Crime thriller gives insiders view on British policing
BODILY HARM
by CHARLIE GALLAGHER
Joffe Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 24 Jan 2017
Review
I am always attracted to novels written by actual detectives, so it is no surprise that I picked up a copy of Bodily Harm. It wasn’t your run of the mill British police procedural. Instead, Bodily Harm is a complex crime thriller that demonstrates just how much media can affect policing. Readers can expect a number of surprises.
The novel begins with an attack on two teens (ostensibly a robbery motivated by drugs), one of whom is the niece of the current mayor. As a result of media and political pressure, the police are desperate to lower crime in the Effingell Estate. Detective George Elms is in charge of investigating the attack, but his boss has other priorities. Ambition and desperation lead Huntingdon to accept a risky plan for undercover infiltration of the Effingell Estate, an action that will have far reaching consequences.
The character development and pacing were both excellent. Gallagher makes his characters believable, with individual strengths and weaknesses. I also liked the distinctly different plot. My only complaint is that Bodily Harm ends without a definite conclusion. That in itself is realistic, but I would have liked a bit more of a resolution. I look forward to reading Gallagher’s next novel featuring George Elms.
4/5
I received a copy of Bodily Harm from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
Description
Joffe Books is delighted to announce the publication of a new series of crime thrillers by a serving police detective, writing under the pen name Charlie Gallagher. Bringing nearly a decade of experience in the police to his writing, Gallagher’s books are the grittiest, most authentic police thrillers you will read this year.
BODILY HARM is the first to be released. An edge-of-your-seat crime thriller starts with a vicious stabbing of a pretty teenage girl and her boyfriend on a local bus. She happens to be the mayor’s niece. It’s the final straw for the local community. The police are desperate to get results and decide on a risky course of action involving undercover infiltration of the notorious Effingell Estate.
