[.ca] Black Out (ISBN 0142002763)

One of the best spy series I've ever read:
Unfortunately for U.S. readers, Lawton's publishers are just now getting around to introducing this series to us. Fortunately, for those of you who like the series (I'm a huge fan) and are willing to deal with currency exchange rates, you can go to Amazon.co.uk and get the rest of the series in paperback (Riptide, A Little White Death, Black Out and Old Flames). As I recall, Riptide (1941) is really the first book in the series, followed by Black Out (1944), Old Flames (1956) and A Little White Death (1963), even though they weren't written in that order. For the reviewer who thought Troy encountered too many coincidences, well that's life in England. Families are connected in many odd and different ways with other families and it's alway who you know, not what you know, that propels you along in life. With a little more background information about Troy, his detective life might be a little more believable. This is really an outstanding series with fully drawn characters, feelings, motivations and situations. In addition, you will meet the most prominent characters in each book and get to know and understand them even better. If you find you really like Troy, please get all the books and read them in order. This is a wonderful series that I can't recommend highly enough for Brit/spy/good story fans.

Problems in War Ravaged London:
This book (and all the others in this series) evoke a strange response in me. I agree with the critics who harp on the ineptness of the detective, Frederick Troy, although I am drawn to his outsider status in class conscious Britain. Troy is invariably (in each of the books) presented with a mystery which he attacks with gusto if not great success. His dogged pursuit of these solutions always involve a rising body count, murky relations between MI5, MI6 and the regular police, and his rather strange family (brother an interned war-hero soon to be MP - uncle a noted physicist who harangues the mob in Hyde Park on pacificism on a regular basis). And then there are Troy's affairs with people who could/should be suspects in the case. So our doggedly determined inspector lurches from clue to clue, stirring things up which often involve him in physical harm, eventually to arrive at the conclusion which does not really end anything except know we and he know who has done the murder(s). Along the way he has sex with people he should not which often involve him in even more murders and detection. Troy is described a a smart, up and comer at the Yard, but his work in this book (and the others in this series) do not show him in a very positive light. One hopes that his other cases (not reported) are solved much more expeditiously and show him as the "smartyarse" to which he is often referred by his Polish coroner friend. But even with these problems in the narrative and the detective, I find Troy an extremely appealing character and the atmospheric description of war-torn Britain fantastic. This is not a great series of mysteries but is an eminently readable series with interesting characters, involved plots, and quirky human relationships. The other books continue in the same vein with murder laced with espionage in a cold war setting.

Pretty good little thriller:
Pretty good little wartime thriller. You care about the characters. Nice twist or two. Unfortunately, the writer has that nasty little British elite thing about stupid Americans, don't you know....

Great historical mystery:
Lawton is a newer author to me. His writing is superb, and his plot, though convoluted, ends up making sense. I don't know why so many people are of the opinion that serial killers or mass killers are something new to our society. They aren't. They just managed to hide behind war scenes, and take advantage of the fact that the lack of ready and accurate information made it easier to hide their crimes. All too often, those who have gotten a taste of killing in wartime, find it to their liking, and they manage to make themselves valuable to their superiors (who often know what they are doing but prefer to hide their heads in the sand). I am reading this now in nonfiction having to do with the U.S. and England hiding German scientists because their abilities would come of use during the Cold WAr. I find it very hard to forgive our American politicians and military for using these men when they had participated in such atrocities. I really enjoy reading about England during WWII. It's fascinating to read how people coped with so little, even in areas of filling in public service positions such as policemen since so many of the young men were called up to serve in the military. Lawton describes the diverse ways of making coffee, when the real thing was not available...and the reader can 'see' the disgust on the faces of people trying to make do with such an unsavory mess. Lawton's writing is exciting and he jumps from one problem to another. You would think his young detective would learn to be more observant after being hit more then once. Lawton is an equal opportunity author...his women can be just as nasty as the men in this book. A word of warning for those who are picky about this...Lawton's language is very 'colorful' though it is not on every single page. He also likes to fill in the sex scenes a little more then I prefer... Karen Sadler

A rather contrived novel:
This story has a lot of twists and turns in it. The main character is Detective Freddie Troy. He starts out with a piece of a body and puts together an rather intricate plot involving the Allied High Command, Russian Spies, Nazi scientists and OSS types. There are a number of interesting people along the way. Tosca who works for a lot of different people and always seems to have the next clue. Diana Brack, a mysterious woman involved in the caper more than it seems. Jimmy the OSS killer type or so we think. Onions, who is Troy's boss, and a rather cryptic sort. Troy spends most of the book falling in and out of bed with different ladies, stumbling about in the dark of 1944 London and getting the living snot beat out of him by different folks. But the novel works of fails on the mounting bits of evidence and much of it shows up just at the right time. An adequate first outing.