Book Review: The Bad Detective

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Bad Detective     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
H. R. F. Keating
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Phil Benholme # 2
St. Martin's Minotaur, Sept. 1999, $23.95, 279 pp.

After serving on the Abbotsport Central police force for three decades, fifty-two year old Detective Sergeant Jack Stallworthy ponders retirement. However, he knows his meager pension will not cover the expense of him and his wife Lily living on the tropical island of Ko Samui.

A bitter Jack becomes approachable to bribery and information technology executive Emslie Warnaby offers the bait. In exchange for stealing a file the police sized during an arrest, Emslie will provide two plane tickets to Ko Samui and the deed to a hotel on the island. However, Jack's efforts to beat the clock imposed on him by Emslie fail even as the cop keeps raising his criminal activity.

THE BAD DETECTIVE shows why H.R.F. Keating deserves the life time achievement award he has received. The story line centers on Jack's efforts to retrieve the file. However, on a deeper level Mr. Keating provides an interesting financial parity between the crooks and the cops. Even as Jack digs himself into a more serious situation, readers will empathize with his efforts and actually root for his success. The author of Inspector Ghote writes another winner.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner