Sat 28 Aug 2010
Reviewed by Barry Gardner: JO BANNISTER – A Bleeding of Innocents.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[4] Comments
JO BANNISTER – A Bleeding of Innocents. Frank Shapiro & Liz Graham #1. St. Martin’s Press, US, hardcover, 1993. Macmillan, UK, hc, 1993. Worldwide Library, paperback, 1997.
Jo Bannister has written other mysteries, and won an EQMM prize, but this is the first of her work that I’ve read. It’s also the first in a new series.
The police force in Castlemere, England is in disarray. A Detective Inspector has been killed and a Detective Sergeant injured in what may have been a hit and run; or may, as the Sergeant believes, been a deliberate murder engineered by a local racketeer.
Chief Inspector Shapiro brings in an old colleague, DI Liz Graham, to temporarily replace the slain DI, and she is greeted by the shotgun murder of a retirement home nurse. At the same time, she must try to work with the injured Sergeant, a difficult person who had a close relationship with his slain boss, and who is determined to pin the death on the racketeer he suspects.
I have a predilection for British police stories, and I’m happy to say that this is a pretty good one. It isn’t of John Harvey or Reginald Hill caliber, but it’s competently done and well written. The third person narrative is straightforward, and shifts among the three police officers.
Characterization is not really in depth, but sharp enough that Graham and the Sergeant are brought to life decently, though Shapiro was less well developed. The plot was the weakest link, but tolerable.
I did think that the book ran on a bit at the end after the real denouement, with perhaps a little too much talk, but that’s a minor cavil. On limited exposure, I think Bannister fits comfortably in the middle of the pack with which she’s chosen to run.
The Shapiro & Graham “Castlemere” series —
1. A Bleeding of Innocents (1993)
2. Sins of the Heart (1994) aka Charisma (US)
3. Burning Desires (1995) aka A Taste for Burning (US)
4. No Birds Sing (1996)
5. Broken Lines (1998)
6. The Hireling’s Tale (1999)
7. Changelings (2000)
Jo Bannister has also written four books in her Dr Clio Rees (Marsh) and Harry Marsh series; two books with Mickey Flynn; two in a series about columnist Primrose “Rosie†Holland; and nine books featuring Brodie Farrell, a woman who “finds things for a living.” She’s also written nine standalone novels, not all of which are crime related.
August 28th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
There was a time in the 1990s when many many police procedurals published in England started appearing in this country as well. What’s more, or at least so it seemed to me, most of them were written by women.
Nor were they cozies, not by any stretch of the form. All were tough minded, with very unsentimental approaches.
But as for me, Jo Bannister’s books seemed to blend in with all the others, and I’ve not read one of them. Something to make up for, it looks like.
I think I might start with one in her Brodie Farrell series, though. A woman who hangs up her shingle, not a PI, who claims to find things — now that sounds intriguing.
August 28th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
The Castlemere books are a quite decent series of somewhat spare police procedurals. They always reminded me a bit of the “Dell Shannon” (Elizabeth Linington) Luis Mendoza procedurals from the 1960s (though better written, and without anything like “Shannon’s” right wing political bias and stylistic tics).
What is similar is the chance to get to know–and like–a close-knit group of cop(pper)s and a well-defined since of place. I’ve always wished the books were more fleshed out and not quite such undemanding reads.
For some reason, I have never been able to get into her Brodie Farrell books. I suspect I unconsciously resent losing the company of the Castlemere coppers…
August 28th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
The Brits in general seem to be a bit tougher minded about crime nowadays for some reason. Many of the series I pick up are either pretty dark or lean to black humor, almost as if the inventors of the ‘cozy’ had ceded it to their Yank cousins for now (of course there are still plenty of British cozies too).
I think I prefer the Brit police procedurals (though that only fits some of them loosely) because the writing seems a bit better in general and everyone isn’t trying to be Joe Waumbaugh or James Ellroy. Style seems to take a proper backseat to story and character.
Though looking back, with the rare exceptions like Ed McBain, Lawrence Treat, and a few others, I think I always preferred the company of Maurice Procter, or John Wainwright, Creasey, McIllvaney, and in more recent years some of the more familiar contemporary names.
Maybe it’s because in general the British version seems to be about the police functioning like they should — even in the light of corruption, violence, and societal changes while the American version always seems to be this dystopian vision of a hopeless society where the best you can hope for is some Dirty Harry clone stomping on the Bill of Rights and playing at lone avenger.
Even when the Brits do that character he seems to have more depth and behave more like a human being than a comic book or television cop.
August 28th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Rick
It’s late at night, so I don’t know if that’s an excuse or not, but Dell Shannon’s books, which were once very popular, comes about as close as any I can think of right now to that crop of British police procedurals I was thinking of written by female authors. Other than her, who am I not thinking of?
Too bad that Bannister’s series is rather lightweight, but it sounds as though the setting and the comfortable cast of characters do a lot to carry the day.
David
Good points, all!
You’ve also made me realize that except for Creasey, I’ve never read many police procedurals, not even Ed McBain or Waubaugh. I’ve always preferred the traditional (amateur) sleuth or the loner PI figure.
Not enough puzzle in the plots, perhaps? With all sorts of obvious exceptions!
— Steve