Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
With The Picasso Scam I once again found myself sampling a new-to-me series about which I've heard so many good things for years. If I intended having a tombstone, my epitaph would probably read "Here lies Cathy. She started 2,789 mystery series and finished 99 of them." On the surface that sounds rather bad, but I prefer to think that I've always got plenty to look forward to in my reading!
In this book I met Detective Inspector Charlie Priest of the Heckley nick (police station) in West Yorkshire. He's been an inspector for a record-breaking length of time because he can be somewhat unorthodox. (Not many police officers would chase a Rolls Royce down a country lane in their ancient, wheezing Cortina.)
A bit of sheep stealing leads Charlie to believe that a local businessman is involved in international art fraud, and once he realizes that doctored heroin also plays a part, there's nothing he won't do to bring the villains to justice.
One of the things I enjoyed so much in The Picasso Scam was Charlie himself. Being a detective inspector for so long has turned him into the fatherly eye of the Heckley nick:
"Crime has no closed season, no bank holidays, no days off. We are busy round the clock. My job is to manage the troops, make sure the paperwork gets done properly and liaise in every direction at once. Meantime I like to get out on the streets as much as possible, which usually means in my own time. We all have our pet priorities, and mine, next to putting crooks behind bars, is looking after, developing and encouraging the lowly constables in my charge."
There is a feeling of family amongst the police officers in this book, which makes it different from most police procedurals I've read. These men have their quirks, but they all genuinely care for each other. This is a refreshing change from many similarly themed books which always seem to have a complete jerk in charge that everyone has to work around to get the job done.
There are also glimmers of humor in The Picasso Scam, as when Charlie meets a well-endowed receptionist and thinks, "Oh, to have the eyes of a chameleon, one to look here, the other to look there" or when he walks into a pub and observes "their pipe-smoke made the air so thick that the flies were hang-gliding." But along with the family spirit and humor, there is danger. Charlie is after a businessman with a shady past, and at first he doesn't realize to what lengths that person will go to stop the investigation.
Probably because he does spend so much time teaching the constables in his care, Charlie takes the time to explain to readers why his area of England is so rife with crime, and what happens when the police crack down on one area of crime, yet he never comes across as preachy.
Reading The Picasso Scam was a sort of lesson in crime given by an engaging copper who has his priorities straight. Charlie Priest is a man who observes much (he sits down for a chat with depressed secretaries and stops by the hospital to talk with a teenage drug user who's had a leg amputated), does much, and shares his knowledge and experience with others. It's the best way to survive, to enjoy the job, and to do that job well.
Bring on Charlie's next case! I'm looking forward to reading it.
In this book I met Detective Inspector Charlie Priest of the Heckley nick (police station) in West Yorkshire. He's been an inspector for a record-breaking length of time because he can be somewhat unorthodox. (Not many police officers would chase a Rolls Royce down a country lane in their ancient, wheezing Cortina.)
A bit of sheep stealing leads Charlie to believe that a local businessman is involved in international art fraud, and once he realizes that doctored heroin also plays a part, there's nothing he won't do to bring the villains to justice.
One of the things I enjoyed so much in The Picasso Scam was Charlie himself. Being a detective inspector for so long has turned him into the fatherly eye of the Heckley nick:
"Crime has no closed season, no bank holidays, no days off. We are busy round the clock. My job is to manage the troops, make sure the paperwork gets done properly and liaise in every direction at once. Meantime I like to get out on the streets as much as possible, which usually means in my own time. We all have our pet priorities, and mine, next to putting crooks behind bars, is looking after, developing and encouraging the lowly constables in my charge."
There is a feeling of family amongst the police officers in this book, which makes it different from most police procedurals I've read. These men have their quirks, but they all genuinely care for each other. This is a refreshing change from many similarly themed books which always seem to have a complete jerk in charge that everyone has to work around to get the job done.
There are also glimmers of humor in The Picasso Scam, as when Charlie meets a well-endowed receptionist and thinks, "Oh, to have the eyes of a chameleon, one to look here, the other to look there" or when he walks into a pub and observes "their pipe-smoke made the air so thick that the flies were hang-gliding." But along with the family spirit and humor, there is danger. Charlie is after a businessman with a shady past, and at first he doesn't realize to what lengths that person will go to stop the investigation.
Probably because he does spend so much time teaching the constables in his care, Charlie takes the time to explain to readers why his area of England is so rife with crime, and what happens when the police crack down on one area of crime, yet he never comes across as preachy.
Reading The Picasso Scam was a sort of lesson in crime given by an engaging copper who has his priorities straight. Charlie Priest is a man who observes much (he sits down for a chat with depressed secretaries and stops by the hospital to talk with a teenage drug user who's had a leg amputated), does much, and shares his knowledge and experience with others. It's the best way to survive, to enjoy the job, and to do that job well.
Bring on Charlie's next case! I'm looking forward to reading it.
