False Nine (37 page)

Read False Nine Online

Authors: Philip Kerr

Tags: #Fiction, #Thrillers, #General, #Suspense

BOOK: False Nine
10.21Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

2 – Hand of God

T
HE
BEAUTIFUL
GAME
JUST
GOT
UGLY
.

In Athens, where London City is set to play Olympiacos in the Champion’s League, the temperature is high, and tempers even higher. Greece is rioting and manager Scott Manson is keeping his team on a tight leash. There must be no drinking, no nightlife and no women. After the game, they are to get back to London refreshed and ready for a crucial match at home stadium Silvertown Docks.

But Scott didn’t plan for death on the pitch. When City’s star striker collapses mid-match, it shocks the nation. Is it a heart attack? Or something more sinister? As the Greek authorities mount a murder investigation, Scott Manson must find the truth – and fast – to get his team home in time.

The second Scott Manson thriller from bestselling crimewriter Philip Kerr.

Hand of God
is available
here.

3 – False Nine

JUST
BECAUSE
FOOTBALL

S
A
GAME
,
DOESN

T
MEAN
YOU
HAVE
TO
PLAY
FAIR
.

Scott Manson needs to leave England. His career managing London City football team is over, and it cuts deep to watch them play on without him.

But finding a job in the star-studded world of international football is harder than it looks. A new position in Shanghai turns out to be part of an elaborate sting operation. And in Barcelona, he’s hired not as a football manager, but as a detective. Barca’s star player is missing, and they need to find him fast.

Scott has a month to track him down. As he follows the trail from Paris to Antigua, he encounters corrupt men, wicked women, and the rotten core of the beautiful game...

Also by Philip Kerr

Bernie Gunther

March Violets

The Pale Criminal

A German Requiem

The One from the Other

A Quiet Flame

If the Dead Rise Not

Field Grey

Prague Fatale

A Man Without Breath

Standalone novels

A Philosophical Investigation

Dead Meat

Gridiron

Esau

A Five Year Plan

The Second Angel

The Shot

Dark Matter: The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton

Hitler’s Peace

Prayer

Research

For Children

One Small Step

Children of the Lamp

The Akhenaten Adventure

The Blue Djinn of Babylon

The Cobra King of Kathmandu

The Day of the Djinn Warriors

The Eye of the Forest

The Five Fakirs of Faizabad

The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan

An Invitation from the Publisher

We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at
www.headofzeus.com
and become part of our community of book-lovers.

We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.

If you have any questions, feedback or just want to say hi, please drop us a line on
[email protected]

    @HoZ_Books

    HeadofZeusBooks

The story starts here.

First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Head of Zeus Ltd

Copyright © Philip Kerr, 2015

The moral right of Philip Kerr to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN (E) 9781784971717

ISBN (HB) 9781784971724

ISBN (XTPB) 9781784971731

ISBN (PB) 9781784971748

Jacket design: www.mavrodesign.com

Cover image: © JohnzyJay

Author photo: © Joanna Miller Betts

Head of Zeus Ltd

Clerkenwell House

45-47 Clerkenwell Green

London EC1R 0HT

www.headofzeus.com

Contents

Cover

Welcome Page

Display Options Notice

Epigraph

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

About
False Nine

Reviews

About Philip Kerr

About the Scott Manson series

Also by Philip Kerr

An Invitation from the Publisher

Copyright

Other books

Hidden Riches by Felicia Mason
The Poellenberg Inheritance by Evelyn Anthony
Forever Santa by Leeanna Morgan
Hitler's Secret by William Osborne
Never Too Late by Robyn Carr
American Girls by Nancy Jo Sales