Customer Reviews

Last Rites: A Crime Novel (Charles Resnick Novels)

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The not-so-grand finale in the Charlie Resnick series certainly exhibits the signs of Harvey's weariness with the series. The highly predictable main plot features an escaped murderer with a sordid childhood, and is the least interesting element of the book. The police efforts to stem a series of drug-related killings brings in a number of minor players from past books and is somewhat more interesting. But of course it is the developments in Resnick's private and professional life that drives the book and rescues it in the end.

I did not realize until nearly at the end that this was the last of the Resnick novels. I'm embarassed to admit that he has become a part of my life and that I awaited his next installment like a child on the first day of school. I feel like my life will somehow be incomplete without the wisdom of Charlie but anxiously await the latest character.

This series will be well worth the attention.

Sadly, this great series comes to an end. A remarkably consistent set of stories, each touching on a different social issue. Harvey is a genius at developing characters, some who seem destined to be fixtures only to leave the series due to death or other causes but who remain in Charlie's memory in later stories. Poor Charlie, who stumbles into relationships in one novel only to see it end in later ones. Living with his four cats amidst constant jazz, and spending time at Polish events to refresh his Polish roots, Charlie Resnick became a close friend. Of all the British police procedural characters, Charlie is the one I'd most like to meet and befriend. I suspect John Harvey misses him too.

A word of caution. This series is best read in sequence, precisely because they are in fact one continuous story of one man's remarkable life.

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.

In 1986, career criminal Michael Preston was sentenced to spend life in jail after being convicted of first degree in the murder of his father. Twelve years later, as part of a more compassionate prison system, two relatively inexperienced prison guards escort Michael to the funeral of his mother. Michael attacks his guards with a razor blade and manages to escape.

Inspector Charlie Resnick and his team are assigned to the case. They begin questioning the guards and follow up with Michael's family. He soon starts linking Michael's activities to a growing drug war between two rival gangs. Charlie also realizes that somehow Michael's sister Loretta fits into the equation. With two more murders to Michael's credit, Charlie also knows that he must recapture Michael before more people die.

The tenth and final Charlie Resnick police procedural is an excellent tale. Readers will feel sad that the series is over (according to John Harvey), but glad that they had the opportunity to read such a fabulous collection of tales. The story line of LAST RITES is vintage Resnick. It ties together two seemingly divergent plots into one wonderful novel. Charlie and the support cast remain fresh, but this time Mr. Harvey ties up most of the loose ends left from the previous books. In the cold light of day, fans of the sub-genre will miss Charlie.

Harriet Klausner

Mr. Harvey, how can you leave us to be a publisher? Charlie deserves to go on and on and on.