Serious Crimes

A Willows and Parker Mystery #4

by Laurence Gough

‘Gough’s work typically combines knotty, multi-stranded plots, picturesque villains and bit players, pungent humour, and trenchant prose’ - Times Literary Supplement


Jack Willows and Claire Parker are investigating the death of Kenny Lee, a local owner of a Chinese newspaper.

He was discovered encased in ice, posed in a Lotus position in Sun Yat-Sen Gardens.

Such a prominent figure of the community, posed in such a manner, sparks outrage within the community.

Can Willows and Parker solve the mystery before the leads run dry?

Billy and Garret are low level criminals, experienced in car theft and stereo boosting.

Unhappy with petty crimes, they are scheming for a more lucrative target. Grand armed robbery.

Using their knowledge of the area and procuring the necessary weapons from local gangs, can they succeed in their new venture?

Will the robbery succeed or will the plan backfire?

Nancy Crown is a victim of carjacking. A terrifying ordeal that has left her emotionally confused.

Why can’t she stop thinking about her assailant?

Are the cigarette butts she locates in her garden each day from him scoping out the house?

Or is her mind playing tricks on her?

Surely it is just her imagination that is running wild…

Seemingly unconnected individuals lives are entwined as the murder investigation reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Serious Crimes is a cleverly written and fast paced crime novel, full of twists to keep you guessing until the last page.


Praise for Laurence Gough


‘Bitter, bloody, and brilliantly compulsive’ - Mail on Sunday

‘Gough is a real find…For anyone into hard-boiled American fiction, try heading north of the border for a treat’ - Vox

‘Gough’s work is laced with acid humour and a tight-as-a-chokehold prose. If he lived in the U.S., he’d already be a superstar’ - Daily Post (Liverpool) /em>

‘Gough is one of the best crime writers in the country…wickedly twisted…wild and wingy rollercoaster rides’ - Toronto Sun

‘Gough is one of the most inventively reliable bloodsmiths in the trade. His plots and characters are strong and convincing, his mordant humour never forced, the action violent but believable’ - The Times


‘This pacy new thriller buffs it up new’ - The Times (on The Goldfish Bowl)

‘Terse characterization and screwed-up tension take this new author into the McBain class at one stride’ - Observer (on The Goldfish Bowl)

‘Laurence Gough’s first novel…rips the reader with the force of a Winchester .460 magnum fired at arm’s length… Gough’s plotting is fast-paced and confident… His style is tense and tight as a trigger’ - Washington Post

Laurence Gough lives with his wife and two children in Vancouver. He is the author of twelve Willows and Parker mysteries. The Goldfish Bowl , won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel from the Crime Writers of Canada. Other is the series: Death on a No. 8 Hook; Hot Shots, winner of an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year; Serious Crimes; Accidental Deaths; Fall Down Easy; Killers; Heartbreaker; Memory Lane; Karaoke Rap; Shutterbug; and Funny Money . His international thriller, Sandstorm , won the Author Award (fiction) from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1991.

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252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Laurence Gough, who lives with his wife and two children in Vancouver, has written twelve Willows and Parker mysteries: The Goldfish Bowl, winner of an Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel from the Crime Writers of Canada; Death on a No. 8 Hook; Hot Shots, winner of an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year; Serious Crimes; Accidental Deaths; Fall Down Easy; Killers; Heartbreaker; Memory Lane; Karaoke Rap; Shutterbug; and Funny Money. His international thriller, Sandstorm, won the Author Award (fiction) from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1991.

Series:
* Willows & Parker

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now having read all these books in sequence I can say that the author is more comfortable with his characters within the police force from Inspector Bradley and his view and liking for cigars, through the duo of Willows and Parker, the stars of the dectective team and the returning support officers.
The plot is supported well with additional relationships that remain tense and unresolved within the story. When a prominant Chinese businessman is murdered after a possible botched kidnapping attempt the investigating team of Willows and Parker pick up the case and look at the Lee family initially for a motive. Meanwhile we have a couple of small time car thieves who appear to have dreams of hitting the big time. Their interactions are shown throughout the novel and the power struggle between the two is hard to identify going forward. Finally a relationship between a man and wife living an affluent lifestyle is examined when crime crosses their path.
These strands are pulled together and weaved into a climax that thrills and surprises.
You have to forgive the sexism of the day as these are not modern characters but set and stuck in their time. The story is good but not a true police procedural. Lots of time is taken writing about street names and traffic light changing across the city. Characters style and clothing is over stated in my opinion but the backdrop of Vancouver isn't utilised to its full potential.
Since there are further books in this interesting series I can only hope my faith is rewarded by a book that transports me to Canada and blows me away. I am grateful to Endeavour Press who have championed this author who deserves to reach a wider audience

[Claire]

Not in library

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Press for a review copy of Serious Crimes, a police procedural set in Vancouver and originally published in 1990. I understand that it is part of an ongoing series featuring detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker. The novel has three plot strands, firstly, Willows and Parker's investigation into the death of Kenny Lee, a local businessmen found dead and frozen in a Chinese garden, secondly, Billy and Garrett's efforts to move on from stealing car radios into the big time and thirdly, Billy's obsession with Nancy Crown whom he and Garrett met when they hijacked her car and her obsession with him.
I found Serious Crimes to be a good read as I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next and whilst some of it was more obvious than other bits it still held my attention. The ending is very Jerry Bruckheimer with non stop action and some impressive scenes, totally unbelievable but it was the fashion at the time. In fact, the novel really highlights how far technology and policing have come in the last 26 years as they are still dealing with blood types rather than DNA, typewriters rather than computers and pay not mobile phones. They can't even trace phone calls. People, however, are still people and while the fashion and technology may change motivations and needs remain the same.
Mr Gough does a good job of his characterisation. They aren't examined in detail as the plot doesn't require it but we get enough to draw a picture and understand them.
I have no hesitation in recommending Serious Crimes as a good escapist read.

[Todd Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Fantastic. Another book by Laurence Gough that I just didn’t want to put down, it really is that good. Even though this is book four in the series, you could still read it as a stand-alone and still very much enjoy it. If you were in charge of a Police Department, then you would want Detectives like Jack Willows and Claire Parker working for you. They are relentless and methodical in their pursuit of the killers. I like their banter, and the way they interact together. It’s one of the many reasons why I’ve enjoyed each book in this series. You would almost think the killer in this story has a sense of humour, posing the victim Kenny Lee in the lotus position while he is sitting on top of the ice. However he just didn’t take into account when he tossed him into the water that it would be frozen. Then you have a couple of guys that aren’t so smart in Billy and Garret, who decide they would like to up the ante in their illegal pursuit for money. This book is such an easy and enjoyable read. Definitely worth the 5 star rating.