Unforgiving

September 28, 2015
Oldham’s well-plotted 23rd novel featuring Lancashire Det. Chief Supt. Henry Christie (after Edge) finds him longing for retirement so he can marry his fiancée, Alison Marsh, and settle into married life and running Alison’s pub. Meanwhile, the disappearance of Laura Marshall, a special constable, while on a routine call three months earlier haunts him, and it will continue to haunt him if he doesn’t make an arrest. In addition, Christie and his team are on the brink of bringing in Fraser Worthington, a major player in the gun trade (among other criminal enterprises), if they can only catch up with him. A parallel story line involving Police Constable Jake Niven’s infidelity at first seems like filler, until it dovetails into the larger story in the second half. Though slightly marred by a few gratuitous sex scenes, this fast-paced crime tale and its dogged, world-weary protagonist will certainly have fans of gritty police procedurals on the edge of their seats.

September 1, 2015
It's time for veteran cop Henry Christie to retire, marry his longtime love, and settle down to run a country pub. But policing is in Henry's blood, and before he hangs up his uniform for good, there are a few cases he's determined to solve. The most distressing is the disappearance of a young constable, who responded to a disturbance at a pub and hasn't been seen since. Then there's the vicious gang of thieves, who seem to be setting up for one last job, but this time Henry is determined to nab them all. When one of the gang is murdered and a cop is shot during an attempted robbery, Henry must impose his own brand of brutal justice before even thinking of retiring. Violent, nail-biting, and graphic, this one's not for the timid, but for those who like suspenseful cop thrillers with plenty of blood, this one won't disappoint. Add this to the short list of venerated coppers' swan-song novels, including those of Ian Rankin and John Harvey, but remember: retiring cops never really stay retired, even after they've collected their gold watches.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)