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Harpur & Iles #32
Blaze Away
Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur feels a sort of warmth towards Jack Lamb, a brilliantly prosperous but profoundly dodgy fine arts dealer. Lamb is the greatest informant Harpur has ever dealt with - might be the greatest informant any police officer has ever dealt with - and although Jack ended this arrangement some time ago, Harpur still feels indebted to him. Lamb's posh manor house is stuffed with expensive paintings, ripe for the pinching - and small-time thief George Dinnock and his crew intend to relieve him of a few. But their plans are complicated by local big-time crook Ralph Ember, who is on the lookout for some art to elevate his gentleman's club, The Monty; and who else would he visit to procure this art but Jack Lamb?
- GenresMystery
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2015
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 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 2, 2015
This is the second Harpur and Iles novel I've read and after reading this one I've come to the conclusion they really aren't for me. I know many people think they're brilliant and they love the constant bickering and points scoring between the two main characters but I find that very irritating after a few pages. Yes there is a lot of humour in the book but it is rather done to death I think.
This story is set in the criminal side of the art world and we meet Ralph Ember again - the club owner who hides behind a metal screen painted with scenes from William Blake. I did think the way the author pokes fun at the 'arty' talk was quite insightful but when it is carried on over page after page it becomes very wearing I found. In this case less is more.
If you love this series and love these characters then you will undoubtedly love this one and chuckle over it. If you are new to the series then you would probably do best to start at the beginning and see if they really are what you like. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
This story is set in the criminal side of the art world and we meet Ralph Ember again - the club owner who hides behind a metal screen painted with scenes from William Blake. I did think the way the author pokes fun at the 'arty' talk was quite insightful but when it is carried on over page after page it becomes very wearing I found. In this case less is more.
If you love this series and love these characters then you will undoubtedly love this one and chuckle over it. If you are new to the series then you would probably do best to start at the beginning and see if they really are what you like. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
August 18, 2015
Imagine a hundred dictionaries vomited all their words into a book. All you need to read of this is the last chapter.
November 26, 2023
This is the twenty ninth novel which I have read in this long running series (35 novels plus several short stories). The author died earlier this year (2023) so I have been trying to read all the books I have missed.
The series deals with police and criminals and I suppose became a little formulaic over the years but I do like the black humour and the outrageous characters. This was first published in 2015 so the author would have been aged about 84 when he wrote this.
There are two strands to this story. Firstly a group of criminals planning to steal paintings from dodgy art dealer Jack Lamb (a regular character in this series). Secondly a somewhat deranged individual trying to obtain a firearm. There is a comic interlude featuring Detective Chief Superintendent Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Iles.
The series deals with police and criminals and I suppose became a little formulaic over the years but I do like the black humour and the outrageous characters. This was first published in 2015 so the author would have been aged about 84 when he wrote this.
There are two strands to this story. Firstly a group of criminals planning to steal paintings from dodgy art dealer Jack Lamb (a regular character in this series). Secondly a somewhat deranged individual trying to obtain a firearm. There is a comic interlude featuring Detective Chief Superintendent Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Iles.
June 2, 2015
Blaze Away by Bill James
4 out of 5 stars
An entertaining visit to the grey areas of the art world
George Dinnick, Liz Rossoll and Justin Benoit, members of the organisation known as ‘Cog’ in the art world, meet to discuss the possible ‘raid’ on ‘Darien’, the home of Jack Lamb. Jack is one of the ‘nouveau riche’ with wealth coming from more than one shady enterprise. Because of this, it is unlikely that he would report a burglary, thus avoiding questions regarding provenance of his many art works.
At the same time, Basil Gordon Loam, aka Enzyme, disgraces himself in Ralph Emery’s pretentious club, the Monty, by shooting up a print of William Blake’s ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’. This, in turn, starts a series of occurrences in motion that are fraught with danger.
Bill James’s novel has a slightly dreamy, Billy Liar-esque feel to it, with people over-feeling, over-thinking and over-talking. Indeed, to quote from chapter sixteen ‘So much wordage’. At this stage, I also felt that the plot itself was very tenuous and flimsy, whereas the characters appeared larger than life and over-loquacious.
Here I must tell the truth and say that I have not read any of the ‘Harpur and Iles’ books before. And then, suddenly, it clicked. This is a satirical book, very tongue-in-cheek where the lines of the good and the bad are somewhat blurred. Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Iles maintain the status quo in their particular patch, occasionally at the expense of the law.
Having had this epiphany, I was able to view the book as a celebration of words, a festival of florid interlocution, and thus enjoyed it. Not only has Mr James written about the dubious world of art and the spurious characters involved, but he has filled his book with many humorous visual pictures, e.g. ‘Col’s strong on ambiences’, Iles said, ‘and no longer mixes them up with ambulances’.
And so, I must commend Bill James for his book, which has a plot with a surprising end, and which is highly entertaining. Thank you.
Sméagol
Best Selling Crime Thrillers were given an advanced copy of this book to review.
4 out of 5 stars
An entertaining visit to the grey areas of the art world
George Dinnick, Liz Rossoll and Justin Benoit, members of the organisation known as ‘Cog’ in the art world, meet to discuss the possible ‘raid’ on ‘Darien’, the home of Jack Lamb. Jack is one of the ‘nouveau riche’ with wealth coming from more than one shady enterprise. Because of this, it is unlikely that he would report a burglary, thus avoiding questions regarding provenance of his many art works.
At the same time, Basil Gordon Loam, aka Enzyme, disgraces himself in Ralph Emery’s pretentious club, the Monty, by shooting up a print of William Blake’s ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’. This, in turn, starts a series of occurrences in motion that are fraught with danger.
Bill James’s novel has a slightly dreamy, Billy Liar-esque feel to it, with people over-feeling, over-thinking and over-talking. Indeed, to quote from chapter sixteen ‘So much wordage’. At this stage, I also felt that the plot itself was very tenuous and flimsy, whereas the characters appeared larger than life and over-loquacious.
Here I must tell the truth and say that I have not read any of the ‘Harpur and Iles’ books before. And then, suddenly, it clicked. This is a satirical book, very tongue-in-cheek where the lines of the good and the bad are somewhat blurred. Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Iles maintain the status quo in their particular patch, occasionally at the expense of the law.
Having had this epiphany, I was able to view the book as a celebration of words, a festival of florid interlocution, and thus enjoyed it. Not only has Mr James written about the dubious world of art and the spurious characters involved, but he has filled his book with many humorous visual pictures, e.g. ‘Col’s strong on ambiences’, Iles said, ‘and no longer mixes them up with ambulances’.
And so, I must commend Bill James for his book, which has a plot with a surprising end, and which is highly entertaining. Thank you.
Sméagol
Best Selling Crime Thrillers were given an advanced copy of this book to review.
November 7, 2015
The art of the matter...Ralph Ember is looking to upgrade the ambience and the art at his seedy club the Monty. He wants to replace the print of Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell which covers the steel plate that protects his desk from opportunistic shooters.
Basil Gordon Loam, the current representative of a once prosperous family of tea merchants, has, in a fit of alcohol induced mania, blazed away at the Blake, scarred it, and now wants to make amends. At the same time, a small band of would be art thieves with delusions of competency and a healthy does of greed is planning to make their fortune by burgling Harpur's friend, prize informant, and occasional dealer in dodgy art Jack Lamb. Ralph is hoping to purchase a new piece of art from Lamb, Lamb is looking out for his property and his family, Harpur and Iles are trying to prevent, as unobtrusively as possible, everything from going completely sideways.
It's awfully funny, some great lines, of course, and Lamb's visiting mother saves the day with a well traveled 38 revolver that has gone from Loam, to Ember to mother Lamb.
Basil Gordon Loam, the current representative of a once prosperous family of tea merchants, has, in a fit of alcohol induced mania, blazed away at the Blake, scarred it, and now wants to make amends. At the same time, a small band of would be art thieves with delusions of competency and a healthy does of greed is planning to make their fortune by burgling Harpur's friend, prize informant, and occasional dealer in dodgy art Jack Lamb. Ralph is hoping to purchase a new piece of art from Lamb, Lamb is looking out for his property and his family, Harpur and Iles are trying to prevent, as unobtrusively as possible, everything from going completely sideways.
It's awfully funny, some great lines, of course, and Lamb's visiting mother saves the day with a well traveled 38 revolver that has gone from Loam, to Ember to mother Lamb.
August 26, 2015
This is the first I've read of this series, and I did enjoy it. The characters are clearly drawn, and I picked up their history easily, even though it's a long series. (No need to start at #1.)
One of the best things about this book is the language: James is really funny, something you don't expect in a mystery. The sly interplay between the characters has so much venom or can be so snarky. The discussions about art between people who know nothing about it but are trying to appear so are particularly hilarious.
I wasn't wild about the ending, though. I was 20 pages before the end and still couldn't figure it out what the concluding incident might be. This one felt like a cop-out and seemed most unlikely. (No spoilers here.) Still, I'll read more of these, mostly for the style and the characters.
One of the best things about this book is the language: James is really funny, something you don't expect in a mystery. The sly interplay between the characters has so much venom or can be so snarky. The discussions about art between people who know nothing about it but are trying to appear so are particularly hilarious.
I wasn't wild about the ending, though. I was 20 pages before the end and still couldn't figure it out what the concluding incident might be. This one felt like a cop-out and seemed most unlikely. (No spoilers here.) Still, I'll read more of these, mostly for the style and the characters.
May 31, 2015
This is among my very favorite crime series. While this book is an improvement over recent efforts, it does not live up to the glory days of this series. I appreciate the fact that some of the series main characters are present - Harpur & Iles, of course, but Ralph Ember and Jack Lamb as well. I very much miss the presence of Harpur's daughters who are unfailingly humorous. The dialogue is still beyond the pale with the unanswered questions and non-sequiters. Sadly, I'll have to wait another year for the next installment.
January 31, 2016
The Anthony Powell/Henry James of crime fiction.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews