Why a Booktrail?
1955 – Operation Goodwood is a race against time from Brighton to London on the trail of an arsonist
Operation Goodwood
What you need to know before your trail
Mirabelle Bevan is rescued from a fire at her home on the Brighton seafront and is lucky to escape unharmed. Sadly her neighbour Dougie Beaumont, a dashing and successful racing driver living in the flat above dies in the blaze. When it turns out to be arson, questions are asked and Mirabelle is particularly interested into why he has been targeted. Her investigations take her to London and Fleet Street and the roaring excitement and danger of Goodwood.
Travel Guide
Brighton
The nice and quiet lawns area of Brighton where Mirabelle called home is the place she felt safe despite the cases she worked on at the nearby Debt Collection Agency and crime investigation agency. This case however is very close to home as her neighbour is at the centre of an intrigue set amidst the roaring world of motor racing.
There’s a good place to sit and read this novel – the cricketersbrighton where the characters visit. Very apt.
Goodwood
Feel the roar of the cars whipping your hair up as the vehicles whizz around the track. The mystery of Dougie’s past and the world of motorcar racing is as thrilling as it sounds. The excitement, the high pressure and the thrill and exhilaration of the world of the motor car, a relatively new invention is an exciting world to be.
“The buzz and roar of the engines was overwhelming. Mirabelle smiled as the drivers became increasingly animate, one of them pointing at the bend, shouting over the noise of the other cars..”
And it’s not just the thrill and noise of the cars racing past that takes you on a ride – you are fully immersed in this industry and the stars of their time – Stirling Moss and the excitement around him place you right at the heart of the action as well as time and place”
“That’s Stirling Moss he said in admiration. He’s tipped to be the British Champion – they say he’ll take the Grand Prix this summer.”
If this is all too noisy, there’s always the nearby cathedral in Chichester where Mirabelle visits.
Streetview Maps
A ) Brighton - the Debt Agency
D) Sussex - Goodwood Race Track
Booktrailer Review
Clare @thebooktrailer
Whatever you do, don’t let the theme of car racing put you off! I am not a fan but this was fascinating to read about as it was exciting, it gave an impression of what it must have been like in the 1950s when cars were relatively new and car racing was a big deal. Mentions of figures such as Stirling Moss etc really increased the immersion into this world for that’s how it came across – a world I knew nothing of but it made for a really unique angle for a murder mystery!
Sara has now written a few novels in this series and each one is very different but they all have that sense of fun to them – they are about murder and serious crime at that but Sara’s writing for me managed to imbue character and charm into them. I really get a sense of how she’s enjoyed researching and writing the best she can. She creates scenes – the car racing ones were very visual and I would love to see these on the big screen as they would work in so many ways.
Operation Goodwood has so many layers to it that there’s a lot to it despite it being an easy read. The glamour of Brighton and the motor racing world really gave it that unique edge. Now I want to buy a vintage car and ride it with the top down and my hair floating out behind me.
Destination: Brighton, Sussex Departure Time: 1954 Hope you enjoy your book trail of Operation Goodwood
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