Simon Kernick, The Crime Trade

Simon Kernick, The Crime Trade - 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 storyline predominantly moves on two major subplots that follow the actions of either Gallan or Stegs. Interestingly, Gallan provides a firsthand 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 and exciting thriller.

St. Martin's, May 2005, $24.95

ISBN: 0312340591

Harriet Klausner