A Commonplace Killing

Starred review from July 8, 2013
Set in 1946 London, this superb psychological thriller from Busby (McNaughten) features Det. Insp. Jim Cooper, who “had the feeling that he had once done something worthwhile, something good, but had forgotten whatever it was.” His bleak outlook on life, and himself, is a perfect fit for the time and place as expectations that peace would bring with it a new attitude to the people of Holloway, the London enclave he’s assigned to, are not met. When some kids discover a woman’s corpse, the mess becomes his to sort out. The victim was strangled, but whether she was raped beforehand is unclear from the evidence. Cooper’s devotion to his duty doesn’t get the respect of his superiors, who would prefer that his energies be devoted to the black market rather than “a commonplace killing.” Busby, who died in 2012, does a brilliant job of depicting how the war left “common decencies bereft and clinging on for dear life.”