The Kings of London

November 17, 2014
When the burned body of an unidentified man is discovered in a derelict house early in Shaw’s darkly humorous sequel to 2014’s She’s Leaving Home, Det. Sgt. Cathal “Paddy” Breen and Temporary Det. Constable Helen Tozer of Marylebone CID investigate. A second corpse—belonging to Francis Pugh, the son of a prominent politician—is discovered in similar circumstances, but with the skin removed from his limbs. Breen soon becomes drawn into a bohemian and criminal milieu of art dealers, hippies, and drugs. Shaw perfectly captures London in the swinging ’60s with its atmosphere of sexism, where bottom ogling and pinching are commonplace. References to contemporary figures from the Beatles and Donovan to Dennis Hopper and Prime Minister James Callaghan bring the era further to life. Breen and Tozer come across as fallible human beings, not razor-sharp law enforcers, and it’s their relationship—both professional and personal—that makes this a winner. Agent: Karolina Sutton, Curtis Brown.

December 15, 2014
Corruption and deception run rampant in 1960s London as a detective struggles to balance a recent loss and a stalled homicide investigation. It's 1968, and London is swinging, as drug use rises dramatically and the bohemian counterculture is everywhere. DS Cathal Breen-known around the station as Paddy because of his Irish heritage-returns to work after the death of his elderly father and is soon called to the scene of a gas explosion that left a charred, unidentified corpse. Temporary DC Helen Tozer-Shaw admirably depicts the steep uphill battle for women trying to make a career with the police in the '60s-assists Breen, accompanying him to a second mysterious fire. The victim there is Francis Pugh, the son of a prominent government minister. Pugh's limbs have been skinned, and Breen eventually determines that the young man was a heroin addict and suspects the post-mortem skinning was an effort to erase track marks. While contemporary readers might initially raise an eyebrow at Breen's naivete when it comes to drugs-he's unaware that heroin is addictive, let alone deadly-Shaw convincingly makes the case that Breen's ignorance is a piece of the larger societal issue concerning the sharp uptick in hard drugs. Breen pushes forward without the support of his department-where his fellow coppers are all varying shades of dirty-and follows the clues to the inner workings of the London art world and a hippie commune in the center of the city. Shaw (She's Leaving Home, 2014) makes the gritty English capital come alive, and while the action is slow-burning, it's worth waiting for the inevitable explosion.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2015

London 1968. DS Cathal "Paddy" Breen is simply trying to cope in this second entry in a projected trilogy (following She's Leaving Home). The routine investigation surrounding the discovery of the charred remains of a body has been turned over to Paddy. When a second charred corpse is discovered, the autopsy reveals that the skin on its arms and legs had been flayed and the body bled out. The fact that the second victim is the son of a top government minister immediately ups the ante. Paddy is also harassed at both work and at his flat. His colleague, Helen Tozer, who, by virtue of her sex, is forbidden from driving a police vehicle, is considering moving back to her family farm to slop the hogs. Quaint period details abound: orange plastic chairs, green Olivetti typewriters, and "big" new 22" TVs. The good-old-boy networks, sexism, racism, police cover-ups, and the terrible appeal of exercising power, though, seem all too contemporary. VERDICT This critique of the Swinging Sixties is administered by a crackerjack storyteller who adroitly balances likable lead characters, bursts of intense action, and a great ear for office banter that will engage any reader who remembers the era, as well as anyone who has to google "bell-bottoms."--Bob Lunn, Kansas City, MO

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
In this follow-up to She's Leaving Home (2014), Shaw skillfully resurrects the 1960s bohemian art scene in London, drawing battle lines between traditionalists and the growing modernist fringe. Sergeant Cathal Breen succeeded in ousting dirty cop Michael Prosser from the force, but he's paying for it with anonymous death threats. And he's struggling with his investigation into the murder of Frances Pugh, playboy son of politician Rhodri Pugh, since the elder Pugh has exerted his influence to restrict Breen's investigation. When Breen connects Frances Pugh to iconic art dealer Robert Fraser, he and his sharp-tongued assistant, WPC Helen Tozer, enter Frankie's hard-partying, bohemian circle. Breen is puzzling out which of Pugh's vices led to his death when Prosser is murdered and Breen becomes the prime suspect. Although he's suspended, Breen continues his probe with Tozer's help. Shaw improves on this series' strong debut by delving into the impact of Breen's brushes with darkness and further exploring Breen's slow-burning, perplexing attraction to Helen Tozer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)