Pix
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
A houseful of paintings is stolen and the body of a finely dressed stranger is discovered at the home of art-loving drug dealer Mansel Shale. Meanwhile Detective Chief Inspector Colin Harpur and his boss, Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles, find their domain descending into bloody chaos as villain drug firms fight for dominance.
Luckily Iles has done some illicit phone-tapping and has inside information on which way the battle will go. In this fast-paced thriller, there's no telling who will catch the next bullet.
'Shrewd, savage, funny enough to give you an injury' Literary Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Humor, dry and wry, distinguishes James's 24th police procedural to feature Det. Chief Supt. Colin Harpur and Asst. Chief Constable Desmond Iles (after 2007's Girls). Harpur and Iles's criminal nemeses, Mansel Shale and Ralph Ember, share control of the drug trade in their unnamed British port city, which is just fine with Iles so long as their business is conducted without too much violence. When Hilaire Wilfrid Chandor announces his intention of getting a piece of the pie by leaving a body in Manse's house and stealing his art collection, all parties go on alert for Manse's response. Nothing appears hidden from either crooks or cops, who often echo each other's thinking. Meryl Goss, who comes from London determined to find her boyfriend (Graham Trove, the mysterious body left in Manse's home), provides an extra catalyst to the drama. The cynical charm of James's mysteries is evident, from Chandor's bizarre calling card to the rough justice of the ending.
