Roses, Roses (Harpur & Iles Mystery)

Bill James's books about British policeman Colin Harpur are as much about the failures of marriage and friendship as they are about crime. His latest--which begins with the murder of Harpur's wife, Megan, on her way home after a session with her lover in London--is one of the strongest and most poignant in this unique series. Pushed to the edge by Harpur's adulteries, his wife had taken up with one of his former colleagues. She was about to leave Colin and their two daughters, 15 and 13, for a new life. After her death, James flashes back to Megan in London with her lover in a luxury flat loaned to him by a friend, then returning home on the train, aware of a man watching or stalking her, then being stabbed next to her car. Alternate chapters show Harpur struggling to help his daughters cope with Megan's death while also doing his best to make sure that his immediate superior, Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles, doesn't solve the murder before he does. Iles is a splendidly complex character, called a "feral loony" by one of Harpur's daughters, a man who "lived and lasted by venom, of course, but would show occasional links with humanity." Since Harpur had an affair with Iles's wife several books ago, there are mixed feelings at work on both sides. So Harpur uses--and strains--his friendship with the memorable "grass" Jack Lamb to find out if Megan's death was caused by her new lover's criminal connections. The story's resolution is fine, but what remains in the mind, as always, are the sharp stings of loss and betrayal. Other James titles available: Club, Come Clean, Gospel, Astride a Grave, You'd Better Believe It, Take, Lolita Man, and Protection. --Dick Adler