From Publishers Weekly
British Det. Sgt. Jack Stallworthy didn't start out as a corrupt cop. He had every intention of protecting the people of Abbotsport. But when his wife, Lily, his only obsession, wanted her own car, what was an underpaid cop supposed to do but take a bribe? Now in his 50s and looking at retirement, Jack realizes that his meager pension and the only slightly larger stash of money buried in his backyard won't last long on the tropical island of Ko Samui, for which Lily pines. So when computer magnate Emslie Warnaby tempts him, in exchange for plane tickets to the island and a deed for a hotel there, to retrieve a folder the police seized when a bureaucrat was arrested, Jack grudgingly agrees. His attempts at getting the folder from the fraud investigation officeAwhich range from befriending the charwoman, clerk and detective sergeant in charge to breaking and entering with the help of his archenemy, all the while facing Warnaby's imminent deadlineAmake up the bulk of this well-told tale. Jack, while crooked, is an astute observer of all around him and serves as a bellwether for a small-town cop's lot in life. Keating's low-key sense of humor and his dexterity at making a crooked protagonist sympathetic are firmly in place, as is the story's satirical edge, which explores the disparity between the financial rewards received by criminals and police and the symbiotic relationship between cops and robbers. Readers will come away from this newest by the veteran author of the Inspector Ghote mysteries with an eye-opening look at modern law enforcement. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
British copper Jack Stallworthy isn't a bad detective, exactly, but occasionally the opportunity has arisen for him to suppress evidence and, in the process, stash away a few pounds in his secret retirement fund. Jack's wife has decided on Ko Samui, a remote island paradise, as the perfect retirement spot, but Jack knows that his pension--even with the secret stash--won't be enough. So when a local entrepreneur asks Jack to steal a file from police headquarters in exchange for the deed to a hotel in Ko Samui, Jack can hardly believe his "good luck." The only catch is that spiriting the file out of HQ proves much more difficult than Jack could have imagined. In this thought-provoking story of greed, corruption, and scandal, even justice comes dripping with irony--and leaving the reader feeling as much regret as satisfaction. Keating, distinguished author of nearly 50 books, is a gifted writer. His crime novels are perfect for thinking readers who want to be stirred, stimulated, and roused--as well as entertained.
Emily Melton
