Big City Jacks

In the middling fourth Henry Christie police procedural (after 2004's Dead Heat) by real-life British policeman Oldham, the Lancashire detective chief inspector has just returned to duty after a suspension to find that his provisional promotion doesn't sit too well with his colleagues. Deprived of a gradual re-entry to his job, Christie plunges into several incendiary situations, ranging from an internal investigation into a botched prosecution of a major drug kingpin, who may have been framed for murder, to the brutal execution of a low-level criminal possibly connected with a rival narcotics ring that also trafficks in people. Those who can overlook the lack of balance among the subplots and some awkward prose (""his male antennae had registered the voluptuous and curvaceous lines of her well-stacked body"") will find this twisty, suspenseful tale rewarding.