Turn a Blind Eye

Three cases preoccupy Det. Insp. William Warwick in bestseller Archer’s unconvincing third outing for the London policeman (after 2020’s Hidden in Plain Sight). In 1987, Warwick is slated to be the chief Crown witness in the prosecution of drug kingpin Assem Rashidi; takes on a confidential new assignment to investigate Det. Sgt. Jerry Summers, a colleague suspected of being crooked; and is tasked with apprehending fugitive Miles Faulkner, a criminal mastermind who figured in the previous book. Implausibly, the government is represented in the Rashidi trial by Warwick’s father, Sir Julian, and his sister, Grace, setting up inevitable and unnecessary distractions when defense counsel takes advantage of those relationships to undermine the case against Rashidi. The action shifts among trial scenes, Faulkner’s machinations, and Warwick’s efforts to get the goods on Summers. Archer strains credulity by making it too easy for some key evidence to be tampered with in the high-profile Rashidi case, and Sir Julian proves to be a surprisingly inept questioner in court. This one’s strictly for series fans. (Apr.)