From Publishers Weekly
The seventh Inspector Brant noir from Shamus-winner Bruen (after 2006's
Calibre) maintains the feverish pacing that has become Bruen's trademark. As incorrigible hardcase Brant sits in a London pub brooding about the recent demise of his hero, real-life author Ed McBain, a gunman opens fire and then disappears. Hit multiple times, Brant is rushed to the hospital. Local criminals and cops alike rejoice at this unexpected bit of good fortune, but within a few days he's up and crankier than ever, vowing revenge on his assailants. Meanwhile, his fellow cops grapple with their own personal crises: Sgt. Elizabeth Falls is harassed by a psycho named Angie (last seen in
Vixen), fresh out of prison and anxious to settle the score; police constable McDonald, in a cocaine-fueled downward spiral, agrees to lead a group of senior citizen vigilantes. When one of the codgers is killed during their first mission, McDonald's fate is sealed. Bruen keeps this train wreck on proper course to a wholly satisfying, and very noir, conclusion.
(Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Criminals and cops alike see Sergeant Brant of the Southeast London Police Squad as the ultimate predator, a man Homerically dangerous and perfectly amoral. So, when he's shot in a pub by a hired gunman, everyone waits to see what will happen next. Woman's Police Constable (WPC) Falls passes her sergeant's exam—with an assist from the unpredictable Brant—but she's being menaced by Angie "The Vixen," a dangerous, beautiful, and devious psychopath. She's also dipping into the coke too much. A Yank "advisor" from Homeland Security is resident, and he thinks he has carte blanche. Although heartened by the shooting of Brant, former golden boy PC McDonald is headed for a long fall. Brant, of course, is far too ornery to pack it in; he's soon back on the job and looking for revenge. It's just another day at the office in Bruen's anarchic, twisted, and often hilarious paean to Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. Some of us Yanks may puzzle over the author's skeletal, telegraphic prose, but real fans of cops, crime, and mayhem won't miss a beat. Gaughan, Thomas
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