Suddenly at Home: A Brock and Poole Mystery

Ison’s fine 15th Brock and Poole mystery (after 2015’s Exit Stage Left) is as intricate and detail-filled as a police manual. The action opens with the discovery of Dick Cooper’s body in an upscale London apartment. Just who Cooper was is part of the problem, and the investigation turns out to have political, criminal, and international ramifications. As the facts emerge, the case gets cloudier instead of clearer, at least in the short run. Meanwhile, the members of Det. Chief Insp. Harry Brock’s team, including Det. Sgt. Dave Poole, march in and out of the story as they fulfill assignments or report developments. In addition, we learn a tantalizing bit or two about their personal lives. What doesn’t work so well is that Brock discusses each female character (whether cop, witness, or suspect) in physical terms: what her body looks like and what she is wearing. Brock himself is quite untrusting; he suspects the man who reported the crime as well as the widowed neighbor. Fans of contemporary British police procedurals will be more than satisfied. (Nov.)