Last Rites
By John Harvey
Bloody Brits Press $14.95
ISBN: 978-1932-85961-4

Charlie Resnick, the intuitive, low-key Detective Inspector, is embroiled in two separate cases which become intertwined. To begin with there is the shooting of a key drug distributor by a rival, and the chase to find the missing weapon and proof of the perpetrator’s guilt. Then there is a murderer who receives permission to attend his mother’s funeral and escapes from his keepers.

Both these situations occupy Resnick amid fears of an escalating drug war between various factions: find and recapture the escapee, and keep a lid on the volatile situation in the streets. Resnick smoothly pursues both goals while enjoying his love of music and trying to make sense of his own love life.

Tenth in the series, the novel is simply told and written with polish. The story moves fluidly and the suspense builds to an explosive climax. The characters are portrayed in a realistic manner, and while the two elements of the story are unrelated, the author meshes them believably. Recommended.

Review by THEODORE FEIT

©2009 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.