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DCI Karen Shields #1
Good Bait
When a seventeen-year-old Moldovan boy is found dead on Hampstead Heath, the case falls to DCI Karen Shields and her overstretched Homicide & Serious Crime team. Karen knows she needs a result. What she doesn't know is that her new case is tied inextricably to a much larger web of gang warfare and organised crime which infiltrates almost every aspect of London society, from the back streets and high rises of Tottenham to the multi-million pound hideaways of the new international entrepreneurs. Several hundred miles away in Cornwall, DI Trevor Cordon is stirred from his day-to-day duties by another tragic London fatality. Travelling to the capital, determined to establish the cause of death and trace the deceased's daughter - an old acquaintance from Penzance - Cordon becomes entangled in a lethally complex situation of his own. A situation much closer to Karen's case than either of them can imagine ... Brilliantly plotted and filled with rich, subtle characters, John Harvey's latest novel reveals him once again as a masterful writer with his finger firmly on the pulse of twenty-first century crime.
346 pages, Hardcover
First published December 25, 2011
28 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
John Harvey
278 books204 followersaka Jon Barton, William S. Brady (with Angus Wells), L.J. Coburn (with Laurence James), J.B. Dancer (with Angus Wells), John B. Harvey, William M. James (with Terry Harknett and Laurence James), Terry Lennox, John J. McLaglen (with Laurence James), James Mann, Thom Ryder, J.D. Sandon (with Angus Wells), Jon Hart
John Harvey (born 21 December 1938 in London) is a British author of crime fiction most famous for his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels, based in the City of Nottingham. Harvey has also published over 90 books under various names, and has worked on scripts for TV and radio. He also ran Slow Dancer Press from 1977 to 1999 publishing poetry. The first Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was published in 1989, and was named by The Times as one of the 100 Greatest Crime Novels of the Century. Harvey brought the series to an end in 1998 with Last Rites, though Resnick has since made peripheral appearances in Harvey's new Frank Elder series. The protagonist Elder is a retired detective who now lives, as Harvey briefly did, in Cornwall. The first novel in this series, Flesh and Blood, won Harvey the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2004, an accolade many crime fiction critics thought long overdue. In 2007 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime's Contribution to the genre. On 14th July 2009 he received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Nottingham in recognition of his literary eminence and his associations with both the University and Nottingham (particularly in the Charlie Resnick novels). He is also a big Notts County fan.
John Harvey (born 21 December 1938 in London) is a British author of crime fiction most famous for his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels, based in the City of Nottingham. Harvey has also published over 90 books under various names, and has worked on scripts for TV and radio. He also ran Slow Dancer Press from 1977 to 1999 publishing poetry. The first Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was published in 1989, and was named by The Times as one of the 100 Greatest Crime Novels of the Century. Harvey brought the series to an end in 1998 with Last Rites, though Resnick has since made peripheral appearances in Harvey's new Frank Elder series. The protagonist Elder is a retired detective who now lives, as Harvey briefly did, in Cornwall. The first novel in this series, Flesh and Blood, won Harvey the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2004, an accolade many crime fiction critics thought long overdue. In 2007 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime's Contribution to the genre. On 14th July 2009 he received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Nottingham in recognition of his literary eminence and his associations with both the University and Nottingham (particularly in the Charlie Resnick novels). He is also a big Notts County fan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
March 9, 2013
I have a lot of time for John Harvey. I can’t figure out why he is not more widely read here in the U.S. He writes police procedurals, but with a deep intelligence and special flair. He does it all—the characterizations, the humanity, the procedure, the mystery--and then throws in a little music, a little talk about literature, food, wine…man, I just love this stuff. He is another of those authors whose books I save until I want a surefire weekend read-a-thon going on.
Harvey is certainly the equal of Ian Rankin or Kate Atkinson, so if you like those popular authors, prepare for something special with Harvey. It looks like several of his books are being reissued this year or shortly thereafter. Definitely check him out if you haven’t already. He’s been writing a long time, and like Rankin and Atkinson, he just gets better as he goes along. Best of all, he provides us his influences at the end of this book, giving us some insight into his creative process. In fact, he praises Ladder of Angels by Brian Thompson as one of the finest crime novels in recent decades. I have never heard of this author, and I'm willing to bet many other people haven't either. I'm pleased to get a recommendation from a master.
This stand-alone novel follows two separate investigations in different parts of England which end up circling the same house: the house of a drug and sex trafficker. We follow both threads which rarely overlap, one investigation led by a thirty-something black female homicide investigator based in London, and one led by an old copper close to retirement, shunted to a quiet out-of-the-way Cornwall precinct to finish off his duties. We like these folks. They don’t have their perceptions skewed, just sharpened, by their line of work.
“Good Bait” is a jazz song, recorded many times by different artists. You might want to snag one (or several) of those recordings to prepare for settling down with this fine novel.
Harvey is certainly the equal of Ian Rankin or Kate Atkinson, so if you like those popular authors, prepare for something special with Harvey. It looks like several of his books are being reissued this year or shortly thereafter. Definitely check him out if you haven’t already. He’s been writing a long time, and like Rankin and Atkinson, he just gets better as he goes along. Best of all, he provides us his influences at the end of this book, giving us some insight into his creative process. In fact, he praises Ladder of Angels by Brian Thompson as one of the finest crime novels in recent decades. I have never heard of this author, and I'm willing to bet many other people haven't either. I'm pleased to get a recommendation from a master.
This stand-alone novel follows two separate investigations in different parts of England which end up circling the same house: the house of a drug and sex trafficker. We follow both threads which rarely overlap, one investigation led by a thirty-something black female homicide investigator based in London, and one led by an old copper close to retirement, shunted to a quiet out-of-the-way Cornwall precinct to finish off his duties. We like these folks. They don’t have their perceptions skewed, just sharpened, by their line of work.
“Good Bait” is a jazz song, recorded many times by different artists. You might want to snag one (or several) of those recordings to prepare for settling down with this fine novel.
May 12, 2020
Audio version of this book 📚- First book I’ve read/listened by this author. It was a bit of a slow start with 2 storylines running at once which then joined together it was gripping , this was helped by the narrator who was fantastic and extremely talented doing many different accents bringing the characters to life
January 21, 2013
A dual story line that overlap in only a minor way. One involves a black DCI in London, Karen Shields. The other an older (five years till retirement) Detective Inspector, Trevor Cordon, in Cornwall. The story action surrounding Shields is more intense (murders, drug gangs, plus some worthwhile reflections on black communities in England), while the Cordon story line focuses more on a missing woman. I felt that Harvey gave us a lot more insight into the psyche and personality of Cordon than he did of Shields in this particular novel. As a result, his character was pretty interesting, hers was more bland, even inconsequential, especially given her role as a DCI. I have long been a big fan of John Harvey, including his series’ with Charlie Resnick, Frank Elder and the Helen Walker/Will Grayson books. This one was a different style. It involved two concurrent story lines, use of a lot of British slang, and was written almost with a scat kind of writing style. Although that does seem to match up nicely with the title of the book, Good Bait, which is a reference to the jazz classic. Overall, I enjoyed this story, especially the confluence of events in the Shields story and the character of Cordon.
August 10, 2013
This fiction feels bang up to date, like reading the news, or how the news might read if more responsibly produced. Today's media focuses on triggering our startle reflex with scare stories of crime and immigration that skip the context and the causes. Good Bait paints on a broader canvas and tells the stories that other media don't reach. These stories are no less scary, but have considerably more substance.
This was the first of four books I read on holiday this year, and after this other novels felt like second best. I believe John Harvey was a geography teacher back in the 1970s, and he has a great eye for showing how different parts of London mesh together, and how London connects to western extremities of the UK, coastal towns and its motorway-bordered heart. There's also a very contemporary social geography running through the book, as waves of immigration and grey/black market commerce from different generations diffuse together.
(Note: I was given this book by the author after sharing a long train journey with him. I can't deny that this disposed me favourably towards the book, but I don't feel this has coloured my judgement too much.)
This was the first of four books I read on holiday this year, and after this other novels felt like second best. I believe John Harvey was a geography teacher back in the 1970s, and he has a great eye for showing how different parts of London mesh together, and how London connects to western extremities of the UK, coastal towns and its motorway-bordered heart. There's also a very contemporary social geography running through the book, as waves of immigration and grey/black market commerce from different generations diffuse together.
(Note: I was given this book by the author after sharing a long train journey with him. I can't deny that this disposed me favourably towards the book, but I don't feel this has coloured my judgement too much.)
July 14, 2015
This is good, solid, British police procedural. It is populated with enough characters to keep you guessing it does keep you riveted until the end.
Predictable it is not. It is, however a bit flat: the contrasting characters (old white guy vs. younger black woman) are a refreshing addition to a genre that sometimes needs a freshening up, but this relationship is not very well explored in the novel. It is clear what Harvey is trying to do here, however it is not a 100% success.
I feel that 3 stars may be a bit harsh. I enjoyed reading it, and read it until the end, and I HAVE read worse.
Perhaps that's the definition of three stars.
Predictable it is not. It is, however a bit flat: the contrasting characters (old white guy vs. younger black woman) are a refreshing addition to a genre that sometimes needs a freshening up, but this relationship is not very well explored in the novel. It is clear what Harvey is trying to do here, however it is not a 100% success.
I feel that 3 stars may be a bit harsh. I enjoyed reading it, and read it until the end, and I HAVE read worse.
Perhaps that's the definition of three stars.
August 14, 2018
This was a little frustrating to read. It felt rushed. Like the author was given a word limit and had to fit everything he wanted into it. I wasn’t able to get a clear visual image of the story or the characters and had to read quite a lot of it a few times. It occasionally jumped from present to past without a clear indication which made a few chapters confusing. I can’t recall having a conclusion to some of the murders that took place and it seemed like too much was going on. The cross overs were confusing.
August 17, 2018
There were a few parts of this book that were good, but the rest of it was just so boring. It wasn't boring enough to make me stop reading, but it was getting there. At points, the characters felt flat and sometimes the pacing of the plot wasn't the best. I was hoping for better :(
November 7, 2018
Too many plots sub plots and characters. It made the book a bit difficult to get into, so was just an ok read for me.
February 17, 2019
I found the book boring and it was a chore to get through. There was never any real surprises or excitement in the story, and I found myself not caring about any of the characters.
May 4, 2019
I really wanted this book to work, thinking that there was a chance that this may be a bit different from the usual cop series thriller, being that the lead was a woman of colour in the UK. The potential was there for a series to be developed (this hasn't happened) and from a writer that I haven't read before, although I do have one of Harvey's Charlie Resnick books, but not the first and I like to read my series in order.
I was however very disappointed, none of the characters, of which there were far too many (many of my main issues with the book), were adequately developed, including the main one, DCI Karen Shields, and I didn't care what happened to any of them and had no empathy with any of them.
Another issue I had was the style of writing (I hope that the Resnick books won't be the same) was that it was also in a staccato style and felt at times that I was reading a list of bullet points.
Because of the lack of development of the characters and the style of writing the book was also quite hard to follow and a chore to read. It also seemed to jump between the past and present without any clear indication.
As usual there was more than one main crime but these felt like two different stories and the efforts at trying to create a link between them was inadequate.
The title of a book title relates to a jazz song (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) of which one of the characters seems on intent in obtaining in as many versions as possible, but I really don't care as it's about the most tedious form of music ever created.
All in all a really disappointing read and I'm just hoping that the Resnick books, of which I have heard good things, grab me in a way that this failed.
I was however very disappointed, none of the characters, of which there were far too many (many of my main issues with the book), were adequately developed, including the main one, DCI Karen Shields, and I didn't care what happened to any of them and had no empathy with any of them.
Another issue I had was the style of writing (I hope that the Resnick books won't be the same) was that it was also in a staccato style and felt at times that I was reading a list of bullet points.
Because of the lack of development of the characters and the style of writing the book was also quite hard to follow and a chore to read. It also seemed to jump between the past and present without any clear indication.
As usual there was more than one main crime but these felt like two different stories and the efforts at trying to create a link between them was inadequate.
The title of a book title relates to a jazz song (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) of which one of the characters seems on intent in obtaining in as many versions as possible, but I really don't care as it's about the most tedious form of music ever created.
All in all a really disappointing read and I'm just hoping that the Resnick books, of which I have heard good things, grab me in a way that this failed.
June 20, 2019
Good Bait is, I believe, my first John Harvey crime novel. This was on my TBR and I don’t really remember adding it or why but when I saw it at the library I picked it up. DCI Karen Shields is running a team investigating the death of a Moldovian boy and she is not even sure if she can find it on the map. At the same time, DI Cordon is about to get enmeshed in a missing person case in Cornwall at the request of the mother of his former dog walker. The story lines and detectives contrast really or stand in relief of one another rather than interconnect. Very well plotted and paced mystery story lines here.
The novel has a big cast of rich characters and explores a large web of gang warfare, organized crime, with prostitution and trafficking featured prominently. There are literary and musical references, hence the title Good Bait, a well known Jazz number. A book written rich in detail. I really enjoyed this one.
The novel has a big cast of rich characters and explores a large web of gang warfare, organized crime, with prostitution and trafficking featured prominently. There are literary and musical references, hence the title Good Bait, a well known Jazz number. A book written rich in detail. I really enjoyed this one.
January 23, 2024
Four reasons to read Good Bait:
1) I enjoyed the depth of characterisation and the lack of black-and-white in how the players think and behave. Even characters who only show up for a scene feel like fully formed people.
2) The social commentary is slipped in very neatly and is well-informed, and it was almost enough to make like like this book. It makes it feel real and important.
3) There's a nice rhythm to Harvey's writing that's easy to relax into right from the first paragraph.
4) The plot is unpredictable and incites enough curiosity that I kept reading even when I wanted to quit.
Two drawbacks to Good Bait:
1) There's too much going on, too many names, too many clues, and too many cases, and I couldn't keep up.
2) Though the characters are well-written, they're too aloof to like or care about.
1) I enjoyed the depth of characterisation and the lack of black-and-white in how the players think and behave. Even characters who only show up for a scene feel like fully formed people.
2) The social commentary is slipped in very neatly and is well-informed, and it was almost enough to make like like this book. It makes it feel real and important.
3) There's a nice rhythm to Harvey's writing that's easy to relax into right from the first paragraph.
4) The plot is unpredictable and incites enough curiosity that I kept reading even when I wanted to quit.
Two drawbacks to Good Bait:
1) There's too much going on, too many names, too many clues, and too many cases, and I couldn't keep up.
2) Though the characters are well-written, they're too aloof to like or care about.
October 5, 2024
Two stars might be harsh for a book that wasn’t terrible. But 92 pages in I wasn’t hooked yet. I felt a bit too confused at why I was following two different main characters, one of whom had so much going on I was sure something in her storyline would hook up with the other one eventually I just didn’t care enough to keep waiting for it. There also seems to be an odd pace to the writing, which honestly might just be too British to resonate with me. It didn’t read as charming like a Jaqueline Winspear, or colorfully matter of fact like a Ben Aaronovitch. More, maybe stilted? I couldn’t hear the voice of it.
May 23, 2023
Sometimes novels with recommendations from other authors slapped all over them signals the story contained within isn't as good as said authors claim it to be - such is the case here. This was a DNF for me - virtually straight out of the gate there is a scene in which one of the lead detectives has such a preposterous conversation with a potential person of interest/witness to the case I couldn't keep reading. I have to assume the editor fell asleep for it to have made it to print in such bad shape.
September 26, 2020
Marginally centers Detective Chief Inspector Karen Shields whom I just love, but really the protag is DI Trevor Cordon who takes leave to follow a dream or a nightmare, both figure large in his quest and what he finds. This world of British crime is all of a mash up and comes together nicely and not so nicely in the end.
November 7, 2019
Too gritty for me. Main character is very "hard" woman that I couldn't empathize with. I think the plot (got 1/4 way through) is likely very good: connecting two cases, one in London, one in Cornwall, eventually. I don't know how to write a review without rating it.
August 22, 2017
It was very mediocre. It kept putting me to sleep
September 10, 2017
Didn't finish - not good not interesting
February 6, 2024
Good read. Multiple investigations of various suspects and their crimes which become connected.
October 10, 2024
not bad
November 27, 2024
First book I was about to DNF around 600 times and should've done so
February 20, 2025
Such a treat to find a John Harvey novel I hadn't already read. Two narratives which finally come together and compelling characters.
December 20, 2016
A bit depressing, as much remains unresolved at the end.
January 22, 2013
John Harvey has written a great amount of books. In which genres he only didn’t acted - westerns, PI novels, thrillers with heroes reminiscent of Mack Bolan (as an example, and as the most colorful and famous hero of the certain direction), police procedural novels and psychological thrillers. And His Majesty the Suspense is usually never left works created by Harvey. And all that these books have in common is a number of general features: the action develops tensely (internal tension (psychological) or external (environment, heroes’ actions, etc.) and you never know, for sure, in what vein the novel will be written.
Recently, the author opted for a police procedural novels. John Harvey is the author of two very worthy series: the Charlie Resnick and Frank Elder sequences. And this novel is also directly related to the sub-genre of police procedural thrillers. That’s that also bribes very much in the works of John Harvey, is the fact that he can create very absolutely different characters in either series that he’d written. Externally, internally. Cultural layers, habits. Behavior, manner of speech, thoughts. Ideas, interests, hobbies. Strengths and weaknesses. But there is one thing they have in common - the desire to know the truth and solve the case (if it’s a detective story). And the most important difference that is so much, in fact, draws the reader to the pages of a novel, and does not allow to break away from this certain book, in particular, and makes the constant mystery’s reader to monitor further the writer's work, in general - is the possession of every hero/main character of his Voice.
There are the two main characters - Karen Shields and Trevor Cordon – in the novel "Good Bait". And both are working in police. But they are very different people, which once again illustrates the written above. Karen Shields is working in a big city, Trevor Cordon - a servant of the law in a small town. Karen Shields have a lot of case - she is investigating several crimes at one time. Her cases are shuffled during the novel with admirable skills and harmony. Many details of the investigation, a lot of versions, many meetings with different characters, some of which very well may be possible suspects, conversations and interviews - and this is a big fat plus of the novel. Trevor Cordon is trying to help the daughter of former drug addict, who’d sunk into his soul. And he comes to London, to the ‘hunting grounds’ of Karen Shields. Seemingly different and unrelated to each other story lines are skillfully and harmonically united by the author at the end of the book.
Besides the mentioned advantages, the novel is also characterized by: a unique and unforgettable style of narration; a little cold atmosphere of danger and hidden threat, which are piercing so many of a large cities; the social aspect of the daily lives of ordinary people; the problems of immigrants; a clear threat of criminal organizations from other countries, and a number of other more small details, which are transforming some novels in the books from which it is very difficult to break away.
The book has the spirit a bit like in the Peter Temple’s novel "The Broken Shore" – the same complex and atmospheric narration of everyday police work and the daily choice between good and evil, which everybody must make on their own.
Recommended if you like detailed police procedural novels.
3.5/5.
Recently, the author opted for a police procedural novels. John Harvey is the author of two very worthy series: the Charlie Resnick and Frank Elder sequences. And this novel is also directly related to the sub-genre of police procedural thrillers. That’s that also bribes very much in the works of John Harvey, is the fact that he can create very absolutely different characters in either series that he’d written. Externally, internally. Cultural layers, habits. Behavior, manner of speech, thoughts. Ideas, interests, hobbies. Strengths and weaknesses. But there is one thing they have in common - the desire to know the truth and solve the case (if it’s a detective story). And the most important difference that is so much, in fact, draws the reader to the pages of a novel, and does not allow to break away from this certain book, in particular, and makes the constant mystery’s reader to monitor further the writer's work, in general - is the possession of every hero/main character of his Voice.
There are the two main characters - Karen Shields and Trevor Cordon – in the novel "Good Bait". And both are working in police. But they are very different people, which once again illustrates the written above. Karen Shields is working in a big city, Trevor Cordon - a servant of the law in a small town. Karen Shields have a lot of case - she is investigating several crimes at one time. Her cases are shuffled during the novel with admirable skills and harmony. Many details of the investigation, a lot of versions, many meetings with different characters, some of which very well may be possible suspects, conversations and interviews - and this is a big fat plus of the novel. Trevor Cordon is trying to help the daughter of former drug addict, who’d sunk into his soul. And he comes to London, to the ‘hunting grounds’ of Karen Shields. Seemingly different and unrelated to each other story lines are skillfully and harmonically united by the author at the end of the book.
Besides the mentioned advantages, the novel is also characterized by: a unique and unforgettable style of narration; a little cold atmosphere of danger and hidden threat, which are piercing so many of a large cities; the social aspect of the daily lives of ordinary people; the problems of immigrants; a clear threat of criminal organizations from other countries, and a number of other more small details, which are transforming some novels in the books from which it is very difficult to break away.
The book has the spirit a bit like in the Peter Temple’s novel "The Broken Shore" – the same complex and atmospheric narration of everyday police work and the daily choice between good and evil, which everybody must make on their own.
Recommended if you like detailed police procedural novels.
3.5/5.
January 26, 2013
John Harvey is an accomplished novelist with several fine pieces to his credit. Good Bait: A Novel is Harvey’s latest offering and despite rave reviews and a good opening I found it ultimately disappointing.
Having read several of Harvey’s previous efforts I found Good Bait had the strengths I have come to expect. Characters are finely drawn, interesting, with both flaws and admirable qualities. These are people I wanted to get to know, admire or despise and ultimately care about. The plot is robust, convoluted and complex. Dialogue is artfully used to move the story along. Two story lines, two smart cops, bring the reader glimpses of relationships hidden to the main characters but ultimately critical to the story’s final resolution.
The first case involves the murder of a 17-year-old Moldovan boy found in a frozen pond, assigned to DCI Karen Shields and her team. But more bodies pile up and there is every appearance that all the mess is related. Separately, Cornwall DI Trevor Cordon is troubled by the death of a woman he’s known, is her death in the London Tube suicide, accident or murder? Well outside his realm of responsibility he takes time off and calls in favors to poke around until he become embroiled in a plot bigger than he could have expected.
This is a police procedural. It gives a solid view of methods, problems and even technologies used by the UK police. It does this quite well. It is accurate, authentic and believable. But it like many crime stories it is ultimately a character study and here it falls short. While there is a stark contrast between the thirty-ish Jamaican Shields and the fifty-ish Cordon these differences are never fully developed. There is only a hint of the racism and sexism Shields must have experienced. She is efficient, a sound investigator and manager but she is sterile and left this reader wanting to know more. Condon is aptly described as a lonely, divorced old cop waiting for his retirement but his emotions and motivations are at times vague. There are glimpses of the workings of his mind but they are all too brief.
I found the vast cast of characters, good guys and bad, a challenge to keep straight. The multitude of UK place and roads names, to this reader who is not familiar with the county, also became a distraction.
I read the Kindle version of Good Bait. I found spelling and formatting errors throughout. This novel came from a major publishing house. Don’t they have editors or readers anymore? These errors, in addition to the British spell, Harvey is after all a British author, were a distraction but unfortunately, I have come to expect this from Kindle books.
Good Bait, while a good read, was ultimately a disappointment. It needs more characterization and a conclusion that ties the initial murder back into the plot. I give it a lukewarm one thumb up.
Having read several of Harvey’s previous efforts I found Good Bait had the strengths I have come to expect. Characters are finely drawn, interesting, with both flaws and admirable qualities. These are people I wanted to get to know, admire or despise and ultimately care about. The plot is robust, convoluted and complex. Dialogue is artfully used to move the story along. Two story lines, two smart cops, bring the reader glimpses of relationships hidden to the main characters but ultimately critical to the story’s final resolution.
The first case involves the murder of a 17-year-old Moldovan boy found in a frozen pond, assigned to DCI Karen Shields and her team. But more bodies pile up and there is every appearance that all the mess is related. Separately, Cornwall DI Trevor Cordon is troubled by the death of a woman he’s known, is her death in the London Tube suicide, accident or murder? Well outside his realm of responsibility he takes time off and calls in favors to poke around until he become embroiled in a plot bigger than he could have expected.
This is a police procedural. It gives a solid view of methods, problems and even technologies used by the UK police. It does this quite well. It is accurate, authentic and believable. But it like many crime stories it is ultimately a character study and here it falls short. While there is a stark contrast between the thirty-ish Jamaican Shields and the fifty-ish Cordon these differences are never fully developed. There is only a hint of the racism and sexism Shields must have experienced. She is efficient, a sound investigator and manager but she is sterile and left this reader wanting to know more. Condon is aptly described as a lonely, divorced old cop waiting for his retirement but his emotions and motivations are at times vague. There are glimpses of the workings of his mind but they are all too brief.
I found the vast cast of characters, good guys and bad, a challenge to keep straight. The multitude of UK place and roads names, to this reader who is not familiar with the county, also became a distraction.
I read the Kindle version of Good Bait. I found spelling and formatting errors throughout. This novel came from a major publishing house. Don’t they have editors or readers anymore? These errors, in addition to the British spell, Harvey is after all a British author, were a distraction but unfortunately, I have come to expect this from Kindle books.
Good Bait, while a good read, was ultimately a disappointment. It needs more characterization and a conclusion that ties the initial murder back into the plot. I give it a lukewarm one thumb up.
October 26, 2012
GOOD BAIT
John Harvey
Fans of John Harvey’s Resnick series, or the shorter series featuring retired policeman Frank Elder, will find DI Trevor Cordon a different sort of character. Good Bait, as always a nod to Harvey’s love of music, presents two main characters, each with different stories and different lines of inquiry. The two characters, Cordon and DCI Karen Shields, do not cross paths and are not aware of each other throughout the book. Instead, a minor character brings together the story line at the conclusion. It does not feel like closure for either Cordon or Shields, but it is probably more kin to the truth than the ordinary neat endings we usually get in crime novels.
Karen, who is based in London and works in the Homicide and Serious Crimes unit, is working on a case where a young man from Moldovan is found murdered. As she investigates, she steps into the territory of Special Branch, who are following suspects in drugs, prostitution and money laundering – in a big way. Instead of shooing her off, they keep her on the case, hoping that her Homicide investigation will make a few people nervous and give Special Branch the opportunity to slip into place.
Cordon, living and working in South Cornwall, has a visit from a woman he has known professionally so to speak – she was a prostitute on his beat. Her young daughter had walked Cordon’s dog, until she grew old enough to follow in her mother’s professional foot steps. The mother comes to Cordon to ask him to find her daughter, who has gone to London to live and work. Cordon turns her down and within a few days he hears that the mother went to London to try to find her daughter, Letitia, and meets with an accident. She had died on the tracks of the metro.
Cordon’s conscience bothers him enough that he tries to find out what happened to the mother and in doing so, finds the daughter. Letitia is mixed up with some unsavory characters who threaten her and her small son. She comes to Cordon for help and this time he doesn’t say no. With the help of a retired police friend in London, he tries to protect Letitia and bargain with the gangster who is the boy’s father. He is successful in neither, but he does come to the attention of Special Branch as the gangster is a major character in their investigation.
All of the Resnick and Elder books are well-written and well-plotted. This book feels half-hearted. None of the characters came alive for me, and the plotted seemed superficial and used. It felt like the song “Good Bait”, and Harvey’s knowledge of every version ever made, was more important than the characters or the plot. Although I read it through to the end, I was bored through most of it. Whatever his next book is, I hope Harvey is back on his game. Barbara
John Harvey
Fans of John Harvey’s Resnick series, or the shorter series featuring retired policeman Frank Elder, will find DI Trevor Cordon a different sort of character. Good Bait, as always a nod to Harvey’s love of music, presents two main characters, each with different stories and different lines of inquiry. The two characters, Cordon and DCI Karen Shields, do not cross paths and are not aware of each other throughout the book. Instead, a minor character brings together the story line at the conclusion. It does not feel like closure for either Cordon or Shields, but it is probably more kin to the truth than the ordinary neat endings we usually get in crime novels.
Karen, who is based in London and works in the Homicide and Serious Crimes unit, is working on a case where a young man from Moldovan is found murdered. As she investigates, she steps into the territory of Special Branch, who are following suspects in drugs, prostitution and money laundering – in a big way. Instead of shooing her off, they keep her on the case, hoping that her Homicide investigation will make a few people nervous and give Special Branch the opportunity to slip into place.
Cordon, living and working in South Cornwall, has a visit from a woman he has known professionally so to speak – she was a prostitute on his beat. Her young daughter had walked Cordon’s dog, until she grew old enough to follow in her mother’s professional foot steps. The mother comes to Cordon to ask him to find her daughter, who has gone to London to live and work. Cordon turns her down and within a few days he hears that the mother went to London to try to find her daughter, Letitia, and meets with an accident. She had died on the tracks of the metro.
Cordon’s conscience bothers him enough that he tries to find out what happened to the mother and in doing so, finds the daughter. Letitia is mixed up with some unsavory characters who threaten her and her small son. She comes to Cordon for help and this time he doesn’t say no. With the help of a retired police friend in London, he tries to protect Letitia and bargain with the gangster who is the boy’s father. He is successful in neither, but he does come to the attention of Special Branch as the gangster is a major character in their investigation.
All of the Resnick and Elder books are well-written and well-plotted. This book feels half-hearted. None of the characters came alive for me, and the plotted seemed superficial and used. It felt like the song “Good Bait”, and Harvey’s knowledge of every version ever made, was more important than the characters or the plot. Although I read it through to the end, I was bored through most of it. Whatever his next book is, I hope Harvey is back on his game. Barbara
September 23, 2016
Enjoyed this book, although I found the two stories a bit clunky to begin with. We seemed to lurch from one to the other which I don't really associate with John Harvey and his Resnick novels.
April 18, 2012
The book was excellent.
But first a word about something that drives me nuts - this book has been out in the UK for MONTHS. Long enough for there to be many many ex-library copies available for sale on ABE. The US edition is finally scheduled to come out 6 months from now. Why does this keep happening? And many thanks to ABE and Jabberwock Books in Horncastle for getting me a new copy in excellent condition, fairly priced, delivered from England in less than two weeks by our postal systems. Well done!
The book has the well developed plot and characters to be expected from Harvey. Karen Shields is a London homicide Detective Chief Inspector. DI Trevor Cordon is a veteran cop in Panzance. Shields is assigned the murder of a young Moldavan man found murdered on Hampstead Heath. Cordon is drawn to London by the accidental death of a woman from Penzance with a troubled past, who had asked him to find her equally troubled daughter. As each follows the threads of one case, they are inevitably drawn together by a web of multinational crime and territorial warfare. Eastern European gangs are taking over drug sales and human trafficking. The locals are fighting back and people are getting killed.
Shields and Cordon are both good characters - she is single black woman in a white male establishment. He is a loner with a failed marriage and an alienated son, looking forward to his 30 and out. And Jack Kiley, the private investigator who previously featured in several of Harvey's recent short stories has an important role to play. I hope we see more of all of them in the future.
The title is a Tadd Dameron tune from the Basie songbook - nice. And Harvey gives us plenty of music and books to help us know his characters better - which I really like.
But first a word about something that drives me nuts - this book has been out in the UK for MONTHS. Long enough for there to be many many ex-library copies available for sale on ABE. The US edition is finally scheduled to come out 6 months from now. Why does this keep happening? And many thanks to ABE and Jabberwock Books in Horncastle for getting me a new copy in excellent condition, fairly priced, delivered from England in less than two weeks by our postal systems. Well done!
The book has the well developed plot and characters to be expected from Harvey. Karen Shields is a London homicide Detective Chief Inspector. DI Trevor Cordon is a veteran cop in Panzance. Shields is assigned the murder of a young Moldavan man found murdered on Hampstead Heath. Cordon is drawn to London by the accidental death of a woman from Penzance with a troubled past, who had asked him to find her equally troubled daughter. As each follows the threads of one case, they are inevitably drawn together by a web of multinational crime and territorial warfare. Eastern European gangs are taking over drug sales and human trafficking. The locals are fighting back and people are getting killed.
Shields and Cordon are both good characters - she is single black woman in a white male establishment. He is a loner with a failed marriage and an alienated son, looking forward to his 30 and out. And Jack Kiley, the private investigator who previously featured in several of Harvey's recent short stories has an important role to play. I hope we see more of all of them in the future.
The title is a Tadd Dameron tune from the Basie songbook - nice. And Harvey gives us plenty of music and books to help us know his characters better - which I really like.
February 27, 2013
I have a lot of time for John Harvey. I can’t figure out why he is not more widely read here in the U.S. He writes police procedurals, but with a deep intelligence and special flair. He does it all—the characterizations, the humanity, the procedure, the mystery--and then throws in a little music, a little talk about literature, food, wine…man, I just love this stuff. He is another of those authors whose books I save until I want a surefire weekend read-a-thon going on.
Harvey is certainly the equal of Ian Rankin or Kate Atkinson, so if you like those popular authors, prepare for something special with Harvey. It looks like several of his books are being reissued this year or shortly thereafter. Definitely check him out if you haven’t already. He’s been writing a long time, and like Rankin and Atkinson, he just gets better as he goes along. Best of all, he provides us his influences at the end of this book, giving us some insight into his creative process. In fact, he mentions
This stand-alone novel follows two separate investigations in different parts of England which end up circling the same house: the house of a drug and sex trafficker. We follow both threads which rarely overlap, one investigation led by a thirty-something black female homicide investigator based in London, and one led by an old copper close to retirement, shunted to a quiet out-of-the-way Cornwall precinct to finish off his duties. We like these folks. They don’t have their perceptions skewed, just sharpened, by their line of work.
“Good Bait” is a jazz song, recorded many times by different artists. You might want to snag one of those recordings to prepare for settling down with this fine novel.
Harvey is certainly the equal of Ian Rankin or Kate Atkinson, so if you like those popular authors, prepare for something special with Harvey. It looks like several of his books are being reissued this year or shortly thereafter. Definitely check him out if you haven’t already. He’s been writing a long time, and like Rankin and Atkinson, he just gets better as he goes along. Best of all, he provides us his influences at the end of this book, giving us some insight into his creative process. In fact, he mentions
This stand-alone novel follows two separate investigations in different parts of England which end up circling the same house: the house of a drug and sex trafficker. We follow both threads which rarely overlap, one investigation led by a thirty-something black female homicide investigator based in London, and one led by an old copper close to retirement, shunted to a quiet out-of-the-way Cornwall precinct to finish off his duties. We like these folks. They don’t have their perceptions skewed, just sharpened, by their line of work.
“Good Bait” is a jazz song, recorded many times by different artists. You might want to snag one of those recordings to prepare for settling down with this fine novel.
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