The Not Quite Perfect Murderer

At the start of British author Duffy’s labored 23rd outing for Ingrid Langley and Patrick Gillard (after Gillard’s Sting), Det. Chief Insp. James Carrick of the Bath CID needs help. Fortunately, he can turn to his friend Patrick Gillard, a retired army officer and late of MI5, who now works as an insurance investigator and part-time operative for the National Crime Agency, and Patrick’s formidable and beautiful wife, Ingrid, who also works for the NCA when not writing “bestselling crime novels sprinkled with a little romance.” Carrick is concerned because the Baker gang, a band of “dedicated mobsters,” has acquired a so-called sponsor, a powerful, wealthy, and mentally unstable man who once ran an organized crime network in London. Then, 12-year-old Damien Baker is strangled, his battered body dumped at a building site. Not long after that another strangling victim is found in a nearby quarry. Patrick and Ingrid link the deaths to a series of robberies involving the Bakers. Convoluted backstories slow the action, which involves inept criminals, an unlikely instance of highly accurate shooting, and a colossal coincidence that leads to the novel’s resolution. This one’s strictly for series fans. Agent: Vanessa Holt, Vanessa Holt Ltd. (U.K.). (Oct.)