Gospel [Paperback]

Bill James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

"James's police procedurals are second to none....An entertaining and provocative addition to an impressive series."—Booklist

At nineteen years old, Colin Harpur's girlfriend Denise Prior knows little about criminals, and even less about the law. When Denise drifts into the social circle of Harpur's number-one informant Jack Lamb, and one of the criminals is shot to death during a robbery, Denise's life is suddenly in danger and Harpur must solve a new crime-before it happens.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nobody walks the thin line between cops and crooks better than Bill James, and his new book about randy British policeman Colin Harpur is one of the best in this beautifully written series. Jack Lamb, the wealthy art dealer who has given Harpur tips on upcoming crimes in previous stories, provides one here that results in the death of a particularly stupid robber. When the dead man's father vows revenge on both Lamb and Harpur, it sets off a series of public and private explosions that James relates with wonderfully understated excitement. Previous Harpur books in paperback include Astride a Grave, Club, and You'd Better Believe It. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Married and the father of two, Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur is infatuated with a university student named Denise, who's nearly young enough to be his daughter. It turns out Denise is best friends with the girlfriend of Harpur's best snitch, Jack Lamb. A tip from Lamb sets Harpur up to arrest master thief Martin Webb, but things go awry, and Webb's son is shot to death. Of course, the grief-maddened Webb swears revenge on Harpur and, when he learns about Denise, figures he has the perfect pawn for a terrifying game of retaliation. James' police procedurals are second to none, thanks largely to his wickedly dark humor, the way he shows the human flaws of crook and cop, and his ability to draw the thin line between the good guys and the bad. Cleverly plotted, devilishly funny, and full of grim and gritty reality, James' latest is an entertaining and provocative addition to an impressive series. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330326848
• ISBN-13: 978-0330326841
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,803,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Guys and the Bad Guys, March 14, 2002

By 

lvkleydorff - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gospel (Harpur & Iles Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The good guys are Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur (and his girl friend Denise), and his boss Desmond Iles.

The bad guys are Doug Webb - a truly low class criminal , Courtney Saquhar-Perry - a criminal of more elevated rank and good at organizing, and Ralph Ember - owner of a pub/club, where the low life likes to congregate.

And in between these two groups are the informers who supply the good guys with the inside info on planned criminal activities and, in return, are cut considerable slack when doing wrong themselves. Foremost is Jack Lamb (and his girl friend Helen), who worked his way into a super trophy mansion and a remarkable collection of fine art, most of it stolen and now for resale. On a lower rung is Tony Towler, and also our friend Ralph Ember.

Let the fun begin with a heist the police had been advised about. It turns problematic when Doug Webb?s son Martin is killed by Harpur. Webb needs revenge. Who blew the whistle? Maybe Denise, who is also friendly with Helen and could be the messenger go-between. She has to be eliminated. It definitely could be Lamb, but he is a few numbers too large to just blow away. No such problem with Towler, who quickly gets killed. But who can trust anybody? Saquhar-Perry plans a new heist at a bank. So let?s plant some desinformation to make sure the good guys are in the wrong place. Feed it to Towler, who will pass it on to Lamb, who will then inform Harpur. Towler can?t be found (remember, he is dead). You have to find a substitute. But who can you trust? What information can you trust? As a matter of fact - can Ember trust Webb? Can Saquhar-Perry trust Ember? Can anybody trust anybody?

The author has written a tightly constructed mystery. After introducing the actors, he starts to apply the vise and squeezes the last bit of thought out of them. The result is a cliff hanger not to be missed. I just wonder why it took ten years for this book to make the trip from England across the Atlantic. We desperately need more books of this caliber!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Joy to the Mystery Reader, April 3, 2001

By 

Thomas Edsall "Serial Mystery Reader" (Wash, District of Columbia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gospel (Vol. Book 9) (Harpur & Iles Mysteries) (Paperback)

James writes the best dialogue in current mystery fiction; his plots are superb; and his portrayal of police under siege is unequalled. James does not disappoint, and in "Gospel" he excels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Masterpiece?, February 10, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gospel (Vol. Book 9) (Harpur & Iles Mysteries) (Paperback)

Not many people, even on the other side of the atlantic, seem to know of these dark, cynical police procedurals by British writer Bill James(a pseudonym). Perhaps not to everyones taste(and slow to start), if you stick with it, it won't be long before you begin to feel the hairs on the nape of your neck begin to rise. A truly masterful and suspenseful novel.