cover image Brotherhood of Blades

Brotherhood of Blades

Linda Regan. Severn/Crème de la Crime, $28.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-78029-009-6

Set in South London, Regan’s grim first in a new procedural series introduces Det. Insp. Georgia Johnson, whose experience as a teenage rape victim has fueled her rapid rise through the police ranks. In a dark alley, 19-year-old Jason Young, a reformed gang leader just out of prison, happens to stumble on Yo-Yo Reilly, head of the vicious Brotherhood of Blades, and his gang sexually assaulting Haley Gulati, the hated aunt of the girl Jason’s dating. When one of the thugs stabs Haley to death, Jason makes a fateful decision. The Brotherhood of Blades is believed to have killed a police officer, but fear of reprisals has stood in the way of sufficient evidence to make any arrests. Now, with Jason’s help, Georgia and her team have a real case against the gang. Former actress Regan (Dead Like Her) does a decent job of realistically portraying the brutality of life for the South London underclass. (Dec.)