‘I’m not sure you were listening, friend. Which of us can honestly say what the future holds? Isn’t that what Bekim’s death tells us? That nothing is certain? After all he was only twenty-nine, for Pete’s sake. And that’s rather the point of what I was saying just now. So I don’t intend to go back into football management right away. Frankly, I’m not so sure that anyone would have me, anyway. I think maybe my half-time team talks are a bit more Gordon Ramsey than Henry the Fifth. My father has a sports apparel company and I’ll be spending a little more time helping him with that for the moment. But this is not to say I’ve fallen out of love with the game. Not at all. Football means everything to me.’
‘May I ask what your next move is going to be, Scott? Spain? Malaga? There’s a strong rumour that you’re going to take up a job in Spain. You do speak excellent Spanish.’
I sighed, grinned, and shook my head. ‘I also speak German, Italian and French. But it seems my English isn’t so good. Didn’t I already say I wasn’t immediately going back into management? However, since you asked so nicely, I will tell you what my next move is.’
I looked at Louise, smiled warmly, took her hand in mine and kissed it fondly.
‘It’s simply this. Me and my girlfriend, we’re going to walk down the King’s Road tomorrow afternoon and, if we can get tickets, we’re going to go to Stamford Bridge and watch Chelsea play Tottenham Hotspur. It has all the indications of being a cracker of a game. But for once I’m happy to say that I really don’t give a damn who wins.’
~
We hope you enjoyed this book.
The next gripping Scott Manson Thriller, False Nine, will be released in winter 2015
For more information, click one of the links below:
Philip Kerr
The Scott Manson series
An invitation from the publisher
About Hand of God
The 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.
Reviews
“One of the great achievements of contemporary crime fiction”
Observer
“Kerr’s novels are modern classics”
Simon Sebag Montefiore
“Utterly convincing”
Independent
About Philip Kerr
PHILIP KERR is the bestselling author of the Bernie Gunther series, for which he received a CWA Ellis Peters Award. He was born in Edinburgh and now lives in London. He is a life-long supporter of Arsenal.
About the Scott Manson series
1 – January Window
Everyone knows football is a matter of life and death.
But this time, it’s murder.
Scott Manson is team coach for London City football club. He’s also their all-round fixer – he gets the lads into training and out of trouble, keeps the Wags at bay and the press in his pocket. The players love him, the bosses trust him. But now the manager of London City is dead, killed at his team’s beloved stadium at Silvertown Docks. Even Scott Manson can’t smooth over murder... but can he catch the killer before he strikes again?
Set in the glamorous, corrupt world of Premier League football, this is the first in a gripping new series from a bestselling crimewriter.
January Window is available here.
2 – Hand of God
The 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
The beautiful game just got deadly.
Scott Manson needs to leave London. His job managing London City football team is over, and it cuts deep to watch them play on without him.
But changing your life isn’t as simple as all that. When Scott takes up a new position in Shanghai, he gets caught up in an elaborate sting mounted by a rival team. And when he quits that for a job in Barcelona, it turns out his new employers only want him for his detective skills: their star player is missing, and they need to find him fast.
As Scott tracks the player from Paris to Antigua, he uncovers corruption, kidnapping – and murder...
False Nine is available from Winter 2015
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
A Letter 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.
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HeadofZeusBooks
The story starts here.
First published in the UK in 2015 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © ThynKER Ltd, 2015
Author photo: © Joanna Miller Betts
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.
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 catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (HB) 9781784081577
ISBN (XTPB) 9781784081584
ISBN (E) 9781784081560
Head of Zeus Ltd
Clerkenwell House
45-47 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0HT
www.headofzeus.com
Contents
Cover
Welcome Page
Epigraph
Prologue
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 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
About Hand of God
Reviews
About Philip Kerr
About the Scott Manson series
Also by Philip Kerr
An Invitation from the Publisher
Copyright