Vacuum, The Harpur & Iles Mysteries

Harpur and Iles juggle a new drug kingpin and a new chief in this hilarious police procedural from “the Elmore Leonard of Britain’s underworld” (Kirkus Reviews).

After his wife and son are gunned down in what appears to be a hit gone wrong, Local drug boss Mansel Shale turns to religion, leaving his drug business up for grabs. His second-in-command, a weirdo who believes he is Generalissimo Franco, is the wrong man to lead the organization, especially with rival Ralph Ember eager to gain control of Shale’s territory. Neither Assistant Chief Desmond Iles nor DCS Colin Harpur wants a drug war. Both believe in the motto “No blood on the pavement.” But their new chief has a different motto—“Lock ’em up and toss away the key”—and is pushing matters in the wrong direction.

“The qualities that make James’s books stand out from the crowd are his masterful ability with words and his howlingly funny, darkly brutal humor. . . . Despite the seriousness of the plot, it’s impossible not to laugh aloud at the fierce ripostes, subtle digs, and overt insults peppered across every page. A true delight from a genre master.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Not only the most stylishly adventurous books in British crime fiction today but also the funniest.” —The Telegraph