The Kings of London: 2 (Breen and Tozer)

The dialogue is razor-sharp and the London scene is brilliantly authentic. She's Leaving Home is thriller writing at its best.

A fine start to what promises to be a rich new detective series.

This outstanding novel is a reminder of the multiple joys of a...police procedural with quirky characters, crisp dialog, and, in this case, a healthy dose of period detail.

A first-rate police thriller set amidst the seamy underside of the swinging sixties...The totemic year of '68 will never seem the same again.

In the Swinging Sixties, a battle for the soul of the city is fought between cops and criminals, the corrupt and the corrupted.

November 1968. Judy Garland is performing drunk at the Palladium, and the city of London is about to catch fire-literally. Summoned to a gas explosion, Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen unearths a shocking discovery beneath the rubble: mind-bending paintings by Bridget Riley and Peter Blake ... and the garroted body of Jacob Pugh, a playboy god in the art world. With Detective Helen Tozer, Breen must infiltrate the artistic demimonde of a volatile and increasingly murderous city.

Seen through the eyes of an irresistible pair of detectives, the real London comes into view in The Kings of London: a gritty metropolis thrives in the shadows beyond the spotlights, and all manner of vice is committed in the name of liberation.