Protection [Import] [Paperback]

Bill James (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Penquin (1989)
• ISBN-10: 0140113983
• ISBN-13: 978-0140113983
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,034,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Police & Thieves in the Street Again, November 6, 2006

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Protection (Harpur & Iles S.) (Paperback)

This fourth entry in James' lengthy (20+ books) "Harpur + Iles" series is a welcome return to excellence after the last one, which was a little disappointing. As in all the books in the series, the story starts more or less in the middle of events, as we learn that a war between two protection racket gangsters has gotten extremely personal and ugly. In retaliation for having his privates blowtorched, Ivor Wright has kidnapped the mentally handicapped 11-year-old son of Bernie "Tenderness" Mellick. Meanwhile, one of the police force's old detectives is retiring just as an outside investigator is coming to take a long hard look at his career in response to rumors of corruption. Naturally, this ends up being connected to the war between the gangsters.

The story is pretty simple at its core, but has plenty of interesting threads going. After a two-book absence, superinformant Jack Straw reappears to tip Harpur off to the kidnapping, which, for obvious reasons, hasn't been reported. So, you have Harpur unofficially nosing around that case. At the same time, Tenderness is trying to keep his marriage together and lead his own investigation on the QT -- with the help of his colorful crew. Then there are the three cronies of Ivor Wright (two of whom have excellent gangster nicknames: Ancient Dave and Rick the Intelligent) who are nervously babysitting the kidnappee and waiting for events to play out. Meanwhile, the police force is trying to close ranks and stem any fallout from the impending investigation, while the retired copper is desperately seeking a lifeline. This all becomes a whirling kaleidoscope of murky ethics, semi-good intentions, and gray areas.

As always, Chief Lane doesn't leave much of an impression, Assistant Chief Iles spouts some crazy dialogue, Harpur's assistant Garland hovers unobtrusively in the background, Harpur's wife and kids make token appearances, and his paramour Ruth still plays an important part in his life. There's tons of action, from a hit on Wright, a bank heist, and the attempted recovery of the kid -- it's no wonder this is the one Harpur book to have been made into a film. Between the action and the various head games, James managed to pack a lot of entertainment into a mere 180 pages -- great stuff.