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Kate Power #6
Power Shift
Kate Power is newly promoted and is now in charge of her own police station. Soon she is plunged into a case involving a missing police officer, illegal immigration and prostitution. Her colleagues think the officer is swinging the lead but Kate is sure something sinister has happened to him.
- GenresMystery
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
511 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Judith Cutler
88 books93 followersJudith Cutler was born and bred in the Midlands, and revels in using her birthplace, with its rich cultural life, as a background for her novels. After a long stint as an English lecturer at a run-down college of further education, Judith, a prize-winning short-story writer, has taught Creative Writing at Birmingham University, has run occasional writing course elsewhere (from a maximum security prison to an idyltic Greek island) and ministered to needy colleagues in her role as Secretary of the Crime Writers' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 5, 2009
I like British police procedurals. I guess this one is no exception except that I found the multiple relationships the heroine (Kate Powers - get it?) had with her superiors to be questionable at best. Part of the tension arises from Detective Inspector Powers' prior relationship with Detective Chief Inspector Graham (with whom she still works and who was married to someone else) and her current squeeze, a Detective Superintendent (moving up the ladder) who at least is not married. But my goodness, all those detectives floating around and no one scopes out the possible difficulties of such relationships? I mean really.
October 25, 2020
Good story not well written
The writer has a great imagination consequently she has a good story but sadly isn't such a good writer. The story line can waffle on about inconsequential stuff which you have to skip over. The ending may also make sense to the writer (this is true of the whole series) but not to the reader. The writer also had a propensity to use word which are not in common usage which makes her look like she's trying too hard. Nevertheless I enjoyed the story line and the characters.
The writer has a great imagination consequently she has a good story but sadly isn't such a good writer. The story line can waffle on about inconsequential stuff which you have to skip over. The ending may also make sense to the writer (this is true of the whole series) but not to the reader. The writer also had a propensity to use word which are not in common usage which makes her look like she's trying too hard. Nevertheless I enjoyed the story line and the characters.
October 11, 2020
Finally. I was despairing of this character finding some gutzpah.
I didn't even bother leaving a review on the last book. There wasn't a zero stars. I just don't believe someone in this profession would carry on being she breaks down in tears at a drop of a hat.
Sad to see she carries on with the older, higher up, man. She needed some of Aunt Carriers guts.
However she finally seems to have found love and her place in work.
Saying that I will not be buying any more about this character. They were hard going.
I didn't even bother leaving a review on the last book. There wasn't a zero stars. I just don't believe someone in this profession would carry on being she breaks down in tears at a drop of a hat.
Sad to see she carries on with the older, higher up, man. She needed some of Aunt Carriers guts.
However she finally seems to have found love and her place in work.
Saying that I will not be buying any more about this character. They were hard going.
October 31, 2020
This was a fairly interesting book however not much of a murder mystery.
December 20, 2023
SERIES REVIEW
First the positive
-Set locally so can confirm the description of the locations etc are totally accurate.
-This is by far the best book in the series
now sadly the negative
-A simulated rape by one of her colleagues on first day (which she doesn't report) as she doesn't want to be seen as a grass.
-The colleague going off sick to avoid investigation for (not the above but) playing solitaire on his computer
-His boss (and friend) demoted and transferred for faking a memo from his boss to an Asian member of team requesting sexual services.
- Sleeps with superintendent but breaks it off when he is moved teams. Says she doesn't want to be thought to be sleeping her way to the top
-Racial abuse in the team including trying to trick the new asian member into eating whilst fasting.
-Her DCI who has been kind to Kate all along and helped her, suddenly stealing her gloves and hiding them in his drawer (again she does nothing), then at her house pinning her arms to her and sexually assaulting her (the same guy who is said to be so meek he is terrified of his wife) which she stops by smiling at him...
- Following this rape, Kate doesn't report it (book says because she 'in love with him' but starts an affair with him instead... Again stressing she doesn't want to be seen sleeping her way to promotion.
- Affair ends as his "weird sect" doesn't approve of extra marital affairs. Reslises she isnt in love with her DCI but is in love with her Superintendent who she Goes back to. Guess what.. Doesn't want to be thought of as sleeping her way to promotion.
-Homophobic jokes at expense of a colleague by her immediate boss. ( I know its written in an earlier time)..
-A DI screaming the C word at Kate IN FRONT OF HIS Bosses for using his computer and nothing being said.
-The same DI being found as corrupt.
-Homophobia/Kink Shaming with the kink coming totally out of the blue and seemingly just for shock value
-Kate received a phone call to tell her to get home as her house has been set on fire so what does she do? Chooses to ignore it and go and interview a suspect in the case she is working.
-Homophobic jokes at expense of a colleague by her immediate boss. ( I know its set in am earlier time)..
-Whilst undercover in Devon (?) her partner assualts her and bruises her arm, then s**ts in her bed (I kid you not)
-The DCI who raped her sets her up to be confronted by his wife for having an affair
-Head of the Chinese community is suspected to be a Triad leader (of course...)
-Security guard at the Markets is drunk out of his skull it's insinuated on whiskey but just glossed over.
-In several places it seems as if a paragraph is missing when it jumps location making it hard to work out where you are.
-Another copper found to have killed another copper (does the author have a thing against West Midlands Police as reading these you would think they are mostly all corrupt, rapists or murderers... ??)
-As she is on the accelerated promotion scheme she is regularly moved location. CID to Fraud to CID to Devon (?) to Uniform (as she's been promoted). This means you don't get to get to know the rest of the team.
First the positive
-Set locally so can confirm the description of the locations etc are totally accurate.
-This is by far the best book in the series
now sadly the negative
-A simulated rape by one of her colleagues on first day (which she doesn't report) as she doesn't want to be seen as a grass.
-The colleague going off sick to avoid investigation for (not the above but) playing solitaire on his computer
-His boss (and friend) demoted and transferred for faking a memo from his boss to an Asian member of team requesting sexual services.
- Sleeps with superintendent but breaks it off when he is moved teams. Says she doesn't want to be thought to be sleeping her way to the top
-Racial abuse in the team including trying to trick the new asian member into eating whilst fasting.
-Her DCI who has been kind to Kate all along and helped her, suddenly stealing her gloves and hiding them in his drawer (again she does nothing), then at her house pinning her arms to her and sexually assaulting her (the same guy who is said to be so meek he is terrified of his wife) which she stops by smiling at him...
- Following this rape, Kate doesn't report it (book says because she 'in love with him' but starts an affair with him instead... Again stressing she doesn't want to be seen sleeping her way to promotion.
- Affair ends as his "weird sect" doesn't approve of extra marital affairs. Reslises she isnt in love with her DCI but is in love with her Superintendent who she Goes back to. Guess what.. Doesn't want to be thought of as sleeping her way to promotion.
-Homophobic jokes at expense of a colleague by her immediate boss. ( I know its written in an earlier time)..
-A DI screaming the C word at Kate IN FRONT OF HIS Bosses for using his computer and nothing being said.
-The same DI being found as corrupt.
-Homophobia/Kink Shaming with the kink coming totally out of the blue and seemingly just for shock value
-Kate received a phone call to tell her to get home as her house has been set on fire so what does she do? Chooses to ignore it and go and interview a suspect in the case she is working.
-Homophobic jokes at expense of a colleague by her immediate boss. ( I know its set in am earlier time)..
-Whilst undercover in Devon (?) her partner assualts her and bruises her arm, then s**ts in her bed (I kid you not)
-The DCI who raped her sets her up to be confronted by his wife for having an affair
-Head of the Chinese community is suspected to be a Triad leader (of course...)
-Security guard at the Markets is drunk out of his skull it's insinuated on whiskey but just glossed over.
-In several places it seems as if a paragraph is missing when it jumps location making it hard to work out where you are.
-Another copper found to have killed another copper (does the author have a thing against West Midlands Police as reading these you would think they are mostly all corrupt, rapists or murderers... ??)
-As she is on the accelerated promotion scheme she is regularly moved location. CID to Fraud to CID to Devon (?) to Uniform (as she's been promoted). This means you don't get to get to know the rest of the team.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2020
This story had a good mix of personal and professional events, some of which became intertwined in a way which didn’t seem as contrived as it might have done. The building of relationships between Kate and her new team was well written and eventually even pulled on the heartstrings a little. I am hoping that there might be more to come on the twist which that brought but I won’t hold my breath.
The varied incidents which the team have on their collective plate do not seem to have much in common but there has to be a connection somewhere - doesn’t there? I am not sure that everything is tied up satisfactorily by the end of this book and look forward to seeing if things are taken forward in the next book in the series or if they are just left to hang. Without wanting to give too much away, the murder of the title, is not quite what one would think and is resolved more by speculation than great detective skills.
I enjoyed this and read it in one sitting but, although a great improvement on the previous book in the series, it has a few weaknesses which prevent it reaching 4 stars.
The varied incidents which the team have on their collective plate do not seem to have much in common but there has to be a connection somewhere - doesn’t there? I am not sure that everything is tied up satisfactorily by the end of this book and look forward to seeing if things are taken forward in the next book in the series or if they are just left to hang. Without wanting to give too much away, the murder of the title, is not quite what one would think and is resolved more by speculation than great detective skills.
I enjoyed this and read it in one sitting but, although a great improvement on the previous book in the series, it has a few weaknesses which prevent it reaching 4 stars.
May 9, 2025
This was the last story in the box set I have and I enjoyed Kate's journey through a male-orientated /toxic working environment. She was a strong and determined character apart from her soft heart. She's now an inspector and in charge of a division, however, nothing is straightforward...
Themes such as trafficking, sexism and abuse, for example, give the story a 'reality' feel. Though set in the 90s, it did show how policing was evolving - perhaps not as much as it should, even today, especially regarding the treatment of women.
The characters suited the plot, while the plot had many threads.
Well-written and different from the usual detective novels.
Worth a look.
Themes such as trafficking, sexism and abuse, for example, give the story a 'reality' feel. Though set in the 90s, it did show how policing was evolving - perhaps not as much as it should, even today, especially regarding the treatment of women.
The characters suited the plot, while the plot had many threads.
Well-written and different from the usual detective novels.
Worth a look.
December 8, 2020
Good series with an exception
The stories in this series are entertaining and fast paced. The one thing I dislike about the books is the put downs of Kate by senior officers. If I had ever had bosses who acted like these folks I would have found another job. I truly hope these childish boorish outbursts are purely fiction. If there are future books I suggest omitting these totally unnecessary scenes.
The stories in this series are entertaining and fast paced. The one thing I dislike about the books is the put downs of Kate by senior officers. If I had ever had bosses who acted like these folks I would have found another job. I truly hope these childish boorish outbursts are purely fiction. If there are future books I suggest omitting these totally unnecessary scenes.
January 6, 2021
I have read all 6 books and looking forward to the next where I hope to see the relationship between Kate and Rob. I’m surprised with the innuendo of a woman sleeping her way up the with so many movements empowering women to take control and report the despicable behavior of the male officers not to mention the catty behavior of some of the female officers she encounters. At times the personal relationship tends to get in the way of the story and for some that is supposed to be on the fast track for advancement she second guesses herself and feels she is the only person she can truly trust at times. If 7 is more of the same it will probably be my in the series and that is if there is a 7.
September 19, 2020
This one was a bit of a slog
seemed to drag on a bit and some of the things that took place, as well as the horrible supervisor, were extremely off-putting. Looking forward to the next one.
seemed to drag on a bit and some of the things that took place, as well as the horrible supervisor, were extremely off-putting. Looking forward to the next one.
October 16, 2020
Book turner.
I couldn't put these books down!! Read the six back to back, real indulgence! Can't wait for the next in series! Beautifully written, no dull moment, all components of twists and turns In detective stories.
I couldn't put these books down!! Read the six back to back, real indulgence! Can't wait for the next in series! Beautifully written, no dull moment, all components of twists and turns In detective stories.
January 16, 2021
Intriguing
Kate Power is promoted and in uniform but that doesn't stop her investigating several crimes despite the difficulties presented by last adversaries. A good story that increases with pace and keeps the reader enthralled.
Kate Power is promoted and in uniform but that doesn't stop her investigating several crimes despite the difficulties presented by last adversaries. A good story that increases with pace and keeps the reader enthralled.
March 4, 2021
Another great story
Another great story in the Inspector Kate Power series and one that had plenty of action with lots of twists and turns. She also seems to be sitting out her personal life at long last. Keenly awaiting more in the series.
Another great story in the Inspector Kate Power series and one that had plenty of action with lots of twists and turns. She also seems to be sitting out her personal life at long last. Keenly awaiting more in the series.
September 12, 2020
Great read
Great read, loving the series. Can't wait for the next one. Hope it's not too long for us to wait.
Great read, loving the series. Can't wait for the next one. Hope it's not too long for us to wait.
September 12, 2020
Read This
Another great read! The whole series is wonderful I highly recommend this! All her reads read well! Enjoy as I did!
Another great read! The whole series is wonderful I highly recommend this! All her reads read well! Enjoy as I did!
September 17, 2020
Enjoyed it every much
Will there be a seventh book with Kate and Rob getting married couldn't put it down once I had started it
Will there be a seventh book with Kate and Rob getting married couldn't put it down once I had started it
September 26, 2020
Another great read.
This book just as good as the last one the lead characters still holding one's interest , so into the next offering,
This book just as good as the last one the lead characters still holding one's interest , so into the next offering,
October 15, 2020
Police Procedural
Classic police procedural. Not enough suspense or action. Main characters were ok but maybe too calm or bland. Probably will read more books like this!
Classic police procedural. Not enough suspense or action. Main characters were ok but maybe too calm or bland. Probably will read more books like this!
Read
November 29, 2020Good series. Kate and Rod are together and she has her own "nick." All ends well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
Gripping
Kept you reading till finish ed. I interesting story carry on. Nice to see a police relationship develop. Well written.
Kept you reading till finish ed. I interesting story carry on. Nice to see a police relationship develop. Well written.
December 10, 2020
It was Ok
I guess my expectations outgrew this series. The first 4 books were excellent and these last three were average. A good series overall.
I guess my expectations outgrew this series. The first 4 books were excellent and these last three were average. A good series overall.
December 17, 2020
Great read
Old reading from beginning to end. Nice to be able to understand the lingo of the land. True to life story lines all through.
Old reading from beginning to end. Nice to be able to understand the lingo of the land. True to life story lines all through.
May 31, 2021
More please
As usual characters lifelike. Mystery kept well. Hoping that the next book will soon be available, continuinuing the very readable saga
As usual characters lifelike. Mystery kept well. Hoping that the next book will soon be available, continuinuing the very readable saga
December 29, 2021
Feisty Kate Power gets her own station but tries to do two jobs at once. Her personal life is beginning to work .. but one of her new colleagues has other ideas.
August 14, 2022
boring - boring!
Where was all the excitement? It was more like a daily running of a police station. No. I did not enjoy that book at all, and sadly would not recommend it!
Where was all the excitement? It was more like a daily running of a police station. No. I did not enjoy that book at all, and sadly would not recommend it!
November 17, 2022
I very rarely do not finish a book - this was one of those times. I struggled to get halfway through and then just gave up. It just wasn't worth my time.
December 30, 2020
Last in series
This last book in series was very good i really enjoyed it,will look out for the next book that Judith writes
This last book in series was very good i really enjoyed it,will look out for the next book that Judith writes
February 15, 2015
First read 10 February 2004.
September 5, 2017
Kate Power
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2020
Hope there will be more in the well written series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews