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Harpur & Iles #25
In the Absence of Iles
The 25th installment of the acclaimed Harpur & Iles series by mystery master Bill James. Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles’s absence from a police undercover conference sets the stage for the moral and practical dilemmas faced by one of his colleagues, ACC Esther Davidson, as she works to bring down the largest gang operating in her sector. The role of undercover agents―or “out-located” officers―is brought into sharp focus as James masterfully unfolds the story of Davidson’s decision to infiltrate the gang against the events of the resulting court case.
- GenresMystery
226 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
18 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 23, 2012
Full review to come... suffice to say that nobody writes quite like Bill James; his language and dialogue are instantly recognisable, always intriguing and infuriatingly idiosyncratic and funny as hell. It was very interesting to read a Harpur & Iles book from an outsider's point of view (as it were) and I enjoyed the opportunity it offered to explore aspects of the broader policing perspective, without being able to assume anything about how anyone's points of view or behaviour would pan out (although I'm not entirely sure Esther's voice is completely unique or distinct at this point). It was refreshing to have Iles' poisonously funny presence so very understated - not sure it would work but James carries it off beautifully; point made, I think - there is no such thing as an absent Iles (and if there was, some equally poisonous bastich would have to invent him). Not my favourite of the series but beautifully done regardless. (And as an aside, the way James continues to tie everything together into one huge, intricate, labyrinthine whole astounds me... there is nobody like him. Nobody).
June 14, 2010
Bill James is a unique talent, a great humorist and a moralist at the same time, and also a knockout thriller writer. His long, long series featuring Colin Harpur and Desmond Iles is, I think, the best sequence of police procurals ever written. IN THE ABSENCE OF ILES picks up a story line from several books back, when an undercover cop under Iles' command is killed and -- after the culprits are found innocent -- Iles (probably) kills them himself. The (probably) is necessary, because we KNOW that Iles killed them, but we don't "know" it. And Iles is sufficiently complex that we can entertain that doubt.
As a result of the tragedy in the earlier book, Iles refuses to attend a police seminar on undercover work, and a woman running a force in a different city sends in her own undercover officer, with the same tragic result. The book is not told chronologically, but jumps back and forth in time in a way that's often surprising and often dizzying.
Iles also gets some of the best dialogue being written today. Bill James is the real deal.
As a result of the tragedy in the earlier book, Iles refuses to attend a police seminar on undercover work, and a woman running a force in a different city sends in her own undercover officer, with the same tragic result. The book is not told chronologically, but jumps back and forth in time in a way that's often surprising and often dizzying.
Iles also gets some of the best dialogue being written today. Bill James is the real deal.
April 9, 2012
ACC Esther Davidson attends a conference on undercover (or Out-Located) operations. All her peers are there except Desmond Iles, who lost one of his officers in an Out-loc operation not long ago. Esther is considering the use of an Out-loc to penetrate a local crime syndicate, but has reservations - which are largely laid to rest at the conference.
Most of the book goes back and forth between the rationalization for the operation, the details of setting it up, the cautious follow up with the out-located officer, and the lengthy and unsatisfying trial of the crime family member accused of murdering him. With occasional side trips into Esther's private life - her marriage to the failed, furious bassoonist Gerald (the bow tied prat)his occasional outbursts of domestic violence and the frothing make-up sex that follows.
In wonderfully nuanced bureaucratic and legalistic doublespeak, the story folds over itself into a multilayered masterpiece of irony.
Most of the book goes back and forth between the rationalization for the operation, the details of setting it up, the cautious follow up with the out-located officer, and the lengthy and unsatisfying trial of the crime family member accused of murdering him. With occasional side trips into Esther's private life - her marriage to the failed, furious bassoonist Gerald (the bow tied prat)his occasional outbursts of domestic violence and the frothing make-up sex that follows.
In wonderfully nuanced bureaucratic and legalistic doublespeak, the story folds over itself into a multilayered masterpiece of irony.
June 7, 2010
Always interesting but this time plodding andd verbose.Least interesting of his Harpur& Iles series of police procedurals.Most of the action is internal monologue.
September 17, 2013
couldn't get into this one
July 29, 2018
"In the Absence of Iles," by Bill James, is a unique and fascinating police procedural that relies more on dialogue and exposition than on action to convey background information and clarify the characters' thoughts and behavior. Whether two police officers confer on a case, a judge instructs a jury, a self-pitying and envious husband verbally abuses his wife, or instructors teach crucial lessons to high-ranking officers, James shows how words can be used for good or ill. This novel goes back and forth in time, so readers need to pay close attention to details. At the end, the various subplots coalesce satisfyingly.
Assistant Chief Constable Esther Davidson went undercover back in the day, and she remembers how frightened and vulnerable she felt. Now, she and other members of the Association of Chief Police Officers are attending a management course taught by people who have successfully infiltrated criminal organizations. Esther is conflicted about sending anyone undercover, especially since she knows the high price of failure. However, she and her colleagues have made futile attempts to bring down the Cromax Turton Guild, a powerful enterprise run by crafty hoodlums who are guilty of theft, drug dealing, and murder. Esther chooses deputy chief of CID Richard Channing to oversee an operation in which Detective Sergeant Dean Martlew will pose as a member of the Cromax Turton Guild. Martlew plans to keep his eyes and ears open in an attempt to obtain evidence against the higher-ups that, if all goes well, will lead to a successful prosecution.
ACC Desmond Iles makes cameo appearances. He has never gotten over losing one of his men in a botched undercover operation, and he has caustic words for England's toothless legal system. Iles is convinced that certain judges bend over backwards to protect the rights of homicidal thugs. What make this book unusual and fascinating are the quirky verbal jousting, literary and cultural allusions, and philosophical discussions about morally questionable deeds. When speakers have something to hide, they obfuscate, change the subject, or pretend they haven't heard what was said. Some engage in subtle and not so subtle digs, make sarcastic remarks, and hurl insults at one another. Once in a while, there is a frank and civil conversation with a productive exchange of ideas. Along with an abundance of of black humor, "In the Absence of Iles" has passages of bitter irony and tragedy. At least he author offers a sympathetic view of police officers who are determined to do better after falling on their faces. Someday, he implies, they might get it right.
Assistant Chief Constable Esther Davidson went undercover back in the day, and she remembers how frightened and vulnerable she felt. Now, she and other members of the Association of Chief Police Officers are attending a management course taught by people who have successfully infiltrated criminal organizations. Esther is conflicted about sending anyone undercover, especially since she knows the high price of failure. However, she and her colleagues have made futile attempts to bring down the Cromax Turton Guild, a powerful enterprise run by crafty hoodlums who are guilty of theft, drug dealing, and murder. Esther chooses deputy chief of CID Richard Channing to oversee an operation in which Detective Sergeant Dean Martlew will pose as a member of the Cromax Turton Guild. Martlew plans to keep his eyes and ears open in an attempt to obtain evidence against the higher-ups that, if all goes well, will lead to a successful prosecution.
ACC Desmond Iles makes cameo appearances. He has never gotten over losing one of his men in a botched undercover operation, and he has caustic words for England's toothless legal system. Iles is convinced that certain judges bend over backwards to protect the rights of homicidal thugs. What make this book unusual and fascinating are the quirky verbal jousting, literary and cultural allusions, and philosophical discussions about morally questionable deeds. When speakers have something to hide, they obfuscate, change the subject, or pretend they haven't heard what was said. Some engage in subtle and not so subtle digs, make sarcastic remarks, and hurl insults at one another. Once in a while, there is a frank and civil conversation with a productive exchange of ideas. Along with an abundance of of black humor, "In the Absence of Iles" has passages of bitter irony and tragedy. At least he author offers a sympathetic view of police officers who are determined to do better after falling on their faces. Someday, he implies, they might get it right.
July 29, 2010
No Harpur family - Colin, Hazel nor Jill, no Denise, no Panicking Ralph nor Manse Shale, no Jack and a mere cameo of Iles! (in what sense a cameo? yes, a cameo). This is one of my very favorite mystery series, but with the virtual absence of all the regular characters, this book was deeply disappointing. It's only because I've enjoyed all the others so much that I didn't rate this 1 star. I hope James will return to the regular cast with the next Harpur & Iles.
September 23, 2011
Cette fois le changement de style de narration ne m’a pas convenu : une bonne parrtie de l’histoire se situe dans le tribunal. Il manque quelque repères temporels en début de chapitres.
Outre cet élément là, l’histoire d’infiltration du point de vue légal, la mise en avant d’une autre « chef adjoint », et les brèves apparitions d’Iles ont rendu la lecture agréable.
Outre cet élément là, l’histoire d’infiltration du point de vue légal, la mise en avant d’une autre « chef adjoint », et les brèves apparitions d’Iles ont rendu la lecture agréable.
July 18, 2013
Another great entry in the wonderful Harpur and Iles mystery series. In this book, Iles fails to attend a conference on undercover work. Partly because he wasn't their to knock the idea, An officer in another city decides to send an officer undercover into the local crime syndicate. The book deals with the ramifications of that decision, and has James' usual clever character work and prose.
July 24, 2016
Interesting approach, but I found the repetitive nature increasingly tedious and chose to abandon at about 2/3 -- rare for me. In a sense, it is well written, but the style just didn't work for me. I don't think I will attempt anything else by this author.
April 29, 2016
I think that I may be missing a lot of backstory with this one. Not sure that I want to go back to catch up.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews