Crunch Time

January 1, 2009
Bored with routine paper-pushing, DCI Henry Christie resurrects his undercover persona.

Still somewhat in disfavor for his errant judgment (Big City Jacks, 2005, etc.), Christie, of the Lancashire Constabulary, eagerly accepts Andrea Makin of the Yard 's suggestion that he revive his undercover rsum as Frank Jagger and sidle up to career criminal Ryan Ingram, who has moved his base of operations from London to the north and is now cavalierly dealing drugs, running hardcore porn and executing anyone who 's no longer useful. Christie 's longtime love Kate isn 't keen on his latest adventure, especially when their house is spied on, then set ablaze, nearly killing her. Have Ingram and his bodyguard/goon Mitch caught on that Christie 's a plant? Perhaps, but before Christie can extricate himself, he must witness Mitch 's murder of two dealers who 've skimmed from Ingram and wonder whether an old snitch of his, Costain, is the one who fingered him to Ingram. Even after Ingram 's finally jailed, there are more complications: Christie has another nemesis out there, this one seeking revenge for a pair of knickers planted in his dad 's car that sent his old man to prison for murder.

A bit too much emotional drama for fans of really hard-boiled procedurals, and a notch or so below midlevel Bill James. Still, Christie is mellowing and keeping his libido under control, even if his pal, FBI agent Karl Donaldson, maintains his strong-arm proclivities.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2008
DCI Henry Christie hates to admit hes getting older, which, eventually, will mean taking a desk job. So when he has one last chance to go undercover, he signs up before his boss can change his mind. His mission? To get cozy with criminal mastermind Ryan Ingram, whos suspected of importing young girls from Europe for his pornographic film business. A flawed and very human hero, inside-the-cop-shop politics, heart-pounding suspense, and gritty realism are trademarks of Oldhams excellent Henry Christie series, and once again, he delivers. This series belongs on shelves wherever British procedural fans congregate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)