Meredith S. (meredith) reviewed The Hard Detective (Harriet Martens, Bk 1) on + 11 more book reviews
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The "eye for an eye" injunctions (eight in all) of Exodus 21:23 are carried out in a pathologically precise manner by a serial killer who targets constables of the Greater Birchester Police. It falls to tough-as-nails Detective Chief Inspector Harriet Martens (the "hard detective" of the title) to find the killer before he or she gets through the entire bloodthirsty biblical passage. Martens suspects that her "Stop the Rot" campaign against criminal behavior, from graffiti through drug dealing, may have backfired, causing one irate nutcase to retaliate. Martens' investigation is complicated by having to work with a civilian criminal profiler who she believes is a bit too adept at predicting criminal behavior. The creativity with which cops are executed according to Exodus gives this police procedural an eerie tinge, reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. The prolific Keating, best known for his Inspector Ghote series, again underscores a knockout plot with crisp writing and intriguing characters Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The "eye for an eye" injunctions (eight in all) of Exodus 21:23 are carried out in a pathologically precise manner by a serial killer who targets constables of the Greater Birchester Police. It falls to tough-as-nails Detective Chief Inspector Harriet Martens (the "hard detective" of the title) to find the killer before he or she gets through the entire bloodthirsty biblical passage. Martens suspects that her "Stop the Rot" campaign against criminal behavior, from graffiti through drug dealing, may have backfired, causing one irate nutcase to retaliate. Martens' investigation is complicated by having to work with a civilian criminal profiler who she believes is a bit too adept at predicting criminal behavior. The creativity with which cops are executed according to Exodus gives this police procedural an eerie tinge, reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians. The prolific Keating, best known for his Inspector Ghote series, again underscores a knockout plot with crisp writing and intriguing characters Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
