Power on Her Own [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Judith Cutler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2005

Introducing Birmingham Detective Sergeant Kate Power, exiled from London's Metropolitan Police by personal tragedy and making a new start in the distant outpost of Birmingham CID. Her new Brummie bosses are good men, for the most part, but they can't seem to let their new female colleague alone long enough to get on with her job. Kate is anxious to lose herself in her work, and before too long a case comes along that will consume her in a way she could never have imagined.

Young boys are being abducted, abused, and murdered on her patch, and she feels intense personal and professional pressure to catch those responsible. Kate must navigate the unfamiliar channels of power in male-dominated Birmingham; are her colleagues being deliberately obstructive or simply dragging their feet? Soon she is forced to make an important decision: Should she follow the conventional line of enquiry, toe the company line, and work as part of the team, or should she strike out on her own, reputation be damned?

Kate's got her work cut out for her, but she's a tough young cop who's seen a lot in her brief career and no one, not a heavy-handed supervisor or a vicious killer, is going to stop her from surviving, and thriving, in Birmingham. Power on Her Own is a taut, gritty cop novel from talented crime writer Judith Cutler.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her enjoyable U.S. debut, British author Cutler introduces a very human heroine, Det. Sergeant Kate Power, who's also a highly skilled professional. A personal tragedy has led to Power's transfer from London to Birmingham, where her new colleagues' misogynistic hazing undercut her efforts, as the only female detective on staff, to make a good start. Battling incipient alcoholism and survivor's guilt, she must compartmentalize her own problems to focus on tracking down a child molester who soon crosses the line from sexual abuse to murder. With a hospitalized aunt the only person she can trust, Power at once befriends and suspects a variety of locals, including her supervisor, a neighbor and the local minister. More than one potential suitor complicates already complex relationships, while such off-duty pursuits as coaching a boys' soccer team offer no refuge from the grim crimes she's responsible for solving. The book succeeds more as a character study than as a police procedural, since Power stumbles on a major clue completely by chance, and random events rather than clever investigation reveal some key aspects of the mystery. If there is a sequel, Cutler should let Power rely more on her own deductive powers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When Kate Power's lover is killed before her eyes in a police chase, she feels her life is over. Abandoning a promising career with the London police, she transfers to Birmingham to try to put the past behind her. The local vicar and his family offer Kate temporary lodging, which leads to her coaching the junior soccer team--a welcome diversion, because Kate's new job offers plenty of challenges: sexual harassment by her colleagues, a budding friendship with her new boss, and the horrifying case of young Darren Goss, who's been sexually abused by an unknown perpetrator. Using humor to diffuse the harassment and a "wait and see" attitude toward her boss, Kate focuses on the Goss case. Offering deft plotting and appealing, multidimensional characters, this outstanding novel, the first in a series, delivers a fresh new heroine in what has become the crowded field of female cops and private eyes. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Isis (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753170612
• ISBN-13: 978-0753170618
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,932,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging English police procedural, July 2, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Power on Her Own: A Mystery (Hardcover)

Her lover and police partner saves the life of Detective Sergeant Kate Power when he pushes her out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. His valiant effort leaves Robin dead. A distraught Kate cannot display her grief at her devastating loss because Robin's widow and children legally own that right. Unable to cope with the memories and refusing to work with the individual who caused the failed operation that led to Robin's death, Kate, using the excuse of caring for an elderly relative, transfers to Birmingham.

Her great-aunt Cassie moves into a senior citizen community while also giving her house to Kate to live in though it needs plenty of repairs. Between the renovations and adjusting to her new law enforcement job, Kate has little time to think about Robin though she has been stuck in the office since arriving in Birmingham. Unable to resist and fighting ennui, Kate begins her own inquiries into the case of the sexual assaults on two small boys and the alleged murder of one the lads.

This is an engaging English police procedural that works on two levels. The investigation is top rate and hooks the audience from the moment Kate dives into it. As fascinating is the deep look into the mourning by Kate, the "other woman" who cannot let her grief be known to anyone. Thus readers obtain a deep character study inside a strong detective tale as the opening gamut of what has the potential to be a fine series.

Harriet Klausner

2.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating book, February 2, 2010

By 

Srdjan Pesic (Minneapolis, Mn United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Power on Her Own (A Kate Power Crime Novel) (Hardcover)

I am a great lover of British procedural novels. Their methodical, composed pace coupled with rich characters just work for me.

Unfortunately, this is not a case with this deeply frustrating book. We heard just about everything about DS Kate Power's private loss, her lenghty house redecorating, her mean, sexist co-workers, her potential beaus, and so much more, more than we can possibly give a damn about.The core of this lame mystery,the crimes and the hard subject of paedophilia get a passing mention, somewhere between new curtains and visits to an old aunt. Ms. Cutler in this book appears to be a budding romance novelist. Well good luck to her, I'll be running in the opposite direction.