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Inspector Carlyle #4
The Circus
When the body of journalist Duncan Brown is found in the back of a rubbish truck, Inspector John Carlyle is thrown into the middle of a scandal that threatens to expose the corrupt links between the police, the political establishment and the hugely powerful Zenger media group.
Hunting down Brown's killer, Carlyle finds himself going head-to-head with his nemesis, Trevor Miller. A former police officer turned security adviser to the Prime Minister, Miller has dirty money in his pockets and other people's blood on his hands. Untouchable until now, he is prepared to kill again to protect his position - having failed once already to dispose of Carlyle he is not prepared to slip up again...
Hunting down Brown's killer, Carlyle finds himself going head-to-head with his nemesis, Trevor Miller. A former police officer turned security adviser to the Prime Minister, Miller has dirty money in his pockets and other people's blood on his hands. Untouchable until now, he is prepared to kill again to protect his position - having failed once already to dispose of Carlyle he is not prepared to slip up again...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2013
21 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
James Craig
127 books67 followersJames Craig has lived in London for more than thirty years, working as a journalist and consultant.
He lives in Bloomsbury with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 11, 2013
Carlye has multiple cases to juggle, phone hacking, murder, a missing teenager and his old nemesis Trevor raises his ugly head.
The plot , observations and characters are unforgiving, JC again exposes the unsavoury side of the politic landscape, revealing the very real possibilities that may and probably do go on in real life.
Cynical, brusque and in no way perfect Carlye fire fights between one case and another navigating a political landscape that is so self serving, and preoccupied with their own self importance and survival I had no problem in relating it to the political machinations of today.
I laughed out loud several times despite the sombre tone and subject matter,finding light relief in his outrageous observations, anecdotes and blokey humour as Carlyle again manages with regularity to find himself in the centre of several high profile cases.
There's lots going on, maybe too much, I still don't like this inspector very much but I was entertained despite this or maybe because of it.
The plot , observations and characters are unforgiving, JC again exposes the unsavoury side of the politic landscape, revealing the very real possibilities that may and probably do go on in real life.
Cynical, brusque and in no way perfect Carlye fire fights between one case and another navigating a political landscape that is so self serving, and preoccupied with their own self importance and survival I had no problem in relating it to the political machinations of today.
I laughed out loud several times despite the sombre tone and subject matter,finding light relief in his outrageous observations, anecdotes and blokey humour as Carlyle again manages with regularity to find himself in the centre of several high profile cases.
There's lots going on, maybe too much, I still don't like this inspector very much but I was entertained despite this or maybe because of it.
February 17, 2018
A good book, with so many cases on the go it was a bit hard to keep all the players and events separate and who belonged to who. Took a while to read, so could have been a contributing factor to the confusion at times. A good read though.
July 13, 2020
This book is like a train. Not a speeding train, not the Orient Express, not even a suburban train. This book is a fully loaded interstate train heading for a brick wall. Along the way, passengers are tossed around, some fly out the doors, most get drunk in the dining carriage, several are angry and the rest are bemused. Protagonist Inspector John Carlyle is the most bemused of all.
Somewhere along a distant track I had stopped reading James Craig’s series and this book refreshed my memory. It contains such a high level of macho rubbish, female exploitation and smarmy politics that it is well past the read-by date. It is astounding that the book doesn’t run off the rails with the ludicrous amount of unnecessary characters and murders.
If Inspector Carlyle didn’t have off-sider Joe Szyszkowski and other sensible police personnel to back him up, he would still be floundering for answers at the end of the journey. Maybe he’s on the wrong train? He regularly causes ‘incidents’ to himself and others due to his own dullness. Yes, he gets bashed up but never thinks the thug Miller knows where his wife and child live – operative words ‘never thinks’.
When it comes to using every brand name in Britain from beer to clothes, watches to furniture and cafés this story takes the cake, or biscuit if you are Carlyle who pays more attention to topping up his blood sugar levels and imbibing strong coffee than policing. The ending will have you spluttering in your coffee, it is beyond contrived.
Published in 2013, the politics, phone tapping scandal, and dialogue is getting old. Most characters give a neutral “Hm” when asked to respond. There are too many hands placed on arms, too many raised eyebrows; and the plentiful white males POV often switches to an omnipotent narrator. For me, the best character is the City of London.
Without alcohol the stratagem would flounder, trim the sexual abuse and the chapters would be less, without repeat paragraphs like Carlyle whining about the declining standards of UK newspapers this book would be shorter. And without packing in umpteen suspects from the Prime Minister to residents of greater London, this whole book would not drag on and could have been a bit more effective. There are at least 10 more books after this one...
Somewhere along a distant track I had stopped reading James Craig’s series and this book refreshed my memory. It contains such a high level of macho rubbish, female exploitation and smarmy politics that it is well past the read-by date. It is astounding that the book doesn’t run off the rails with the ludicrous amount of unnecessary characters and murders.
If Inspector Carlyle didn’t have off-sider Joe Szyszkowski and other sensible police personnel to back him up, he would still be floundering for answers at the end of the journey. Maybe he’s on the wrong train? He regularly causes ‘incidents’ to himself and others due to his own dullness. Yes, he gets bashed up but never thinks the thug Miller knows where his wife and child live – operative words ‘never thinks’.
When it comes to using every brand name in Britain from beer to clothes, watches to furniture and cafés this story takes the cake, or biscuit if you are Carlyle who pays more attention to topping up his blood sugar levels and imbibing strong coffee than policing. The ending will have you spluttering in your coffee, it is beyond contrived.
Published in 2013, the politics, phone tapping scandal, and dialogue is getting old. Most characters give a neutral “Hm” when asked to respond. There are too many hands placed on arms, too many raised eyebrows; and the plentiful white males POV often switches to an omnipotent narrator. For me, the best character is the City of London.
Without alcohol the stratagem would flounder, trim the sexual abuse and the chapters would be less, without repeat paragraphs like Carlyle whining about the declining standards of UK newspapers this book would be shorter. And without packing in umpteen suspects from the Prime Minister to residents of greater London, this whole book would not drag on and could have been a bit more effective. There are at least 10 more books after this one...
August 22, 2017
There was a lot going on in this book, which was both a positive and a negative. It was definitely a page turner inspired by the 'News of the World' phone-hacking scandal, but with so many characters coming in and out of the story so regularly I had a difficult time keeping track of who everyone was - though this could be down to my limited ability to remember multiple characters.
If the blurb appeals to you then it is worth a read as it delivers on what is promised.
If the blurb appeals to you then it is worth a read as it delivers on what is promised.
September 10, 2014
Crime novel featuring some dodgy ex cops and dodgy politicians, not to mention dodgy tabloid hacks. Clearly took its inspiration from some recent events.
April 1, 2016
A fast paced story
A fast paced gritty story that was difficult to put down. Set in London with more than a passing resemblance to real life headlines and happenings. A good read!!
A fast paced gritty story that was difficult to put down. Set in London with more than a passing resemblance to real life headlines and happenings. A good read!!
November 30, 2017
I found it a bit confusing, certainly at first but it did get better. In my opinion not as good as previous ones, hope the next one is better.
January 8, 2019
Enjoyed...and yet....given the obvious thinly disguised time frame(being the midst of the whole phone hacking pre Leveson thing) I felt the book could have been much more.
In fact the cynical nods to the reality of the media/government relationship are far more fun than the convoluted and seemingly unconnected case loads within.
A decent read however certainly would read more in this series it just didn't for me and as strongly as I would have hoped...in fact the whole thing seemed to resolve rather swiftly towards the closing chapters.
In fact the cynical nods to the reality of the media/government relationship are far more fun than the convoluted and seemingly unconnected case loads within.
A decent read however certainly would read more in this series it just didn't for me and as strongly as I would have hoped...in fact the whole thing seemed to resolve rather swiftly towards the closing chapters.
March 26, 2023
Reading this book was like wading through thick treacle. Slow, too many characters, and all in all a bit of a mess. It didn’t have any compassion, heart or anything for the reader to really care about the consequences of.
It only manages 2 stars (rather than the 1 star I almost gave it) as my late mother recommended the book and really enjoyed it, and quite honestly, that’s the only reason I persisted with it and finished.
It only manages 2 stars (rather than the 1 star I almost gave it) as my late mother recommended the book and really enjoyed it, and quite honestly, that’s the only reason I persisted with it and finished.
March 13, 2022
This is my first Inspector John Carlyle book and in hindsight I think I should have started at book one. There are some very unpleasant people and a great deal of eating. If I read another Inspector Carlyle book I will begin with the first, I believe that is ‘London Calling’
January 10, 2019
Good fast paced book. It would not take much to believe our politicians are really like that. Quick read, for me
June 11, 2019
Good read
I enjoyed this book, but I felt the over emphasis on brand names detracted rather than added to the overall story.
I enjoyed this book, but I felt the over emphasis on brand names detracted rather than added to the overall story.
December 23, 2014
REVIEW: THE CRIMINALS WE DESERVE by James Craig
I came to awareness of the mysteries of James Craig through LONDON CALLING, and I became an immediate convert. His ongoing protagonist, Inspector Carlyle, is just sufficiently "old-school" police to hearken back, and his continuing nemesis of thirty years, Trevor Miller, is the Damocles sword hanging none too gently over Carlyle' s unrestful head. Into this mesh of past and present, the author introduces the Inspector' s long-suffering spouse Helen, and intelligent and ever-maturing daughter Alice, and always, intriguing and puzzling crimes. These are not "cozies," but they have a similar effect on me: I know that as soon as I open a James Craig mystery, I can settle in with the guaranteed assurance of being intrigued, enraptured, and very, very, satisfied.
I came to awareness of the mysteries of James Craig through LONDON CALLING, and I became an immediate convert. His ongoing protagonist, Inspector Carlyle, is just sufficiently "old-school" police to hearken back, and his continuing nemesis of thirty years, Trevor Miller, is the Damocles sword hanging none too gently over Carlyle' s unrestful head. Into this mesh of past and present, the author introduces the Inspector' s long-suffering spouse Helen, and intelligent and ever-maturing daughter Alice, and always, intriguing and puzzling crimes. These are not "cozies," but they have a similar effect on me: I know that as soon as I open a James Craig mystery, I can settle in with the guaranteed assurance of being intrigued, enraptured, and very, very, satisfied.
January 18, 2015
4 out of 5 stars PDF Copy for Review
Too much knowledge can be very dangerous.
Inspector Carlyle finds himself once again in a middle of a case that can quickly turn scandalous once information is let loose. When a body of a journalist is found in the back of a garbage track things go messy quickly.
He quickly finds himself divulging in this world dealing with the police, politics and the powerful media moguls. Inspector Carlyle finds himself crossing path once again with his nemesis Trevor Miller, a former policemen turned security advisor for the Prime Minister.
Miller is not immune to dirty money and blood on his hands bit most of all he out to get rid of Inspector Carlyle.
We are once again swept into his world as he struggles with his case like all police do since not everything can be black and white.
Too much knowledge can be very dangerous.
Inspector Carlyle finds himself once again in a middle of a case that can quickly turn scandalous once information is let loose. When a body of a journalist is found in the back of a garbage track things go messy quickly.
He quickly finds himself divulging in this world dealing with the police, politics and the powerful media moguls. Inspector Carlyle finds himself crossing path once again with his nemesis Trevor Miller, a former policemen turned security advisor for the Prime Minister.
Miller is not immune to dirty money and blood on his hands bit most of all he out to get rid of Inspector Carlyle.
We are once again swept into his world as he struggles with his case like all police do since not everything can be black and white.
January 11, 2017
THIS BOOK IS HORRIBLE. DO NOT READ. UNLESS YOU ARE A FAN OF LAME BOOKS. DO NOT READ YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews