Published: Aug. 15, 2011
Words: 134145 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

World War 2 rips the hearts from the Starlings. A ten year old boy survives the London Blitz to mourn a father lost at Dunkirk. Eddie Starling emerges unscathed to battle Rommel in North Africa where Eddie is wounded. The war ends. Father and son reunite in New Zealand where their trust is exploited. The embittered son Ted Starling vows vengeance.

Extended description

The share market crash in October 1987 affected the lives of many New Zealanders. None more than that of Ted Starling, a childhood immigrant carried to those shores in 1946 in the wake of World War 2. Ted was ten years old when this story began and his father Staff Sergeant Eddie Starling was engaged with the 18th Battalion of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force combating the might of Rommel’s armour in North African desert. Eddie had survived the ravages of Dunkirk, but suffered severe injury in the wake of Rommel’s retreat. His shell-shocked body was transported in its amnesic condition to Auckland, New Zealand where a new life with a new identity was established.
Fifty years of passion and intrigue, heartbreak and devotion are exposed as a father and a son grow together as New Zealanders to form an inseparable relationship. Their story crosses five continents and five decades to culminate in a powerful, well planned and particularly personal act of retribution. Young Ted... (Read more) The share market crash in October 1987 affected the lives of many New Zealanders. None more than that of Ted Starling, a childhood immigrant carried to those shores in 1946 in the wake of World War 2. Ted was ten years old when this story began and his father Staff Sergeant Eddie Starling was engaged with the 18th Battalion of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force combating the might of Rommel’s armour in North African desert. Eddie had survived the ravages of Dunkirk, but suffered severe injury in the wake of Rommel’s retreat. His shell-shocked body was transported in its amnesic condition to Auckland, New Zealand where a new life with a new identity was established.
Fifty years of passion and intrigue, heartbreak and devotion are exposed as a father and a son grow together as New Zealanders to form an inseparable relationship. Their story crosses five continents and five decades to culminate in a powerful, well planned and particularly personal act of retribution. Young Teddy Starling had been distressed by the death of his mother in Flying Bomb attack that destroyed their home in South London, but was compensated when reunited with his father, thought dead in the African desert. Teddy, the boy, grew to Ted Starling the man and life was good for the Starlings in Auckland. Eddie’s time in uniform in France and the desert is well documented as is Ted’s, as he matured to serve his two years for the queen in her khaki uniform. Exciting things happened in Egypt that re-established old relationships. Out of uniform once more Ted dedicated his life to that of his father and newly found friends in New Zealand. As a successful businessman Ted travelled to Sydney where he was is devastated by the sudden death of his father while away. On his return Ted decided his father, Eddie, had lost his life in suspicious circumstances and Ted’s one reason to live was to expose the one responsible; Vince Graham. Ted’s plan is powerful and intrinsic, but became frustrated when he learned he had a terminal heart condition. He was advised his life expectancy was not sufficient to bring Graham before the courts. His endeavours were further disrupted when the 1987 stock market crash claimed the life of the man he despised. Ted Starling recognised the death of Vince Graham as a fait accompli and alone in the world he was satisfied his life, at fifty years of age, was at an end. Now, the inexplicable happened; he fell in love: with Vince Graham’s ex wife. Dawn Graham, ten years Ted’s junior and alarming rich and successful in her own right, was smitten by Ted and failed to understand his reasons for rejecting her. Their story is a golden thread running through this family saga which is filled with delightful characters, visits colourful locations in Australia and New Zealand and explores local culture. It describes in detail The Bringing Down of the Hawk, how and why. It is a tale of love and laughter, of dedication and loyalty, pain and passion that reaches from London’s East End through to the wilds of New Zealand’s North Island to domicile in Auckland City. It lingers in the outback of Australia’s Snowy Mountains, the bustle of Paddy’s Markets and the fearful iced terrain of Mount Erebus. It is a powerful family saga in which life and death fail to discriminate.
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Tags

romance, thriller, love, murder, mystery, travel, family, world war 2, detective, intrigue, new zealand, market, real estate, blitz

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Videos

The Bringing Down of the Hawk
The Bringing Down of the Hawk

Reviews

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Review by: Roy Jenner on Dec. 28, 2011 : (no rating)
johnriggott1 has made a comment on Video 00004:

I am surprised that this is the first comment, this is probably one of the best novels that I have read, in fact I think I have read almost all of Roy Jenner's novels,
They are all interesting and captivating reading
John Riggott Tomares, Seville Spain
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Karazel on Dec. 06, 2011 :
I love a good yarn, something to escape into, and this one fits the bill perfectly. It is well constructed and was able to hold my interest completely throughout. If you're looking for a great read for the upcoming holidays, I can't recommend this one highly enough - hats off to Roy Jenner!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: keith russellk on Sep. 20, 2011 :
Wanted to add rating
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: keith russellk on Sep. 20, 2011 : (no rating)
I have to say, i have been hooked by the story. From the outset, Roy has managed to make this a must read. I am hard to please when it comes to books, but this one got me and i will be reading Roys other books.

Well done Roy, very enjoyable. Highly recommended
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: EL Whyman on Sep. 06, 2011 :
An excellent story base partly on fact and events at the time and on lifes experiences. The writer Roy Jenner has the ability to incorporate these actual events into a living story thus adding realism. A great writer who's future books I look forward to enjoying. Elsden.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Cas Peace on Aug. 16, 2011 :
Ted Starling is set on vengeance. He has a plan to bring down the man who killed his father – the father who survived WW ll against all odds and rebuilt a loving family. The man whose peaceful old age was cruelly snatched away by the hand of conscienceless greed. Ted’s plan is brutal and brilliant; to him, the consequences don’t matter at all.
The Bringing Down of the Hawk is a beautifully-written, well told story spanning most of Ted Starling’s life. Told from several viewpoints, it brings the reader deep into the hearts of its characters, revealing their loves, their dreams, their hopes. From London in the Blitz, to Dunkirk, to the deserts of Egypt and finally to Auckland, New Zealand, the reader follows as the fortunes of the Starlings and their loyal friends rise and fall. Roy Jenner writes passionately, creating characters you can’t help caring about. Their lives, their surroundings, are atmospheric, vivid and real. The Hawk is a fantastic read and I’d recommend it to anyone.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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