Improving the Silence [Hardcover]

Peter Turnbull (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

A brilliant stand-alone novel dark, gritty, and compelling marking a new departure for the author - When a body is discovered in a rough grave, deep in the woods, the police find that it is of one of their young undercover officers who died nearly thirty years ago. As their inquiries from slender clues progress, it becomes clear that what they are also uncovering is a sordid tale of corruption and murder within their own ranks.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite the surprising killing off of a major character, this competent stand-alone police procedural from British veteran Turnbull (Turning Point) offers little suspense or excitement. The digging of a trench in a forest northeast of London turns up the corpse of Det. Constable James Coventry, who disappeared almost 30 years earlier at age 27. Det. Insp. Archibald Dew, who's grappling with a mentally disturbed daughter, and Det. Sgt. Harry Vicary, a recovering alcoholic, take the usual steps to investigate. The pair discover from Coventry's parents that their son was on a special assignment that frightened him. Early on, Turnbull lets the reader in on who's behind the killings, leaving only the identity of one of the bent cops to be revealed at the end. In the absence of any real twists, the book must stand or fall on its characters, who are hard to distinguish from countless similar fictional figures. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Turnbull departs from his Hennessey and Yellich series with this gritty, bleak, suspenseful police procedural. When a skeleton is found buried in Epping Forest, DS Harry Vicary and DI Archibald Dew are assigned the case. The autopsy reveals that the remains belong to James Coventry, a young copper who disappeared 27 years ago under mysterious circumstances. Coventry was working on Operation Fennel, but since the files on Fennel have inexplicably disappeared, it takes more digging to identify it as a major undercover investigation into the illegal marijuana trade. Coincidentally, it also exposed a number of corrupt coppers who were taking bribes from the marijuana kingpins. The corruption was never proved, and some of the officers purportedly involved are retired from the police and living a lifestyle far beyond what a police pension could support. Vicary and Dew realize they must be getting closer to the truth when someone starts murdering the retired cops. Turnbull’s distinctive narrative style, combined with a stark plot, dark mood, and sinister twists, makes this a good pick for fans of edgier British procedurals. --Emily Melton

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727868411
• ISBN-13: 978-0727868411
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Gritty and bleak indeed..., December 22, 2010

By 

Lola Brown (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improving the Silence (Paperback)

I had hoped to enjoy this book and slogged on to the end even though it seemed predictable and the circumstances depressing. The two editorial reviews published above are exactly right: there's nothing new or exciting here, nothing interesting, even. It reads too much like the daily news, why spend our valuable and precious spare time reading something that is too much like that? I read to educate myself and to escape. This book provided neither plus it has a depressing and unsatisfying ending. I did enjoy Turnbull's writing, may give one of his other books a go, I really did like that there was next to no swearing and cursing on its pages, what a welcome relief from the foul mouths of most authors in America today, they really could learn something from the British!