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Craig, James - 'The Circus'
Paperback: 352 pages (Feb. 2013) Publisher: C & R Crime ISBN: 1472100379

THE CIRCUS is the fourth outing for the very cynical detective inspector John Carlyle, who is happily married to Helen with a teenage daughter Alice. Aided by Detective Sergeant Joe Szyszkowski, there is a new member of the team in Constable Maud Hall who is intelligent, funny and full of life. Even Commander Carol Simpson is more human these days following her husband's imprisonment for fraud!

Edgar Carlton continues to hold onto the post of Prime Minister, with Christian Holyrod as London Mayor. Carlyle's nemesis the dangerous Trevor Miller is head of the PM's security. There's plenty of humour with references, for example to the mobile phone hacking scandal.

Carlyle has several cases to deal with. He is liaising with the family of Rosanna Snowdon the journalist who has been murdered. A young boy has been blown up in his home by an assailant. A young girl is missing and another journalist Duncan Brown (who is implicated in the hacking scandal) is also found murdered.

Commander Simpson wants Carlyle to concentrate on the murder of the boy in his home as Horatio Mosman has wealthy and influential parents. However Carlyle never does what he's supposed to do. With Trevor Miller dangerously out of control, Carlyle will need all the help he can get to resolve all the cases.

This is an enjoyable series, I look forward to reading the next one, THEN WE DIE.

Very well recommended.

Geoff Jones, England
December 2013

Details of the author's other books with links to reviews can be found on the Books page.
More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.



last updated 7/12/2013 10:48