in Queensland. As the British Consul in Australia, Jess Turner travels to Brisbane to assist the woman's sister and will find herself deeply involved in the investigation of the killing and in so doing, get herself noticed by the killer.
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2 Deadly Deceit Deadly Deceit
Written by Jean Harrod
Copyright: 2016

On temporary assignment in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, Jess Turner must step in to represent the Crown when the Governor is critically hurt in a car crash and a murder occurs. She is joined by a visiting Tom Sangster who is looking into migrants from Haiti.
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3 Missing Shanghai Missing Shanghai
Written by Jean Harrod
Copyright: 2018

The Chinese Premier is making a state visit to the UK and Jess Turner, working the China desk in the Foreign Office, is part of the team making sure the trip goes well. Having the case of a missing British citizen in Shanghai a quarter century before suddenly pop back up again will definitely not help.
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MY COMMENTS

I would not argue with anyone who questioned why I include this very enjoyable and quite readable series in my spy series compendium, except to say that these "diplomatic crime" novels, as the tag line for them describes them, bleeds (pun intended) enough to into international intrigue that I felt inclusion was warranted.

That and these are excellent reads for anyone who enjoys suspense, thrills, mystery, murder, and a bit of government shenanigans. I quite enjoy the detective, Tom Sangster, and I really like Jess Turner. I like her enough to wish life was a bit kinder to her than it sometimes is but then again, if it was ...

The saying goes to write what you know about and the author has definitely done so. At least the diplomatic side of things. Only she could say (and probably wouldn't) if she got involved in the sort of matters that Turner does but the expertise she shows in all other things kinda makes you wonder! Seriously, her knowledge of the diplomatic services and how they would operate in parts of the Commonwealth really makes these stories sound authentic without ever losing the feel of being fun to read.

I have no idea if the author is crafting any more Jess Turner adventures. I hope she is.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

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SpyGuysAndGals is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and links with the Buy from Amazon button are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.