From Publishers Weekly
Taut suspense, solid characterization, a vivid sense of place and a satisfying resolution combine in this stunning debut procedural by British journalist Palmer. After being ousted from the Leicester police force for taking "unauthorized hospitality from a known criminal" involved in car heists and dog fights, former constable Terry Davis opened his own PI firm, on the sly selling his client's secrets to Fleet Street tabloids. When he dies in the "freezing fog" of a Midlands New Year from a gaping throat wound, Detective "Jacko" Jackson is called in from leave. He and his young partner, Det. Sgt. Caroline Parker, a lesbian, gradually uncover Davis's connections with a senior officer's wife, a constable on the force, an Animal Alliance group and an unsolved drowning of an adolescent girl. Palmer manages key scenes with authority, and his secondary characters--ruthless police officers, wives and mothers of suspects, tabloid reporters--bristle with life. The hardworking, unwavering Jacko, who has no aspirations beyond being "chief of nothing" but offers hints of a haunting past, is a hero whom readers will hope to see again.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In another lively British police procedural, unambitious detective "Jacko" Jackson doggedly tracks the murderer of a corrupt former police officer. Clues offered by a blind witness prove instrumental in Jackson's investigation, which soon ties in with the murder of a teenage girl. Soon, behind-the-scenes machinations at headquarters are revealed, the police are drug through various "dives," and the true merit of Jackson's lesbian partner is showcased. On a level with Death Watch (above), this first novel should do well.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
