I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

Musical references of the pop persuasion dot this tasty first mystery by a noted British rock promoter like raisins in a good rice pudding. Starting with the title (a Nick Lowe song), sounds and quotes (by Don Williams, Paul Simon, ABBA, and Laurie Anderson) follow North London police inspector Christy Kennedy through his investigation of murder and arson in the recording industry. Paul Charles lives in and obviously loves the Camden Town neighborhood he writes about with shrewd affection ("There's nothing like staring down the barrel of a revolver to give a person a clear head. Usually such sharpness of vision occurs on early walks on Primrose Hill..."). The neighborhood itself becomes an important character in his lively, detail-rich story about Kennedy's search for a missing record tycoon. Even if you've never been to London or listened to Nick Lowe, you should enjoy I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass.