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Harpur & Iles #27
I Am Gold
A street shooting leaves a mother and child dead on the school run. But was this a random attack? Unlikely, when it transpires that the victims were the wife and son of well-known drug baron Mansel Shale. Having committed this atrocity, the gunman flees to a nearby shop where a hostage situation quickly develops. Detective Chief Inspector Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Iles are brought in to oversee the siege - which ends in sudden tragedy. But as subsequent events unfold, it appears that the gunman wasn't tracking Shale after all, but his wife ...
- GenresMystery
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Bill James
61 books26 followersBill James (born 1929) is a pseudonym of James Tucker, a Welsh novelist. He also writes under his own name and the pseudonyms David Craig and Judith Jones. He was a reporter with the Daily Mirror and various other newspapers after serving with the RAF He is married, with four children, and lives in South Wales.
The bulk of his output under the Bill James pseudonym is the Harpur and Iles series. Colin Harpur is a Detective Chief Inspector and Desmond Iles is the Assistant Chief Constable in an unnamed coastal city in southwestern England. Harpur and Iles are complemented by an evolving cast of other recurring characters on both sides of the law. The books are characterized by a grim humour and a bleak view of the relationship between the public, the police force and the criminal element. The first few are designated "A Detective Colin Harpur Novel" but as the series progressed they began to be published with the designation "A Harpur & Iles Mystery".
His best known work, written under the "David Craig" pseudonym and originally titled Whose Little Girl are You, is The Squeeze, which was turned into a film starring Stacy Keach, Edward Fox and David Hemmings. The fourth Harpur & Iles novel, Protection, was televised by the BBC in 1996 as Harpur & Iles, starring Aneirin Hughes as Harpur and Hywel Bennett as Iles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_James_(novelist)
The bulk of his output under the Bill James pseudonym is the Harpur and Iles series. Colin Harpur is a Detective Chief Inspector and Desmond Iles is the Assistant Chief Constable in an unnamed coastal city in southwestern England. Harpur and Iles are complemented by an evolving cast of other recurring characters on both sides of the law. The books are characterized by a grim humour and a bleak view of the relationship between the public, the police force and the criminal element. The first few are designated "A Detective Colin Harpur Novel" but as the series progressed they began to be published with the designation "A Harpur & Iles Mystery".
His best known work, written under the "David Craig" pseudonym and originally titled Whose Little Girl are You, is The Squeeze, which was turned into a film starring Stacy Keach, Edward Fox and David Hemmings. The fourth Harpur & Iles novel, Protection, was televised by the BBC in 1996 as Harpur & Iles, starring Aneirin Hughes as Harpur and Hywel Bennett as Iles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_James_(novelist)
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 29, 2016
Manse Shale's new wife Naomi and his son Laurent are killed in a drive by shooting as she is picking the children up from school. Matilda, the daughter survives. The killer is seen, a chase ensues, and police headed by Desmond Iles close in. The gunman runs into a charity resale shop, taking four hostages.
The book's chapters alternate between 2007 - Manse's meeting and courtship of Naomi, and 2009 - the hostage situation, with Harpur, Iles, a fairly inept psychologist, a negotiator and an armed response team.
Manse and Naomi met at a gallery exhibit of Pre-Raphaelites in London. She was a marketing person for a celebrity magazine, semi-retired, working as a consultant. Manse is still trying to sort out his security needs following the perhaps suicide of his bodyguard/chauffeur Denzil Lake. Lake's brother and cousin each thinks he is the logical candidate to replace Denzil in Manse's organization, but Manse is not interested. He is concerned about possible threats to himself, perhaps from the Lake family, perhaps from Ralph Ember or his organization.
And then someone suggests that Naomi, with her celebrity contacts and history, may have her own complications with the substance trade.
At the end, the hostage situation is resolved, but there is still the question of whether this was an unsuccessful attempt to kill Manse, or a successful killing of Naomi.
The language, and the social satire are as keen as ever - most satisfying. (less)
The book's chapters alternate between 2007 - Manse's meeting and courtship of Naomi, and 2009 - the hostage situation, with Harpur, Iles, a fairly inept psychologist, a negotiator and an armed response team.
Manse and Naomi met at a gallery exhibit of Pre-Raphaelites in London. She was a marketing person for a celebrity magazine, semi-retired, working as a consultant. Manse is still trying to sort out his security needs following the perhaps suicide of his bodyguard/chauffeur Denzil Lake. Lake's brother and cousin each thinks he is the logical candidate to replace Denzil in Manse's organization, but Manse is not interested. He is concerned about possible threats to himself, perhaps from the Lake family, perhaps from Ralph Ember or his organization.
And then someone suggests that Naomi, with her celebrity contacts and history, may have her own complications with the substance trade.
At the end, the hostage situation is resolved, but there is still the question of whether this was an unsuccessful attempt to kill Manse, or a successful killing of Naomi.
The language, and the social satire are as keen as ever - most satisfying. (less)
May 12, 2012
Naomi, the new wife of local drug baron Nigel Mansel, is driving her two stepchildren (Nigel' son and daughter) to school. Automatic gunfire rips through the car killing her and the boy. The girl, ever mindful of her father's instructions to get "down on the floor and don't move" when bullets start to fly isn't hurt.
There might be a reason in the background of Naomi for a hit but certainly not like this, resulting in the death of a child which will bring the full weight of the law (Harpur and Iles, especially Iles) and that of the criminal underworld to bear on the killer and his paymasters.
"I Am Gold" is one of the best of the later books in this series, slowly pulling together two narrative threads and two narrative voices. We see Nigel become enchanted with Naomi over a couple of years in one of them and watch Harpur and Iles respond to the murder in the other. They come together very briefly just before the inconclusive end of the book.
James sometimes loses control of his style, bringing in too many characters who know too much and who comment on the action too often--"Vacuum", the book that follows in the series, suffers from this malady. That is not the case here--this is James at his best so when Nigel Mansel takes almost three pages of internal monolog to decide whether to pay for posters that Naomi has picked up at a gallery gift shop during their first meeting we are happy to share his ungrammatically expressed thoughts.
There might be a reason in the background of Naomi for a hit but certainly not like this, resulting in the death of a child which will bring the full weight of the law (Harpur and Iles, especially Iles) and that of the criminal underworld to bear on the killer and his paymasters.
"I Am Gold" is one of the best of the later books in this series, slowly pulling together two narrative threads and two narrative voices. We see Nigel become enchanted with Naomi over a couple of years in one of them and watch Harpur and Iles respond to the murder in the other. They come together very briefly just before the inconclusive end of the book.
James sometimes loses control of his style, bringing in too many characters who know too much and who comment on the action too often--"Vacuum", the book that follows in the series, suffers from this malady. That is not the case here--this is James at his best so when Nigel Mansel takes almost three pages of internal monolog to decide whether to pay for posters that Naomi has picked up at a gallery gift shop during their first meeting we are happy to share his ungrammatically expressed thoughts.
July 19, 2012
We are not amused. We had not encountered Harpur and Iles before and hope not to do so again. From the jacket blurbs praising previous efforts, this tome should have contained scenes to leave us "gasping and flinching" while being "madly funny." I didn't flinch and I didn't laugh. Rather, I found myself highly annoyed by the "elegant manners and ornate language". If I were describing it, I would lean towards stodgy,supercilious and excessively repetitious. The standards of refinement required by the lead crook became a stale joke before the halfway point was reached. Perhaps this is an English thing. Educated British readers may find James'plot and characters cause for hilarity. I, however, found not a single creature--including Harpur and Iles--likeable. I am not even sure they were tolerable. The positive result of forcing myself to read to the end was that I did enjoy the very last page. No doubt there are many, many fans of this series. I do apologize for being such a humbug.
December 25, 2011
Sadly, a disappointment. This is one of my very favorite crime series, but we only get a very brief cameo from Ralph Ember and no appearance whatsoever from Harpur's daughters Jill and Hazel. Some good dialogue between Iles and Harpur, but an all too long appearance from Manse Shale.
November 20, 2023
Bill James has his own style. I seem to have missed several books in this series but still enjoyed this one though it is not one of his best.
May 25, 2015
another wonderful, dark and funny book featuring Iles and Harpur.
Two policeman often at odds themselves. Hostage situation gone wrong
Two policeman often at odds themselves. Hostage situation gone wrong
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews