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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Fourth in the Inspector Brant suspense series set in London and revolving around Sergeant Tom Brant, a corrupt, brutal cop with a heart.
Oh, I was so hoping the opening scene with the shrink would be Brant! It's one of the things I like about Brant---he has no compunctions about destroying self-righteous know-it-alls like Dr. Hazel. Then there's Falls' treatment of a group therapy leader...oh yeah….
It's an interesting mix of cops helping each other and, metaphorically, beating on each other. Bruen writes such a realistic "day in the life" for cops that you can't help but feel the brutality, the frustration, and the negativity even as Bruen slides in bits of hope.
Very unexpectedly Brant and Nash seem to be developing a friendship??! As a result of their tenuous friendship, Nash asks Brant to come to his dad's wedding---hoo boy! It's pretty obvious that Brant considers Nash a friend when you read his putdown of Nash, Senior. Nelson's concern for Falls also seems to be hopeful, eventually.
It's fascinating how beautifully Bruen writes a scene, a story with so few words and yet totally conveys the atmosphere, the slogging frustrations, the despairing hopes. The truths.
Brant puts the department shrink in his place even as Falls asks Nash for backup the night she fails her sergeant's exam. The same night the Blitz strikes for the first time. WPC Sandra Miller is the first victim. Roberts is on leave with his wife's death and Porter Nash is put in charge bypassing Brant---the powers-that-be are hoping he'll screw up and they can get rid of Nash. Hey, maybe hit the Trifecta and get rid of Brant as well.
We get a peek into Falls' friendship with a skinhead even as she sinks into alcohol and drugs in an attempt to ward off the depression of her recent past. It's her friendship with Metal that saves her life...again and again. Metal has confessed to beating a sand nigger and Falls reaches out to the assigned detective---with an ultimatum for Metal. A detective whom Falls was not expecting to be such a hunk, at least from Roberts' description. Good thing for Falls that Nelson is attracted...it's all that'll save her ass even if she is angry at him over nothing.
Meantime, pensioners are getting mugged the day they pick up their checks at the post office and Roberts, as part of his increased energy, points McDonald in the right direction. Too bad, McDonald just can't seem to engage his brain on the work side; his emotions end in disaster.
The reality of police work intrudes with arresting Barry and having to let him go in the morning, in spite of McDonald's pathetic attempts at empathy, but it all comes "right" in the end.
Sergeant Brant rips off shopkeepers and criminals and has the back of his fellow cops. Chief Inspector Roberts is another corrupt cop with fewer redeeming values than Brant, but his wife's death seems to spur him on. Says something when his own daughter rags on him to sell the house because she wants her share of the money! WPC Falls has had a slew of ups and downs: her best friend on the force's suicide, a beating that results in a miscarriage, and more. Now she's trying to re-connect with her black side. Sergeant Porter Nash is openly gay and works at being supportive with his fellow cops. PC McDonald is the unit suck-up. He prefers to get ahead by ratting out his fellow cops as opposed to actually doing the work of detecting. Superintendent Brown has ties with crime through his Masonic connections, has all the sensitivity of a dead toad, and hates Brant and Roberts.
Detective Inspector Bob Nelson is the lead on the beating of a young Arab.
John "Metal" Wales is a young skinhead Falls befriends; she figures if you can "turn him, you could turn anything, anyone". Barry Weiss is a "misunderstood lad" in his eyes. He plans to make a name for himself killing coppers. Radnor Bowen is a lower-class snitch who dresses up to play a better confidence game. Too bad he isn't more careful.
Dr. Hazel is the department psychiatrist. A petty bully who "had the backup of "Brutish orderlies, restraints, straitjackets…[and] Thorazine" until he met Sergeant Brant. Harold Dunphy is the news reporter Weiss latches onto to provide the scoop that will set him up.
The cover is a bit peekaboo with its white top border and black bottom; the middle strip is tired eyes looking through with a bright red title and deep yellow author's name.
The title is the police work and the name of the serial killer, a Blitz of crime and activity.
My Take
Oh, I was so hoping the opening scene with the shrink would be Brant! It's one of the things I like about Brant---he has no compunctions about destroying self-righteous know-it-alls like Dr. Hazel. Then there's Falls' treatment of a group therapy leader...oh yeah….
It's an interesting mix of cops helping each other and, metaphorically, beating on each other. Bruen writes such a realistic "day in the life" for cops that you can't help but feel the brutality, the frustration, and the negativity even as Bruen slides in bits of hope.
Very unexpectedly Brant and Nash seem to be developing a friendship??! As a result of their tenuous friendship, Nash asks Brant to come to his dad's wedding---hoo boy! It's pretty obvious that Brant considers Nash a friend when you read his putdown of Nash, Senior. Nelson's concern for Falls also seems to be hopeful, eventually.
It's fascinating how beautifully Bruen writes a scene, a story with so few words and yet totally conveys the atmosphere, the slogging frustrations, the despairing hopes. The truths.
The Story
Brant puts the department shrink in his place even as Falls asks Nash for backup the night she fails her sergeant's exam. The same night the Blitz strikes for the first time. WPC Sandra Miller is the first victim. Roberts is on leave with his wife's death and Porter Nash is put in charge bypassing Brant---the powers-that-be are hoping he'll screw up and they can get rid of Nash. Hey, maybe hit the Trifecta and get rid of Brant as well.
We get a peek into Falls' friendship with a skinhead even as she sinks into alcohol and drugs in an attempt to ward off the depression of her recent past. It's her friendship with Metal that saves her life...again and again. Metal has confessed to beating a sand nigger and Falls reaches out to the assigned detective---with an ultimatum for Metal. A detective whom Falls was not expecting to be such a hunk, at least from Roberts' description. Good thing for Falls that Nelson is attracted...it's all that'll save her ass even if she is angry at him over nothing.
Meantime, pensioners are getting mugged the day they pick up their checks at the post office and Roberts, as part of his increased energy, points McDonald in the right direction. Too bad, McDonald just can't seem to engage his brain on the work side; his emotions end in disaster.
The reality of police work intrudes with arresting Barry and having to let him go in the morning, in spite of McDonald's pathetic attempts at empathy, but it all comes "right" in the end.
The Characters
Sergeant Brant rips off shopkeepers and criminals and has the back of his fellow cops. Chief Inspector Roberts is another corrupt cop with fewer redeeming values than Brant, but his wife's death seems to spur him on. Says something when his own daughter rags on him to sell the house because she wants her share of the money! WPC Falls has had a slew of ups and downs: her best friend on the force's suicide, a beating that results in a miscarriage, and more. Now she's trying to re-connect with her black side. Sergeant Porter Nash is openly gay and works at being supportive with his fellow cops. PC McDonald is the unit suck-up. He prefers to get ahead by ratting out his fellow cops as opposed to actually doing the work of detecting. Superintendent Brown has ties with crime through his Masonic connections, has all the sensitivity of a dead toad, and hates Brant and Roberts.
Detective Inspector Bob Nelson is the lead on the beating of a young Arab.
John "Metal" Wales is a young skinhead Falls befriends; she figures if you can "turn him, you could turn anything, anyone". Barry Weiss is a "misunderstood lad" in his eyes. He plans to make a name for himself killing coppers. Radnor Bowen is a lower-class snitch who dresses up to play a better confidence game. Too bad he isn't more careful.
Dr. Hazel is the department psychiatrist. A petty bully who "had the backup of "Brutish orderlies, restraints, straitjackets…[and] Thorazine" until he met Sergeant Brant. Harold Dunphy is the news reporter Weiss latches onto to provide the scoop that will set him up.
The Cover
The cover is a bit peekaboo with its white top border and black bottom; the middle strip is tired eyes looking through with a bright red title and deep yellow author's name.
The title is the police work and the name of the serial killer, a Blitz of crime and activity.
shibosan's review against another edition
2.0
После давнишнего просмотра фильма решил почитать и книгу. Впечатление она оставила странное, хотя сюжет в целом один и тот же, книга разве что немного интереснее.
Если в фильме герой, несмотря на всю свою badass-сность остается в целом положительным персонажем, то в книге инспектор Брант, который не является даже главным героем, в отличие от фильма, вызывает поначалу едва ли не отвращение. Типичный пост-нуарный персонаж, который с удовольствием борется с силами зла еще большим злом: вымогательство, шантаж, избиения и далее по списку. Ну и сам роман пропитан чисто нуарной безнадегой - Лондон похож на джунгли, за каждым углом поджидает опасность, полицейские не справляются, да и не сильно пытаются... В целом, неплохо.
Если в фильме герой, несмотря на всю свою badass-сность остается в целом положительным персонажем, то в книге инспектор Брант, который не является даже главным героем, в отличие от фильма, вызывает поначалу едва ли не отвращение. Типичный пост-нуарный персонаж, который с удовольствием борется с силами зла еще большим злом: вымогательство, шантаж, избиения и далее по списку. Ну и сам роман пропитан чисто нуарной безнадегой - Лондон похож на джунгли, за каждым углом поджидает опасность, полицейские не справляются, да и не сильно пытаются... В целом, неплохо.
yorugua1891's review against another edition
5.0
Pure Bruen genius!
When thinking about authors that write noir well, no one comes to mind quicker than Ken Bruen. He has a remarkable ability to present us with characters that are rotten inside but still manages to makes us care for them. In the Inspector Brant series we get to read about the despicable policeman who has little regard for the law, tramples over people as if they were a small bump on the road and acts as tough as any character out there. But the mesmerizing part is that once you get to know him you see something in there that makes you a huge fan!
It is not only the main character that drives this series, we have a collection of mesmerizing characters joining the ensemble. From the taciturn Roberts, who hits rock bottom in this book, to the explosive Falls, a police woman that mixes it up with the toughest guys, this series has it all. It is not limited to the normal characters either, since Bruen likes to frequently introduce new faces and the bad guys are a riot and have their own surprising characteristics.
I am convinced. It doesn't matter what the story is in each book, Bruen can take any plot and make it riveting and dark as night. This is no exception, and the cops are in pursuit of a ruthless killers who has picked them as a target. As is usual the case, Bruen has no compunction about killing familiar characters, so brace yourself. Whatever the case may be, those looking for a hard-boiled crime novel cannot go wrong with this one.
When thinking about authors that write noir well, no one comes to mind quicker than Ken Bruen. He has a remarkable ability to present us with characters that are rotten inside but still manages to makes us care for them. In the Inspector Brant series we get to read about the despicable policeman who has little regard for the law, tramples over people as if they were a small bump on the road and acts as tough as any character out there. But the mesmerizing part is that once you get to know him you see something in there that makes you a huge fan!
It is not only the main character that drives this series, we have a collection of mesmerizing characters joining the ensemble. From the taciturn Roberts, who hits rock bottom in this book, to the explosive Falls, a police woman that mixes it up with the toughest guys, this series has it all. It is not limited to the normal characters either, since Bruen likes to frequently introduce new faces and the bad guys are a riot and have their own surprising characteristics.
I am convinced. It doesn't matter what the story is in each book, Bruen can take any plot and make it riveting and dark as night. This is no exception, and the cops are in pursuit of a ruthless killers who has picked them as a target. As is usual the case, Bruen has no compunction about killing familiar characters, so brace yourself. Whatever the case may be, those looking for a hard-boiled crime novel cannot go wrong with this one.
laurapf's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
reader44ever's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I first saw the movie and then wanted to read the book it was based on. I thought they both were very good. I didn't realize Brant was a recurring character until I finished this book. Now I need to find the first three. :-)
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