Re George's question below:
> THE HARD HIT and DEATH OF A BIG MAN, John
Wainwright
>
> The former about a hit man, the latter about
a
> corrupt
> cop. Anyone know these or this author?
I haven't read *The Hard Hit*, but *Death of a Big Man* is
NOT about a corrupt cop. At least it's not about a cop who
compromises his principles or takes bribes. The lead
character, Retired Chief Superintendant Ripley, was
Wainwright's most frequently used character during the early
part of his writing career.
The book opens as we find Ripley, wheelchair-bound after
being crippled in the line of duty in a previous book, musing
about the criminal he was never able to nail. The rest of the
book is about how he tries
(without any official position) to nail him.
Wainwright is, without qualification, the best professional
cop writing cop novels today. Before becoming a full-time
writer, he put in two decades as a constable in the County
Constabulary of Yorkshire's West Riding. His books are hard
and authentic, but tinged with compassion. His writing style
is immediate and gripping. His one drawback is that,
apparently compulsively driven to write constantly, he's
awfully prolific, and when you step up to the plate that
often, you can't expect to hit a home run every time. At his
best, though, there's no one on either side of the Pond who's
better.
One of the finest police procedurals ever written is his *All
on a Summer's Day*.
JIM DOHERTY
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