Police procedurals offer insight into the fast-paced, desperate hours after the occurrence of major crimes, leading to lists of suspects, tough interrogations and puzzles of information left behind.
In this genre, authors Stephen Booth and Reginald Hill respectively have mastered the art of creating thought-provoking mysteries and remarkable yet flawed detectives.
With the innate quieter tone of many British novels, landscapes and generations-old cultural traditions often loom large and become notable characters in addition to the police heroes and exceptionally competent villains.
The genre lends to classic battles of good and evil with plenty of action, but these authors also allow plenty of introspection with complex detectives whose motives aren’t always pure. This grey shading adds considerable interest to police techniques and interdepartmental relationships while offering consistently entertaining reading.
Stephen Booth’s Cooper and Fry Series
Stephen Booth’s Cooper and Fry series is set in England Peak District, a rural area in the northern part of the country. Detective Constable Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry form a tenuous partnership, which can easily change depending on Fry’s mood. She’s a thoroughly modern professional police officer from the city of Birmingham who often feels uneasy in the small, closed off world of the Peak department.
Cooper, constantly aware of the need to carefully phrase his concerns to the sometimes defensive Diane, comfortably wears his native local detective persona as much as unobtrusively as the giant boulders or stone fences which mark the landscape.
Still, rather than allowing the tension to grate on the reader’s nerves, Booth manages to make each likable and enigmatic enough to want to see their relationship develop into a real, comfortable partnership.
Thankfully, through their numerous cases, Fry and Cooper rely on each other in the toughest situations.
Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe
Reginald Hill has also built a substantial series of over twenty mysteries based on disparate characters that comprise an excellent investigative team. Outsized Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel (pronounced Dee Ell) leads his team with crude witticisms, an unshakeable self-confidence and unerring eye for detail. Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, the erudite foil to Dalziel, offers his substantial intellect and well-balanced family life to inspire solutions to the crimes that keep popping up in the district.
Rounding out the group are Sergeant Edgar Wield, who happens to be gay but proves to be anything but stereotypical; Detective Constable Shirley Novello, who manages to hold her own in the high-testosterone environment; and Pascoe’s wife Ellie, who adds depth to Pascoe’s character and routinely pleases Dalziel with her insight.
Over the course of the series, Hill has added equally memorable characters including Cap, Dalziel’s activist girlfriend who doesn’t always stay on the right side of the law but is the only person who seems capable of managing him.
As an author, Hill also takes chances, especially in Death Comes for the Fat Man and The Price of Butcher’s Meat, in which Dalziel’s investigations take on a completely different turn in what could be unfortunate installments in less proficient hands. Fortunately, Hill satisfyingly manages the story while allowing his other characters to enjoy noticeable professional growth.
Well-Written, Engaging Series
Readers looking for well-written, engaging mysteries with British flair and unsuspected solutions should consider reading the worthwhile Cooper and Fry series by Stephen Booth or the Dalziel and Pascoe series by Reginald Hill.
Bonnye Good - Bonnye Busbice Good received an Editor's Choice award for her article on Your Historic Home's Interior Design Secrets and has also written ...
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