Judgement Call: A Detective Superintendent Henry Christie Novel

British author Oldham’s entertaining 20th Henry Christie novel (after 2013’s Bad Tidings), a prequel set in 1982, finds the 23-year-old Lancashire police constable back in uniform in Rossendale after a too-brief temporary transfer to the Blackburn CID. Henry, who is eager to escape boredom and earn his way back to CID, sees a freed rapist and an ongoing spree of armed bank robberies as the opportunities he needs to make his mark. Instead, a series of missteps leads to a burglar’s escape, leaves Henry’s love life a shambles, and nearly costs him his life. When the bank robbers gun down a constable, Henry resolves to bring her killers to justice, but if misplaced confidence and naïveté don’t doom his career, a shotgun might. Henry’s education is often painful to watch, as enthusiasm proves no match for experience and cold-blooded maneuvering. A number of twists in the plot will catch even longtime series fans by surprise. (Feb.)