So today will be my last post in regard to English Cop mystery book series. I'm sure I'm just touching the surface with this past 10 part entry, but I hope it might have encouraged folks to give some of them a try and to explore other options. When I start my next portion, I'll probably take a look at English Detective series.
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Cops Part 9
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| Anne Perry |
Back in the early 2000's I discovered Anne Perry's William Monk series. Monk is a London cop who in the past, as a result of an accident, has lost his memory. He continues to be a cop but during the course of his investigations, begins to find out things about his past. He is an often angry man, partly due to his frustrations about not remembering his past. I read the first 7 books but it's been awhile since I've explored the series. Since 1990, she has written 24 books in this series. I think I noticed the great book covers when I first discovered them.
"His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk's efforts doubly difficult, since he's forgotten his professional skills along with everything else... " (3 stars)
"Inspector William Monk has his hands full when an aristocrat's daughter is stabbed to death in her own bed. He is instructed to proceed without delay, but finds his efforts hamstrung by the lingering traces of amnesia and the craven ineptitude of his supervisor, who would love to see him fail. With the help of Hester Latterly, formerly a nurse with Florence Nightingale, Monk gropes warily through the silence and shadows, knowing that with each step he comes closer to the appalling truth...." (3 stars)
"Although esteemed General Thaddeus Carlyon meets his death in a freak accident at home, his beautiful wife, Alexandra, confesses that she killed him. Investigator William Monk, nurse Hester Latterly, and the brilliant Oliver Rathbone, counsel for the defense, work feverishly to break down the wall of silence raised by the accused and her husband's proud family. With the trial only days away, they inch toward the dark and appalling heart of the mystery. The final act is a courtroom masterpiece, through which we dare not breathe too deeply, lest the precarious balance of a woman's life be lost." (3 stars)
The remaining books in this series can be found at this link.
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| Ruth Rendell |
"I enjoyed the style and the characters of this series very much; Wexford can be a grumpy, frustrated inspector at times, but also sympathetic as the case needs. The story isn't a cozy mystery, but also not graphically violent. Basically it involves a missing wife and the later discovery of her body and the follow-on investigation. But the story is crafted very well and enjoyable to read, flowing nicely from situation to situation. I will say I had the general suspect and rationale figured out but it was nice to have it explained more succinctly and clearly. Enjoyable first book and I do look forward to getting to know Wexford and his team better. (4 stars)"
b. A New Lease of Death (#2 / 1967).
"It was a brutal, vicious crime -- sixteen years old. A helpless old woman battered to death with an axe. Harry Painter hung for it, and Chief Inspector Wexford is certain they executed the right man. But Reverend Archery has doubts . . . because his son wants to marry the murderer's beautiful, brilliant daughter. He begins unravelling the past, only to discover that murder breeds murder -- and often conceals even deeper secrets . . ."
"Anita Margolis has vanished. Dark and exquisite, Anita's character is as mysterious as her disappearance.
There was no body, no crime - nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and the intriguing name of Smith. According to headquarters, it wasn't to be considered a murder inquiry at all.
With the letter providing them with only one questionable lead to follow, Wexford and his sidekick Inspector Burden are compelled to make enquiries. They soon discover Anita is wealthy, flighty, and thoroughly immoral. The straight-laced Burden has a very clear idea of what happened to her. But Wexford has his own suspicions..."
The remaining books in the series can be found at this link.
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| Peter Robinson |
"This is the first book in the Chief Inspector Banks mysteries. I liked it from the very opening pages and enjoyed the story thoroughly. Alan Banks is an interesting character, having moved from London to Eastvale in Yorkshire, in the hope of a quieter police life. He quickly is involved in a case of a peeper as well as a number of break-ins and finally a murder of an old woman.
I enjoyed getting to know Alan and also his personal life. His wife, Sharon, was well-presented and also some of the other police officers that worked with Alan. The story was gritty enough but not so that it was disturbing. The pace of the book was excellent and I enjoyed how the cases were worked and ultimately how they were resolved.
All in all, it was an excellent first story and I'm glad now that I have a few others of the series in my bookshelves awaiting my attention. As an aside, this series has also been developed for TV and while I felt the TV show to be quite different from the initial book, I enjoyed both immensely. Nice that both have their differences but at the same time hold there own as excellent series. I highly recommend you give this series a try if you like good mysteries. (5 stars)"
"A Dedicated Man is the 2nd Chief Inspector Banks mystery by Peter Robinson. Once again I found it to be quite different to the TV series that was based on the books. But that matters not as both are enjoyable in their own way.
Banks is called to a small town in his district in Yorkshire to investigate the murder of a local professor / historian. It's a very small hamlet with basically one police officer. He brings along Sgt Hatchley to assist. It's a typical case, the professor is well-loved, seems to have no enemies and even though he has friends, they all seem to have little motive and reasonable alibis.
The pacing is excellent; we aren't caught up with countless murders to cope with. It's Banks and Hatchley investigating, talking to possible suspects as they try to gather information and we also get the perspective of a variety of the locals; young Sally, the budding actress with her own ideas of the murder, the local singer who may have had a relationship with the victim, etc.
It was a pleasure to read and just enjoy the thought processes, the locality, the people and the case. I had ideas of how the murder might have happened but for some reason, never considered the final solution which was presented and I must say I found it very satisfying. Banks is not really like the TV version; he has a much smaller staff to work with and his personal circumstances are different, at least for the first two books, but I like him very much and was very satisfied with this most enjoyable mystery. Now to find the 3rd book. (5 stars)"
"A Necessary End is the 3rd book in the excellent Chief Inspector Banks mystery series by Peter Robinson. Each story has been excellent. In this one, a police officer is murdered during a protest against nuclear plants and a new US Air Force base being considered for the area of Banks's town. The protest turns into a riot and results in physical interaction between the protesters and riot police.
The investigation results in Superintendent Dirty Dick Burgess being sent from London to run the murder investigation. Banks knows and dislikes Burgess from previous encounters while he worked in London. Burgess is a rabble rouser, heavy drinker and carouser. He runs an investigation as a bulldozer, upsetting suspect and causing turmoil.
Banks has to work around Burgess in trying to solve the murder. Burgess suspects left wing instigation in the murder while Banks has his own ideas. The case revolves around a group of people who live in a sort of commune nearby and varied other people who helped organize the protests, Banks begins to find out some disturbing things about the murdered police officer and wonders whether this might be a reason for the murder. He has some small side investigations being conducted by other police officers which slowly come to light as his ideas firm up.
It's an interesting story. We find out more about Banks's life and his relationships. He's an interesting character. I like the small discoveries about Banks even if I don't necessarily like his taste in music. The ending comes a bit out of left field but at the same time is very satisfactory and believable. I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to continuing the series. (4 stars)"
The complete list of of Inspector Banks books can be found at this link.
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| R. D. Wingfield |
"I've enjoyed the Inspector Frost series very much. Frost at Christmas is actually the first in the series, it seemed appropriate to read it over the Xmas period. We find out how Frost got his medal, learn to appreciate his bumbling style, even though he is well-loved by the rank and file within the Police station. Not so well-liked by DS Mullet, his boss, but then again, Mullet isn't all that nice anyway. Frost is tasked to take over the investigation and search for a lost girl when one of his peer is taken severely ill. As well, he must show a new DC, Clive Barnard, the Chief Constable's nephew, the ropes. As well, a multitude of other cases fall into his scruffy lap. A DI who works mostly on instinct, Frost muddles his way to solutions, all the while dealing with a winter storm and his own past. Very well-written and most enjoyable to read. Check out the Frost books. It's unfortunate that so few were ever written. (4 stars)"
"A most entertaining, fast-paced police mystery. This is the third book in the DCI Jack Frost series that became one of the most well-loved British cop shows. From an six book series, the creators spun out a TV series that lasted for 42 episodes. In this book, the Denton Police Dept is suffering with manpower shortages due to a flu bug that is running rampant through the station. New DS Gilmore is forced to work with scruffy DCI Jack Frost and finds himself working all hours, affecting his home life as he travels around with Frost trying to solve a multitude of crimes; the Granny Ripper, the Poison Pen letter sender, a young girl's murder. As well, Frost, who is sloppy about paperwork must deal with the Superintendent Mullet, who is concerned only with his image with the higher HQ. It's a non-stop mystery, well-written and entertaining. Highly recommend. This is the second in the series that I've enjoyed. Will be taking up Book 4, Hard Frost, next. (4 stars)"
"A Killing Frost by R.D. Wingfield is the sixth and final book in the Inspector Frost mystery series, set in the English town of Denton. The books inspired a long running TV series starring David Jason. While the books all have a certain sameness, it is a comfortable, welcoming sameness.
In this story, we find Frost's job once again hanging by a thread. His boss, Police Superintendent Mullett, who hates Frost and never willingly supports him, has brought in Detective Chief Inspector to do his dirty work for him and either have Frost fired or moved to a new police district. Skinner is a particularly unlikeable character who just wants to make everybody miserable, hang them out to dry for any errors and reap all the rewards for any of their successes.
While Frost must deal with this, he is also kept busy working on countless cases, with his staff reduced to a minimum as Mullett has volunteered the majority of the station to help with a drug investigation in another district. So Frost and his willing and mostly capable remainder investigate the discovery of a body, blackmailing at a local grocery chain, missing girls and other smaller cases. As always, Frost blunders as much as he succeeds. He is a capable, very likeable person, curmudgeonly and a bit of a dinosaur, but his heart is in the right place. He is especially distressed by the missing girls and works gamely to come to a solution before more bodies turn up.
As you read the Frost series, you will see similarities between all of them, but you will, nonetheless, enjoy them immensely. Frost is tireless, working on little to no sleep and pushing his team to follow his style. (4 stars)"
The remaining books in the series are -
- A Touch of Frost (1987)
- Hard Frost (1995)
- Winter Frost (1999)
The Frost series has been a favourite of mine and I'm sad that RD Wingfield is no longer with us to continue writing such an enjoyable character. (4 stars)"
I hope that the past 10 entries about English Police mysteries has provided you with some series that might interest you. Have a great day!
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