It's Sunday... I Should be Mowing the Lawn.. Nah! Instead a Reading Updt and the Science Fiction Novel

What We Do in the Shadows

It's a bit cooler today but the sun is shining and it's lovely and bright. The dogs and I went out to do our Sunday shopping, just to pick up a few things. Yesterday Jo and I enjoyed a few shows on the tube. They were all on FX. I watched Devs, the first episode, and it looks kind of interesting; a science fictionish type show, and mystery. Then both of us watched the first episode of Mrs. America, a drama focused on the ERA Amendment. Great cast; Cate Blanchett, Margo Martindale, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Banks, Tracey Ullman, Sarah Paulson, etc. It really seemed interesting. And finally we watched the first two episodes of Season 2 of What We Do in the Shadows, a nice little comedy about a group of hapless vampires living in New Jersey. All in all it was a nice day of TV. Of course we also watched an old Vera and Inspector Morse.

I finished a book yesterday and have therefore started a new one. I'll provide my review of the former and synopsis of the latter. I also will finish my look at the Science Fiction novel.

Just Finished

1. The Con Man by Ed McBain (87th Precinct #4). Excellent series so far. Glad I finally tried it.

"The Con Man by Ed McBain is the 4th book in his 87th Precinct cop series. It's a simple cop story relatively but at the same time for all of its simplicity, also very rich.

Two crimes are being investigated by the detectives of the 87th Precinct. Arthur Brown, Det 2nd Grade, is looking into a pair of con men who are ripping off people. Det Steve Carella is investigating the discovery of a 'floater', the body of a woman found in the river, apparently murdered.

I enjoy the process of the various investigations, the methodical nature and introduction to the other departments, Missing Persons bureau, the daily Line-up where detectives from the various divisions come together to review the line-up of people arrested. I enjoyed that section very much.

I also enjoyed the meeting of the various detectives' spouses and girl friends as they also added to the story, especially Carella's wife, Teddy, deaf and mute but still a force to be reckoned with. The story is so well paced and in the one case McBain ramps up the tension until the final outcome. 

The story is so fascinating and it draws you in immediately. I liked the detectives, their family and the tattoo artist, Mr. Chen. Just a great, enjoyable crime story and a most satisfying ending (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading (er, listening to)

1. Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher #4). My first ever attempt at an audio book and I'm enjoying so far. Of courser I love everything about the Phryne Fisher mystery series anyway but having a good narrator helps. I bought the audio book by mistake, ordering it on line and not realizing it was a cd. It's sat on my shelf a long time but I need to move on with this series.

"The devastating Phryne Fisher is under fire again in her fourth mystery. A very young man with muddied hair, a pierced ear and a blue tattoo lies cradled in Phryne's arms. But sadly it's not another scene of glorious seduction - this time it's death. The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, beautifully dressed in loose trousers, a cream silk shirt and a red-fox fur has just had her windscreen shot out inches in front of her divine nose. But worse is the fate of the pale young man lying on the road, his body hit by bullets, who draws his final blood-filled breath with Phryne at his side. Outraged by this brutal slaughter, Phryne promises to find out who is responsible. But Phryne doesn't yet know how deeply into the mire she'll have to go - bank robbery, tattoo parlours, pubs, spiritualist halls and the Anarchists. Along this path, Phryne meets Peter, a battle-scarred, sexy Slav, who offers much more to her than just information. But all thoughts of these delights flee from Phryne's mind when her beloved maid, Dot, disappears. There's nothing Phryne do to get her back safely."

The Science Fiction Novel - Final Post 😢

In my final post I'm going back to an author I featured previously, Maggie Stiefvater (this link) (The Scorpio Races).. Since those posts I've purchased new books by both authors and in series I've yet tried. So I thought I'd highlight those books for you.

a. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (Dreamer Trilogy #1).











"The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.

And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tie.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . . Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . ."

Just as a note, I thought I'd purchased a book by John Scalzi but in fact I think I entered a contest to win a free copy and the book title was automatically added to my Goodreads book shelf. Interesting.

So there you go, my three month look at the Science Fiction novel. Obviously it's not a complete list but just those books and authors who I've tried over the past many years. I hope it provides you with some ideas should you want to explore the genre. I'm not sure what I'll do next. I've thought of looking at my favorite authors over the past few years or maybe going into the spy / thriller genre. I guess you'll know when I start posting, eh?

Anyway, enjoy what remains of your weekend and have a great week. Stay safe.

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Cops Part 10

Today was much nicer than yesterday, mostly sunny and about 14 degrees C. Bonnie is doing very well; her foot has much improved. She even went for a lunchtime walk (the first time in a week or so). I think the infection is almost gone if not totally. It's so good to see her wanting to go for walks, play a bit and even have a good appetite.. :0)

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

Anne Perry

1. Anne Perry (William Monk). English mystery writer Anne Perry was born in London in 1938. She is best known for her two mystery series, one featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and the other, discussed here, featuring Police Detective William Monk. Perry had a fascinating story of her own. At the age of 15, she was convicted in the murder of a friend's mother and served 5 years in prison. On release, she changed her name and as it seems, turned her life around totally.

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.

a. The Face of a Stranger (#1 / 1990).












"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)

b. A Dangerous Mourning (#2 / 1991).












"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)

c. Defend and Betray (#3 / 1992).












"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. 

Ruth Rendell

2. Ruth Rendell (Inspector Wexford). Crime writer Ruth Rendell (Baroness Rendell of Babergh) was born in London and lived from 1930 - 2015. Rendell wrote mysteries, historical novels, books under the name of Barbara Vine and standalones. Her best known creation was Chief Inspector Wexford who was also a subject of a successful TV series. I've discovered the Wexford series only in the past few years. There are 24 books in the series. I've only read the first book so far, which I enjoyed very much. I have the next few sitting on my bookshelf.

a. From Doon to Death (#1 / 1964).












"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 . . ."

c. Wolf to the Slaughter (#3 / 1967).









"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. 

Peter Robinson

3. Peter Robinson (Inspector Banks). Peter Robinson was born in Leeds in 1950 but currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. He received his various English degrees at University of Leeds, Windsor University and York University. He's best known for his Inspector Banks mystery series set in Yorkshire. The books have been adapted for an excellent TV series as well. Jo and I enjoyed the TV series very much. I've begun the books in the past few years and they are also excellent, quite different from the TV show (so far at least). There are 26 books in the series as of 2019. I've read and enjoyed the first 3 so far.

a. Gallows View (#1 / 1987). 












"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)" 

b. A Dedicated Man (#2 / 1988).









 "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)"

c. A Necessary End (#3 / 1989).












"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. 

R. D. Wingfield

4. R.D. Wingfield (Inspector Frost). English writer R.D.Wingfield was born in Hackney, London in 1928 and died in 2007. He's most noted, from my perspective, for his Inspector Frost mystery series of six books. For such a small library of stories, the books spawned a successful long-running TV series starring David Jason as the scruffy, disreputable, but effective Inspector Frost. One of the series that I have actually completed, I enjoyed every story. I'll highlight three for you.

a. Frost at Christmas (#1 / 1984).












"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)"

b. Night Frost (#3 / 1992).












"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)"

c. A Killing Frost (#6 / 2008).









"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!

My Continuing Look at the Mystery Genre - English Cops Part 8

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

In my last entry in this thread, I discussed Peter James' Inspector Grace, Lynda Laplante's Anna Travis and John Lawton's Inspector Troy. I'll continue with this discussion today.

Peter Lovesey

1. Peter Lovesey. English writer Lovesey was born in Middlesex in 1936. He's author of historical and contemporary mysteries. I've tried one and am interested in another.

a. Sgt Cribb (Historical Crime series). This series consists of 8 novels from 1970 - 1978.The novels are set in the Victorian era. I've read the first one so far and it was interesting. The novels were adapted to a TV series on Granada TV and also as a radio dramatization.

i. Wobble to Death (1970).









"Wobble To Death by Peter Lovesey is the first book in his historical mystery series featuring Scotland Yard Sgt Cribb. It is also my first exposure to his writing. It's an interesting premise to say the least.

The story is set in London, 1879 and is centered around a pedestrian race at the Agricultural Hall. From the foreword, these races took place fairly regularly, where groups or walkers would participate in a 6 day race, with the winner being the one who was able to walk the longest distance; somewhere over 500 miles, in the six days. It reminds me of the movie They Shoot Horses, Don't They, which was about marathon dance contests.

Anyway, in this particular race one of the contestants dies and this brings in Sgt Cribb and Constable Thackeray to investigate the circumstances. It turns out the contestant was, in fact, murdered. There are a number of potential suspects that the two intrepid detectives must investigate. It's an interesting story with interesting characters, somewhat light on the mystery but still entertaining. You get a nice picture of the time and the race and contestants. It was a nice introduction to the series and I will find other books featuring Sgt Cribb. (3.5 stars) Lovesey also writes the Peter Diamond mystery series. I have the first book in that series to try as well."

ii. Abracadaver (#3 / 1972).












"A sadistic practical joker is haunting the popular music halls of London, interfering with the actors and interrupting their acts by orchestrating humiliating disasters that take place in view of the audience. A trapeze artist misses her timing when the trapeze ropes are shortened. A comedian who invites the audience to sing along with him finds the words of his song “shamefully” altered. Mustard has been applied to a sword swallower’s blade. A singer’s costume has been rigged. The girl in a magician’s box is trapped. Then the mischief escalates to murder. Or was murder intended all along? That indomitable detective team, Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray of Scotland Yard, must track down the elusive criminal."

The remaining books in this series are -
- The Detective Wore Silk Drawers (1971)
- Mad Hatter's Holiday (1973)
- Invitation to a Dynamite Party (1974)
- A Case of Spirits (1975)
- Swing, Swing Together (1976)
- Waxwork (1978)

b. Peter Diamond. Diamond is a police detective who operates out of Bath. There are 17 novels in this series. I've not yet tried the series but I have the first book in the series and a couple of others.

i. The Last Detective (#1 / 1991).












"A woman's body has been found floating in a large reservoir just south of Bristol. In order to solve the mystery of the Lady in the Lake , Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond must locate two missing letters attributed to Jane Austen and defy his superiors on the force to save a woman unjustly accused of murder."

ii. Skeleton Hill (#10 / 2009).












"Battle & burial are built into the history of Lansdown Hill, so it is no great shock when part of a skeleton is unearthed there. But Peter Diamond, Bath's Head of CID, can't ignore the fresh corpse found close to Beckford's Tower. The Hill becomes the setting for one of the most puzzling cases he has ever investigated."

iii. Cop to Corpse (#12 / 2012).

"On a Sunday morning in Bath, a policeman on beat duty is shot dead - the 3rd killing of an officer in a matter of weeks.
The assassinations are the work of a sniper who seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once, always a step ahead. The younger detectives try their best with what little evidence he leaves, but they're no match for this murderer and his merciless agenda.

When Chief Superintendent Peter Diamond joins the case, he begins to find curious connections between the dead officers after talking to their widows. But a dangerous forest encounter with the killer leaves Diamond in the lurch and the sniper in the wind. Things get even more complicated when the evidence starts to suggest that the killer might be one of Britain's finest--a theory unpopular among Diamond's colleagues. Can Diamond manage to capture an elusive and increasingly dangerous killer while keeping his team from losing faith in him?"

The remaining books in the series are -
- Diamond Solitaire (1992)
- The Summons (1995)
- Bloodhounds (1996)
- Upon a Dark Night (1997)
- The Vault (1999)
- Diamond Dust (2002)
- The House Sitter (2003)
- The Secret Hangman (2007)
- Stagestruck (2011)
- The Tooth Tattoo (2013)
- The Stone Wife (2014)
- Down Among the Dead Men (2015)
- Another One Goes Tonight (2016)
- Beau Death (2017)

 

J.J. Marric

2. J.J. Marric AKA John Creasey (Commander Gideon). J.J. Marric was one of the pen-names used by English writer, John Creasey. Creasey was born in 1908 in Surrey and died in 1973. Over the course of his life he wrote countless series under a variety of names; as John Creasey, Doctor Palfrey, Department Z, The Toff, etc; as J.J. Marric, Commander Gideon; as Anthony Morton, The Baron, and so on. Suffice it to say, he was prolific. I've read one of The Baron books and am enjoying my introductions to the Commander Gideon series. From 1955 - 1976, he wrote 21 books in this police procedural series. I've read two books in the series thus far and have a number of others to try.

a. Gideon's Day (#1 / 1955).












"Gideon's day is a busy one. He balances family commitments with solving a series of seemingly unrelated crimes from which a plot nonetheless evolves and a mystery is solved.

One of the most senior officers within Scotland Yard, George Gideon's crime solving abilities are in the finest traditions of London's world famous police headquarters. His analytical brain and sense of fairness is respected by colleagues and villains alike." (3 stars)

b. Gideon's Week (#2 / 1956). I have but have not yet read.









"Gideon’s week…was long, and getting longer! It had all started when battered wife Ruby Benson set up her wanted-killer husband Sid for capture by the cops, hoping he’d be spending the rest of his worthless life in jail. But Benson had other plans. The brutal madman had escaped. And now he was back on the streets with only one thought in mind…revenge! And it looked like it was up to Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard to save Ruby from her sadistic spouse’s blood vendetta…or die trying!"

c. Gideon's Month (#4 / 1958).









"I read my first Inspector Gideon mystery, Gideon's Day, 5 or 6 years ago. And while I've accumulated 3 or 4 more books in the series, I've kind of avoided getting back to them. My loss really. 

Gideon's Month, by J.J. Marric, aka John Creasey, is the 4th book in the series. We find Gideon now the Commander of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Division, spending the month running the CID all over London, working various cases, moving and manipulating his personnel like chess pieces to try and get a hold on the varied criminal cases that are in the forefront of his schedule.

It's an interesting, very matter-of-fact police procedural. We follow Gideon, we follow various of his investigators who are working on the applicable cases and also the people who are the victims and / or the instigators of the crimes.
 
There is Frisky Lee, an arch-nemesis from Gideon's past, a man that Gideon has never been able to catch, who is moving to Australia, and who Gideon wants to sort out before he departs. There is a child crime ring; young children being taught to be pick-pockets by their mothers. This case strikes a chord with Gideon and his investigators who have strong feelings about child abuse. There is the nurse/ caretaker who seems to be killing off elder gentlemen to get their money. This is investigated by Inspector Marr, another interesting character. And there are other cases that Gideon follows, encourages his men to push forward and to try and solve the cases.

It's a month in the life, an interesting look at the criminals, the investigators and how the proceed to try and solve the crimes in their hands. I liked it very much and won't wait so long to try another of the Gideon series. (3.5 stars)"

The remaining books in the series are (I'll highlight * those I have on my bookshelf) - 
- Gideon's Night (1957)
- Gideon's Staff (1959) *
- Gideon's Risk (1960) *
- Gideon's Fire (1961)
- Gideon's March (1962) *
- Gideon's Ride (1963)
- Gideon's Vote (1964)
- Gideon's Lot (1965) *
- Gideon's Badge (1966)
- Gideon's Wrath (1967) *
- Gideon's River (1968)
- Gideon's Power (1969)*
- Gideon's Sport (1970)
- Gideon's Art (1971)
- Gideon's Men (1972)
- Gideon's Press (1973) *
- Gideon's Fog (1975) *
- Gideon's Drive (1976)

NB. There were another 5 books written after Creasey's death by William Vivian Butler)

Well, there you go, some books you might want to check out. Have a great weekend!!