The Crime Trade

I really like the story line of Kernick novels. And I mostly enjoy the first 90% of the book. At the end he seems to feel rushed or compelled to wrap everything up with all the minute details patched together. Reminds me of Paul Drake, Perry Mason's investigator explaining the whole deal at the end of the show. Somehow he needs to weave into the story all of the details he wants to convey and make cleaner endings. Still an enjoyable read.

Simon Kernick started with The Business of Dying, and extended it in The Murder Exchange. Now he brings us The Crime Trade which stretches out his loosely strong tale of various investigators with the Series Crimes Squad based in contemporary London. These works are strongly plotted, richly charactered, and move rapidly. There is extremely strong color and dialog. The plotting is unusual, and often times the reader will be genuinely surprised that his picture of what is going on turns out to be horribly amiss. In this, he reminds me of the late, great Margaret Millar who could drop clue after clue right under your eyes and still surprise you well at the end. Kernick came out of the gate charging with The Business of Dying. he has not let up one single bit with The Crime Trade. If you take him on, make sure to read the series in order as subsequent books drip with spoilers.

Simon Kernick did a wonderful job developing some amazing characters in Crime Trade. However, it just didn't pack the punch I look for in a good Crime Novel.

Stegs Jenner and Paul Vokerman are undercover cops working a drug deal near Heathrow with the Colombians. Stegs steps out promising to return within ten minutes while Vokes nervously waits with two of the Cali Cartel when they receive a call. Without a reply to the caller, Manuel "Manolo" Lopez executes Vokes. Stegs returns in time for the police to attack. Others die as all hell breaks loose in the final phase of Operation Surgical Strike. Nearby at about the same time, the informant who set up the deal Slim Robbie and his mother are murdered. DI John Gallan and his partner WDS Tina Boyd lead the inquiries and quickly find out that DCS Noel Flanagan who headed the police sting blames Stegs for the fiasco. Stegs is angry over the death of his partner and needs to avenge Vokes' death while Gallan and Boyd try to learn what went wrong and how to rein in the loose cannon before Stegs causes a third deadly incident. The return of Detective Inspector Gallan and several of his cronies is always a thrill for British police procedural fans, but his third appearance is his best yet (see the BUSINESS OF DYING and THE MURDER EXCHANGE). The story line predominantly moves on two major subplots that follow the actions of either Gallan or Stegs. Interestingly, Gallan provides a first hand account of what is going on so the audience sees behind the scenes of the police investigation; on the other hand Stegs stars in a third person account, which leaves readers to wonder which side is he really on. This duality works tremendously as Simon Kernick provides a fabulous exciting thriller. Harriet Klausner