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Breen and Tozer #4
Play With Fire
In hedonistic 1960s London, a police detective investigates the unexpected connections between two suspicious deaths: a call girl and a rock star.
It's the summer of '69, and the hard-living rock stars of the British Invasion still rule London. When former Rolling Stone Brian Jones turns up dead, floating in the pool of his palatial home while the party continues around him, Detective Sargeant Cathal Breen is called away from his former partner, now girlfriend--who quit the force when she became pregnant with his child--to take the case.
Breen's investigation soon uncovers another body spat out by the hedonistic '60s party scene: a young woman, a call-girl for the rich and famous, a girl they called Julie Teenager. Her client list is thick and full of suspects--all rich, powerful, and protected. When Breen gets too close to fingering a financier with ties to Russia--and gets a phone call from MI6 warning him to watch his back--the investigation seems almost insurmountable.
But Breen has the keenly intuitive, deeply moral Helen Tozer at his side, who, despite her pregnancy, can't help but be drawn into the case of a girl used and cast aside by London's elite. Tense, dramatic, and with a blistering pace, Sympathy for the Devil is a gripping police thriller set in the darkly technicolor world of the 1960s.
It's the summer of '69, and the hard-living rock stars of the British Invasion still rule London. When former Rolling Stone Brian Jones turns up dead, floating in the pool of his palatial home while the party continues around him, Detective Sargeant Cathal Breen is called away from his former partner, now girlfriend--who quit the force when she became pregnant with his child--to take the case.
Breen's investigation soon uncovers another body spat out by the hedonistic '60s party scene: a young woman, a call-girl for the rich and famous, a girl they called Julie Teenager. Her client list is thick and full of suspects--all rich, powerful, and protected. When Breen gets too close to fingering a financier with ties to Russia--and gets a phone call from MI6 warning him to watch his back--the investigation seems almost insurmountable.
But Breen has the keenly intuitive, deeply moral Helen Tozer at his side, who, despite her pregnancy, can't help but be drawn into the case of a girl used and cast aside by London's elite. Tense, dramatic, and with a blistering pace, Sympathy for the Devil is a gripping police thriller set in the darkly technicolor world of the 1960s.
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2017
51 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
William Shaw
20 books533 followersI'm a crime writer and write the Eden Driscoll series set in South Devon, the Alex Cupidi series set in Dungeness, Kent and the Breen & Tozer series set in London in 1968-9.
My most recent book is The Red Shore, the first I the Eden Driscoll series, set in Teignmouth, Devon.
My non-fiction books include Westsiders , an account of several young would-be rappers struggling to establish themselves against a backdrop of poverty and violence in South Central Los Angeles, Superhero For Hire , a compilation and of the Small Ads columns I wrote for the Observer Magazine, and Spying In Guru Land , in which I joined several British religious cults to write about them.
A Song From Dead Lips was the first in a trilogy of books set in London in 1968, featuring DS Cathal Breen and WPC Helen Tozer. It was followed by A House of Knives and A Book of Scars .
I live in Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry.
My most recent book is The Red Shore, the first I the Eden Driscoll series, set in Teignmouth, Devon.
My non-fiction books include Westsiders , an account of several young would-be rappers struggling to establish themselves against a backdrop of poverty and violence in South Central Los Angeles, Superhero For Hire , a compilation and of the Small Ads columns I wrote for the Observer Magazine, and Spying In Guru Land , in which I joined several British religious cults to write about them.
A Song From Dead Lips was the first in a trilogy of books set in London in 1968, featuring DS Cathal Breen and WPC Helen Tozer. It was followed by A House of Knives and A Book of Scars .
I live in Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
April 1, 2017
This is the fourth in the DS Cathal Breen and Helen Tozer series, but the first I have read. It works fine as a standalone. This is a wonderfully atmospheric period read set in the London of 1969. It is the summer of love and the country is on the cusp of a cultural revolution, with ideas such as free love being floated, the profusion of drugs, and a nation mesmerised by bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Brian Jones has been discovered dead and rumours proliferate among fans suggesting that it was murder. Lena Bobienski hangs around with famous band musicians, is also known as Julie Teenager, a high class prostitute, with a particular niche in playing young schoolgirls and attracts high rolling clients of influence. Cathal leads the police investigation when she is found murdered.
It is a difficult case and there are no clues until Lena's maid, Florence Caulk, is located. She outlines the features and characteristics of Lena's regular clients. It is a painstakingly slow process identifying them, and Cathal is alarmed at the whispers of a member of the police force being a client, and interference in the investigation from the hierarchy. Helen is chafing at the loss of her job in the police, the restrictions that being heavily pregnant brings and her fears that her life is now effectively over. She cannot help but get involved in Cathal's case and in another case where a woman driver of the famous is badly assaulted which turns out to be connected to Julie Teenager. With the added complication of the involvement of the intelligence services who are interested in a Russian spy, there are further murders, and worries that the killer will never be bought to justice.
Other than taking the occasional liberties with timing and events, William Shaw has done impeccable research on the historical period showcased in the novel such as the politics and the details of the clothing and the liberal use of nylon. As might be expected, sexism looms large. The character developments are particularly well done, Helen's irritability at the cards life is dealing her and the limitations of pregnancy feels authentic and real. Her actions at the end raises questions in her relationship with Cathal. A great book and a great series. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
It is a difficult case and there are no clues until Lena's maid, Florence Caulk, is located. She outlines the features and characteristics of Lena's regular clients. It is a painstakingly slow process identifying them, and Cathal is alarmed at the whispers of a member of the police force being a client, and interference in the investigation from the hierarchy. Helen is chafing at the loss of her job in the police, the restrictions that being heavily pregnant brings and her fears that her life is now effectively over. She cannot help but get involved in Cathal's case and in another case where a woman driver of the famous is badly assaulted which turns out to be connected to Julie Teenager. With the added complication of the involvement of the intelligence services who are interested in a Russian spy, there are further murders, and worries that the killer will never be bought to justice.
Other than taking the occasional liberties with timing and events, William Shaw has done impeccable research on the historical period showcased in the novel such as the politics and the details of the clothing and the liberal use of nylon. As might be expected, sexism looms large. The character developments are particularly well done, Helen's irritability at the cards life is dealing her and the limitations of pregnancy feels authentic and real. Her actions at the end raises questions in her relationship with Cathal. A great book and a great series. Thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
August 23, 2019
I am enjoying this series, but Helen Tozer is still hard to figure out. Sometimes the things she does and says make me want to shake her. In this book, I think she’s crossed a line she’ll regret, but that case will have to be made in the next book, if it’s to be made at all. I think Cathal Breen, on the other hand, will regret his decision. It remains to be seen if he can live with it, or whether it eats away at him. In any case, these are great characters.
This book takes place in 1969. Shaw includes historical events that lend a sense of reality to a work of fiction. In this book, British and Russian espionage and conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Brian Jones add the flavor.
This book takes place in 1969. Shaw includes historical events that lend a sense of reality to a work of fiction. In this book, British and Russian espionage and conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Brian Jones add the flavor.
March 15, 2017
This is the fourth in the Breen and Tozer series, which I have loved from the first novel, “A Song From Dead Lips,” (also known by the US title, “She’s Leaving Home”). It is the summer of 1969, the tail end of the Swinging Sixties, and Cathal ‘Paddy’ Breen and ex-police officer, Helen Tozer are living together in London. Helen is pregnant, as is their neighbour, Elfie. Anyone who has read all the other books in this series, and I do recommend you start at the beginning – this is a brilliant series and you will not regret it – will know that Breen and Tozer have a difficult relationship. Breen is a truly kind and honest man, but he is old fashioned, often uncommunicative, and uncomfortable with the changes that the Sixties have brought. Tozer is headstrong, emotional, driven and is resentful of her ambitions being thwarted by her pregnancy, while Breen is still doing the job she once did, and obviously still misses.
The novel begins with the body of Brian Jones being discovered in his swimming pool. Rumours about the death of Brian Jones have circulated forever, and obviously began shortly after his death. Tozer, Breen, plus their friends Elfie and Amy, are at the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park, held just after his death, and Tozer becomes intrigued by the things she hears and wants to investigate. Meanwhile, Breen has a new case, when the body of a prostitute, nicknamed ‘Julie Teenager’ is found. Her real name was Lena Bobienski, and she had some influential and wealthy clients who visited the woman peddling a little girl persona and who realised how attractive ‘youth’ was in an era which seemed to be invented by the young.
As with all of the books in this series, Shaw paints a realistic and troubled, portrait of the times. It is obvious that there is a lot more interest in the case that Breen is investigating, than would be normal for the murder of a prostitute, however successful she was. Finding himself blocked, misled and under pressure from his superiors, he becomes more determined than ever to bring the murderer to justice. Meanwhile, while Breen tentatively looks forward to the birth of his child, he tiptoes around a disgruntled, distant Tozer. Again, like all of this series, this novel examines the times – an era which is so modern in many ways, but shocks with the casual sexism, and racism, of the period; and one in which the Cold War is present and the Second World War still something that is remembered personally by many characters.
From popular Sixties haunts, such as Tramp, to the backstreet coffee bars and cafes of London; from the deserted mansions of pampered pop stars, to the poster filled walls of a City which had begun to worship fame, Shaw walks his characters through a city, and a time, which he breathes life into. This has become one of my favourite crime series, Cathal Breen one of my favourite characters, and I hope there will be more books featuring him to come.
The novel begins with the body of Brian Jones being discovered in his swimming pool. Rumours about the death of Brian Jones have circulated forever, and obviously began shortly after his death. Tozer, Breen, plus their friends Elfie and Amy, are at the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park, held just after his death, and Tozer becomes intrigued by the things she hears and wants to investigate. Meanwhile, Breen has a new case, when the body of a prostitute, nicknamed ‘Julie Teenager’ is found. Her real name was Lena Bobienski, and she had some influential and wealthy clients who visited the woman peddling a little girl persona and who realised how attractive ‘youth’ was in an era which seemed to be invented by the young.
As with all of the books in this series, Shaw paints a realistic and troubled, portrait of the times. It is obvious that there is a lot more interest in the case that Breen is investigating, than would be normal for the murder of a prostitute, however successful she was. Finding himself blocked, misled and under pressure from his superiors, he becomes more determined than ever to bring the murderer to justice. Meanwhile, while Breen tentatively looks forward to the birth of his child, he tiptoes around a disgruntled, distant Tozer. Again, like all of this series, this novel examines the times – an era which is so modern in many ways, but shocks with the casual sexism, and racism, of the period; and one in which the Cold War is present and the Second World War still something that is remembered personally by many characters.
From popular Sixties haunts, such as Tramp, to the backstreet coffee bars and cafes of London; from the deserted mansions of pampered pop stars, to the poster filled walls of a City which had begun to worship fame, Shaw walks his characters through a city, and a time, which he breathes life into. This has become one of my favourite crime series, Cathal Breen one of my favourite characters, and I hope there will be more books featuring him to come.
June 16, 2023
The U.K. title of PLAY WITH FIRE is “Sympathy for the Devil”. I don’t know why the American publisher changed it. The title “Sympathy for the Devil” immediately brings to mind the Rolling Stones—my favourite rock group. (I even took my son and two grandchildren to see their concert when they played in Vancouver in 2006; paid not only for the tickets, but also for the ferry ride and an overnight stay in a hotel for the four of us.) PLAY WITH FIRE opens with death of Brian Jones, the blues-oriented guitarist who founded the Stones in 1962 but was dismissed from the band a month before his death in 1969 due to his escalating dependency on drugs and alcohol. Shortly after his death, the magazine Rolling Stone ran an article entitled “Brian Jones: Sympathy for the Devil”. So the U.K. title feels right. The American publisher’s title, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to relate to any of the ongoing action in the story.
The main storyline follows DS Cathal ‘Paddy’ Breen’s investigation into the murder of a prostitute, Julie Teenager, who catered to wealthy men with “special” tastes. (Julie Teenager’s real name was Lena Bobienski.)
At first, Breen has difficulty identifying potential suspects. So far, an old man who couldn’t see, a caretaker who appeared to do his best not to notice, and four young people who didn’t look…The self-absorption of their generation made them poor witnesses.
Eventually, however, Breen obtains a list of possible suspects (descriptions but not names) that he systematically hunts down. But the hunt wanders down unusual avenues—a potentially dirty policeman, a Russian spy, a journalist who specializes in Russian affairs, another journalist who works for an underground hippie newspaper, and the involvement of M16 in a coverup.
There were too many sides to this case, but no distinct shape; the darkness of Bobienski’s trade; the involvement of Russian spies; the presence of a policeman among her customers, and the all-around duplicitousness of the men who paid her.
There are additional murders and two attempted ones before Breen finds the murderer (with the assistance of Helen Tozer).
In addition to conducting the investigation, Breen must contend with two pregnant women—Helen Tozer who is carrying his child but doesn’t want to marry him, and Elfie, the female half of the two hippies that moved into the flat above him (in the second book in the series). Elfie’s boyfriend has now absconded. There is a third female in the group as well, Amy, the girlfriend of Breen’s best friend, John Carmichael, who appears to have split with her. At least, Amy isn’t pregnant. These three girls plus Breen end up going to hear the Stones give their free concert in London, something that actually happened a few days after Brian Jones died. Although this appears to be background information, just setting the time and place wherein the novel takes place, these details do eventually become important in helping Breen solve his murder case.
From the opening scene, the description of Brian Jones death by drowning, to the closing, another death by drowning, the story follows a natural investigative path.
The writing is great, the research impeccable, as we follow Breen’s attempts to solve the mystery. The only thing I didn’t like was the attitude and actions of Helen Tozer. She is now eight months pregnant, yet she still feigns nausea. Many pregnant women are nauseous during their first two or three months of pregnancy, but by the eighth month, all they want to do is eat. Tozer doesn’t want to eat, possibly a psychological response to the fact that she resents her pregnancy. Throughout most of the story, she is incredibly lazy. Then suddenly, she goes off, foolishly, trying to catch a murderer. This series is called “Breen and Tozer” but Breen does all the investigating; Tozer plays a minor role and is irritating even in that minor role. Helen Tozer seems to want to be a liberated female but doesn’t want to put in the hard work needed to become liberated. She talks about it but does nothing to make it happen. And by 1969, when this story takes place, a woman who worked hard could liberate herself from the traditional housewife role if she established a work plan and followed it. Julie Teenager was a far more liberated woman than Helen Tozer could (or would) ever be.
PLAY WITH FIRE is a great book if one ignores the temperament and actions of Helen Tozer. The plotting and writing are excellent.
SPECIAL NOTE: William Shaw spent many years as a journalist and also wrote nonfiction books, but this series was his first foray into fiction writing. In giving “Thanks” at the end of the book, William Shaw wrote: And finally thanks to the amazing community of crime writers who offer their support and advice so freely. He didn’t name those who helped him. But early in the book, Breen acquires a new assistant—“Mint”. That name immediately reminded me of Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie series, because “the Mint” is Pirie’s assistant. A coincidence? Or was Shaw using this duplication to quietly thank McDermid for her support and advice?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for other books in this series:
The Kings of London, Breen and Tozer, #2
A Song for the brokenhearted, Breen and Tozer, #3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The main storyline follows DS Cathal ‘Paddy’ Breen’s investigation into the murder of a prostitute, Julie Teenager, who catered to wealthy men with “special” tastes. (Julie Teenager’s real name was Lena Bobienski.)
At first, Breen has difficulty identifying potential suspects. So far, an old man who couldn’t see, a caretaker who appeared to do his best not to notice, and four young people who didn’t look…The self-absorption of their generation made them poor witnesses.
Eventually, however, Breen obtains a list of possible suspects (descriptions but not names) that he systematically hunts down. But the hunt wanders down unusual avenues—a potentially dirty policeman, a Russian spy, a journalist who specializes in Russian affairs, another journalist who works for an underground hippie newspaper, and the involvement of M16 in a coverup.
There were too many sides to this case, but no distinct shape; the darkness of Bobienski’s trade; the involvement of Russian spies; the presence of a policeman among her customers, and the all-around duplicitousness of the men who paid her.
There are additional murders and two attempted ones before Breen finds the murderer (with the assistance of Helen Tozer).
In addition to conducting the investigation, Breen must contend with two pregnant women—Helen Tozer who is carrying his child but doesn’t want to marry him, and Elfie, the female half of the two hippies that moved into the flat above him (in the second book in the series). Elfie’s boyfriend has now absconded. There is a third female in the group as well, Amy, the girlfriend of Breen’s best friend, John Carmichael, who appears to have split with her. At least, Amy isn’t pregnant. These three girls plus Breen end up going to hear the Stones give their free concert in London, something that actually happened a few days after Brian Jones died. Although this appears to be background information, just setting the time and place wherein the novel takes place, these details do eventually become important in helping Breen solve his murder case.
From the opening scene, the description of Brian Jones death by drowning, to the closing, another death by drowning, the story follows a natural investigative path.
The writing is great, the research impeccable, as we follow Breen’s attempts to solve the mystery. The only thing I didn’t like was the attitude and actions of Helen Tozer. She is now eight months pregnant, yet she still feigns nausea. Many pregnant women are nauseous during their first two or three months of pregnancy, but by the eighth month, all they want to do is eat. Tozer doesn’t want to eat, possibly a psychological response to the fact that she resents her pregnancy. Throughout most of the story, she is incredibly lazy. Then suddenly, she goes off, foolishly, trying to catch a murderer. This series is called “Breen and Tozer” but Breen does all the investigating; Tozer plays a minor role and is irritating even in that minor role. Helen Tozer seems to want to be a liberated female but doesn’t want to put in the hard work needed to become liberated. She talks about it but does nothing to make it happen. And by 1969, when this story takes place, a woman who worked hard could liberate herself from the traditional housewife role if she established a work plan and followed it. Julie Teenager was a far more liberated woman than Helen Tozer could (or would) ever be.
PLAY WITH FIRE is a great book if one ignores the temperament and actions of Helen Tozer. The plotting and writing are excellent.
SPECIAL NOTE: William Shaw spent many years as a journalist and also wrote nonfiction books, but this series was his first foray into fiction writing. In giving “Thanks” at the end of the book, William Shaw wrote: And finally thanks to the amazing community of crime writers who offer their support and advice so freely. He didn’t name those who helped him. But early in the book, Breen acquires a new assistant—“Mint”. That name immediately reminded me of Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie series, because “the Mint” is Pirie’s assistant. A coincidence? Or was Shaw using this duplication to quietly thank McDermid for her support and advice?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for other books in this series:
The Kings of London, Breen and Tozer, #2
A Song for the brokenhearted, Breen and Tozer, #3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 14, 2018
A police procedural set in 1969: I liked the first half which is low-key and realistic, but then the story gets wildly complicated as MI6 enter the picture and we have lots of ineffective shadowing and bad spycraft. Even Breen, not known for his violence, starts beating people up while out-witting the professional spies - unrealistic for a mere detective sergeant? And as for that ending...! .
The prose is very readable but the story drags on too long and gets increasingly unbelievable.
The prose is very readable but the story drags on too long and gets increasingly unbelievable.
February 3, 2022
A cracking combination of crime mystery and spy thriller set in London, 1967. Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen is called in to investigate the murder of a young prostitute who called herself Julie Teenager - posing as a schoolgirl for a variety of older men, some of them rich and powerful. William Shaw concocts a fine blend of fact and fiction, detailing "hip" London during the "Summer Of Love" mixed with the seamier side of the capital city's night life.
As Breen's inquries get under way, strange things happen. Overnight, some unknown men visit the flat of the dead woman and tear it apart. He discovers that the regular "beat" police officers were warned to keep away from the building where Julie Teenager plied her trade. And senior police officers seem to know more about the case than Breen himself.
All the while, Breen's partner and former police colleague, Helen Tozer is going through the final stages of her pregnancy - with Breen as the father of her child - and various domestic issues of his and Helen's closest friends.
Of course, Breen is constantly distracted by his investigation which includes run-ins with 1960's figures such as Felix Dennis, one of the editors of the "alternative" UK magazine "Oz" - later to become the subject of an infamous obscenity trial. He also conducts a marvellous interview with a show-business chauffeur who has worked for Brian Jones and other Rolling Stones and - as he tells Breen - even drove Bob Dylan around the length and breadth of Britain for 3 weeks! On the international stage, the USA is about to embark on a historic space mission while the Soviet Union is organising an exchange of spies with the British Government.
Far more troubling is the involvement of British and Russian intelligence officers who seem central to Julie Teenager's murder and subsequent violent criminal events.
But Cathal Breen is a decent man who wants to see justice done and he struggles on against seemingly insurmountable obstacles to discover the truth.
This is the 2nd Breen and Tozer novel I've read and the author has done a great job of capturing the heady atmosphere of the time. As someone who lived through the 1960's - and can even remember some of it - I can recommend this book to both crime mystery and spy thriller fans along with conspiracy theorists and anyone with an interest in the history of Britain's popular culture and a nostalgia for the "Swinging Sixties".
As Breen's inquries get under way, strange things happen. Overnight, some unknown men visit the flat of the dead woman and tear it apart. He discovers that the regular "beat" police officers were warned to keep away from the building where Julie Teenager plied her trade. And senior police officers seem to know more about the case than Breen himself.
All the while, Breen's partner and former police colleague, Helen Tozer is going through the final stages of her pregnancy - with Breen as the father of her child - and various domestic issues of his and Helen's closest friends.
Of course, Breen is constantly distracted by his investigation which includes run-ins with 1960's figures such as Felix Dennis, one of the editors of the "alternative" UK magazine "Oz" - later to become the subject of an infamous obscenity trial. He also conducts a marvellous interview with a show-business chauffeur who has worked for Brian Jones and other Rolling Stones and - as he tells Breen - even drove Bob Dylan around the length and breadth of Britain for 3 weeks! On the international stage, the USA is about to embark on a historic space mission while the Soviet Union is organising an exchange of spies with the British Government.
Far more troubling is the involvement of British and Russian intelligence officers who seem central to Julie Teenager's murder and subsequent violent criminal events.
But Cathal Breen is a decent man who wants to see justice done and he struggles on against seemingly insurmountable obstacles to discover the truth.
This is the 2nd Breen and Tozer novel I've read and the author has done a great job of capturing the heady atmosphere of the time. As someone who lived through the 1960's - and can even remember some of it - I can recommend this book to both crime mystery and spy thriller fans along with conspiracy theorists and anyone with an interest in the history of Britain's popular culture and a nostalgia for the "Swinging Sixties".
June 20, 2017
I admit I'm now addicted to William Shaw's novels. I read The Birdwatcher first and absolutely loved it so finding he had several other books that were being reissued made my day.
The setting of Sympathy for the Devil is the 60's currently being fashioned on television by Endeavour. I think there is room for more and would love to see these novels interpreted for the TV audience. With a plot that pulls in famous people, conspiracy theories and an investigating duo who only seem to like each other occasionally I can already see the casting.
After the death of Brian Jones in his own swimming pool makes the papers the murder of a prostitute with rich and famous clients hardly makes a ripple. But Julie Teenager has secrets and DS Cathal Breen is on the case. his heavily pregnant girlfriend, Helen Tozer cant leave the job alone either. There's going to be trouble a-coming.
The fourth in a series about Breen and Tozer this moves skilfully around their tricky relationship where 'living in sin' is still frowned upon. There is a good balance between this and the case making it a well-rounded story.
I'm currently catching up on the previous three and I'm so pleased to 'discover' Mr William Shaw thanks to Netgalley.
The setting of Sympathy for the Devil is the 60's currently being fashioned on television by Endeavour. I think there is room for more and would love to see these novels interpreted for the TV audience. With a plot that pulls in famous people, conspiracy theories and an investigating duo who only seem to like each other occasionally I can already see the casting.
After the death of Brian Jones in his own swimming pool makes the papers the murder of a prostitute with rich and famous clients hardly makes a ripple. But Julie Teenager has secrets and DS Cathal Breen is on the case. his heavily pregnant girlfriend, Helen Tozer cant leave the job alone either. There's going to be trouble a-coming.
The fourth in a series about Breen and Tozer this moves skilfully around their tricky relationship where 'living in sin' is still frowned upon. There is a good balance between this and the case making it a well-rounded story.
I'm currently catching up on the previous three and I'm so pleased to 'discover' Mr William Shaw thanks to Netgalley.
March 7, 2019
Another awesome mystery featuring Cathal Breen and Helen Tozer. I love how the author weaved historical events into his story. These 2 characters are truly among my favorites in any mystery series to date.
October 7, 2019
Really 3 and a half stars. This series is so addictive!
September 15, 2019
Highly recommended. Librarians, your mystery loving patrons will love this book.
Damn, this was a good book. It starts off in 1969, Brian Jones was just found dead in his swimming pool and London is in the middle of an enormous cultural change.
I love the way this book is written. It starts off kind of relaxed, seeming to wander around a bit, slowly setting the stage. Then Mr Shaw starts cranking up the tension...and you start getting to work late.
Damn, this was a good book. It starts off in 1969, Brian Jones was just found dead in his swimming pool and London is in the middle of an enormous cultural change.
I love the way this book is written. It starts off kind of relaxed, seeming to wander around a bit, slowly setting the stage. Then Mr Shaw starts cranking up the tension...and you start getting to work late.
July 23, 2019
4.5 stars. William Shaw is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Original, gritty writing with dialogue as taut and descriptive as the great James Lee Burke.
December 7, 2019
There are undoubtedly a few things I've missed out on by starting with the fourth book in the series, most notably whether or not Breen is actually queer like I believe him to be or if he and Tozer just have an entirely bloodless relationship for all that she's pregnant with his child, but this is a bit of all right.
July 22, 2018
I am very fond of the Breen and Tozer series. I tend not to read mysteries, but the ones I have read (one by Agatha Christie, one by John Dickson Carr, and a few of Ian Fleming's Bond books, which shouldn't count so much as mysteries but more as a sort of Grand Guignol floorshow in prose) have never appealed to my sense of connection the way this series does. I must admit, as I have before, that, being a Beatle fan, the US title of the first book (SHE'S LEAVING HOME) was what drew me in. (It's title in Britain is A SONG FROM DEAD LIPS, if you're trying to sort this out. I have learned the phrase 'sort this out' from reading this series! I'm from Long Island, New York. In the US, the equivalent of "sort this out" is "figure this out," or, if you're a journalist, "unpack this.") In any case, I've read all four in the series so far and, inasmuch as each book is set in 1960s London, I have gotten a lot of the cultural references because my heroes are British rock stars of the '60s. You can't read a lot of books about the Beatles without knowing about Sergeant Pilcher, whose thing was to plant pot on glamorous young rockers (and who, therefore, caused John Lennon to be stuck in the United States beginning in the early seventies, Britain barring him from returning. John would never see Liverpool again.) He turns up as a character in the third book and is referred to in most of them. But William Shaw knows how to write a cameo appearance. Each book has a real-life figure in it and some are given scenes where they talk a bit about how they see the world, but they are never the pivotal characters. that is, Shaw never has them do something which deeply affects the action. This is refreshing, because the temptation to take colorful figures from the relatively recent but increasingly remote past and have them be proactive has sidelined a lot of writers. Shaw will not cause the reader to substitute a fiction about an historical figure for the reality. A wonderful thing about this series is that it teaches the reader about the mood of the mid-to-late sixties, illuminates some events and still makes us care about the fate of the couple at the center. Cathal "Paddy" Breen and his girlfriend Helen Tozer. Their dynamic shows us how much things have changed. They are police detectives (more or less, given Tozer's fluctuating status with the Met - which I've learned is short for Metropolitan Police. We'd call it the force in New York.) The series follows them from the mid-sixties through 1969. Women were only beginning to be seen with any frequency in the police force in Britain or the US. That Breen is as accepting of her as he is is surprising to his male colleagues. They live together and, by the time of the fourth book, are expecting a child. This is considered radical in the late 1960s, especially when the father is already in his thirties. Today, in 2018, the person who would frown on unmarried couples living together is the exception.
In any case, there is a warmth to this series, which greatly helps alleviate the gloom which emanates from the crimes Breen and Tozer investigate. They are usually crimes against women. Again, Shaw shows how times have changed. #MeToo is a movement. But the 1960s may as well have been the Dark Ages. But the Breen and Tozer books are not complacent about women's progress. These books show how society willingly looks away. The fact that these are set in the past is really an indication of how relevant it is to look at the past in order to help us deal with the present.
My copy of this book is an uncorrected proof. The book was published in 2017 and, unlike the others in the series, a US edition seems not to be planned yet. A book Shaw wrote later, THE BIRDWATCHER, about a present-day detective, has been published in both Britain and the US. It's quite good, by the way. But I have to say, then, that my copy, sent to me from the UK and which the seller didn't state would be an uncorrected proof, may not be the complete text of the novel as published. (There are, for example, typos which a published version would have corrected.)
So, take it with a grain of salt when I say the book picks up pace about halfway through and that I think I have noticed a few loose ends. The hallmarks of this series are here: Shaw's keen eye for human psychology, his penchant for brief but memorable, and, above all, believable character sketches, and his ability to make us think about ordinary life in the mythologized and glamorous era of Swinging London.
Okay, here's some fun. Only Haruki Murakami puts more Beatles titles and lyrics into his books. Here are some from SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL:
Page 30 has "Your turn. Just Look. Tell me what you see." That last sentence is the title of a 1965 Beatles song.
Page 34 has "She was a working girl." That's the first line of the Beatles 1968 song, "Honey Pie."
Page 32: "Tell me what you see" is repeated.
Page 35 has "Only pop music. She plays pop music a lot. And loud. Terrible music...Bang bang bang. yeah yeah yeah." ("Yeah yeah yeah", from the Beatles song "She Loves You," was the refrain most hated by the parents of Baby Boomers. (I was born in 1960, so I am a tail-end Boomer.) I can well remember my parents and their friends using that phrase disparagingly when they talked about the Beatles. Of course, that generation suffered through the Depression and crushed the Nazis. If they couldn't stand my favorite group, I didn't hold it against them. They, of course, didn't want me to pretend not to love the music they loathed.)
Page 395 has "'Sit down,' she said. He looked around but there wasn't a chair, so he perched on the edge of her bed." In the Beatles song "Norwegian Wood," one of the lyrics is, "She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere. So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair. I sat on a rug..."
Another example: "A pensioner...said he'd seen a man in a mac running away." In "The Ballad Of John & Yoko," John sings, "The man in the mac says you gotta go back."
At various points, posters of the Beatles look down from a wall, Mary Hopkin, a singer the Beatles signed (and who had one of the most massive hits of the sixties on the label the Beatles started, the Paul-produced "Those Were The Days") and, finally, in the pool the Rolling Stone Brian Jones has drowned in weeks before, someone jumps in and bobs up and down "like a dying beetle."
Now, the titles and phrases are perhaps used coincidentally. But I'm thinking that's not the case.
I don't know incredible amounts about the Stones, but they crossed paths with my fave Fabs fairly often. So, when a character who works for Alan Klein, the Stones manager who also managed the Beatles at the end of their reign (and whose hiring was THE reason Paul McCartney quit the group) appears, I was prepared for the characterization. This would be JUST the kind of guy Klein would have employed. He is captured brilliantly.
Obviously, the backdrop of the book is the death of Brian Jones. Shaw, as he does at the end of each book, has a brief paragraph about his research. He touches on the continuing controversy about the death of Brian Jones. Because I have read very little about the group and about this tragic death, I will say I thought more about it might be presented in this novel. I might have gleaned more if I'd known more about it, but I have a feeling that because there are as many theories about Brian Jones's death (and a lot of partisanship) William Shaw walked a narrow line. This thread of the story seems undeveloped.
I like the fact that a newspaper editor says to Breen, "I have a meeting with the Americans about the Kennedy trouble." Shaw wants the reader to rack his brain a bit. It's 1969. Both John and his brother Bobby have already been assassinated. But Shaw does not elaborate. What he's referring to, of course, is Chappaquiddick, the famous event in 1969 when Ted Kennedy showed up in the wee hours at a Massachusetts police department to tell them he's driven his car into the water. In the back of his car was a drowned woman. Perhaps Breen and Tozer might want to hop across the pond. And while they're at it, they can party with John and Yoko as they hobnob with Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, with the FBI following.
In any case, there is a warmth to this series, which greatly helps alleviate the gloom which emanates from the crimes Breen and Tozer investigate. They are usually crimes against women. Again, Shaw shows how times have changed. #MeToo is a movement. But the 1960s may as well have been the Dark Ages. But the Breen and Tozer books are not complacent about women's progress. These books show how society willingly looks away. The fact that these are set in the past is really an indication of how relevant it is to look at the past in order to help us deal with the present.
My copy of this book is an uncorrected proof. The book was published in 2017 and, unlike the others in the series, a US edition seems not to be planned yet. A book Shaw wrote later, THE BIRDWATCHER, about a present-day detective, has been published in both Britain and the US. It's quite good, by the way. But I have to say, then, that my copy, sent to me from the UK and which the seller didn't state would be an uncorrected proof, may not be the complete text of the novel as published. (There are, for example, typos which a published version would have corrected.)
So, take it with a grain of salt when I say the book picks up pace about halfway through and that I think I have noticed a few loose ends. The hallmarks of this series are here: Shaw's keen eye for human psychology, his penchant for brief but memorable, and, above all, believable character sketches, and his ability to make us think about ordinary life in the mythologized and glamorous era of Swinging London.
Okay, here's some fun. Only Haruki Murakami puts more Beatles titles and lyrics into his books. Here are some from SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL:
Page 30 has "Your turn. Just Look. Tell me what you see." That last sentence is the title of a 1965 Beatles song.
Page 34 has "She was a working girl." That's the first line of the Beatles 1968 song, "Honey Pie."
Page 32: "Tell me what you see" is repeated.
Page 35 has "Only pop music. She plays pop music a lot. And loud. Terrible music...Bang bang bang. yeah yeah yeah." ("Yeah yeah yeah", from the Beatles song "She Loves You," was the refrain most hated by the parents of Baby Boomers. (I was born in 1960, so I am a tail-end Boomer.) I can well remember my parents and their friends using that phrase disparagingly when they talked about the Beatles. Of course, that generation suffered through the Depression and crushed the Nazis. If they couldn't stand my favorite group, I didn't hold it against them. They, of course, didn't want me to pretend not to love the music they loathed.)
Page 395 has "'Sit down,' she said. He looked around but there wasn't a chair, so he perched on the edge of her bed." In the Beatles song "Norwegian Wood," one of the lyrics is, "She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere. So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair. I sat on a rug..."
Another example: "A pensioner...said he'd seen a man in a mac running away." In "The Ballad Of John & Yoko," John sings, "The man in the mac says you gotta go back."
At various points, posters of the Beatles look down from a wall, Mary Hopkin, a singer the Beatles signed (and who had one of the most massive hits of the sixties on the label the Beatles started, the Paul-produced "Those Were The Days") and, finally, in the pool the Rolling Stone Brian Jones has drowned in weeks before, someone jumps in and bobs up and down "like a dying beetle."
Now, the titles and phrases are perhaps used coincidentally. But I'm thinking that's not the case.
I don't know incredible amounts about the Stones, but they crossed paths with my fave Fabs fairly often. So, when a character who works for Alan Klein, the Stones manager who also managed the Beatles at the end of their reign (and whose hiring was THE reason Paul McCartney quit the group) appears, I was prepared for the characterization. This would be JUST the kind of guy Klein would have employed. He is captured brilliantly.
Obviously, the backdrop of the book is the death of Brian Jones. Shaw, as he does at the end of each book, has a brief paragraph about his research. He touches on the continuing controversy about the death of Brian Jones. Because I have read very little about the group and about this tragic death, I will say I thought more about it might be presented in this novel. I might have gleaned more if I'd known more about it, but I have a feeling that because there are as many theories about Brian Jones's death (and a lot of partisanship) William Shaw walked a narrow line. This thread of the story seems undeveloped.
I like the fact that a newspaper editor says to Breen, "I have a meeting with the Americans about the Kennedy trouble." Shaw wants the reader to rack his brain a bit. It's 1969. Both John and his brother Bobby have already been assassinated. But Shaw does not elaborate. What he's referring to, of course, is Chappaquiddick, the famous event in 1969 when Ted Kennedy showed up in the wee hours at a Massachusetts police department to tell them he's driven his car into the water. In the back of his car was a drowned woman. Perhaps Breen and Tozer might want to hop across the pond. And while they're at it, they can party with John and Yoko as they hobnob with Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, with the FBI following.
August 20, 2019
This is number 4 in a series set in 60’s London. I just saw The Rolling Stones in concert a couple of weeks ago. Mick Jagger can still sing and dance around the stage at the age of 76, even after heart surgery. During the show Keith Richards does a couple of solo numbers and jokes that he is glad to be in Jacksonville. In fact he jokes “I’m glad to be anywhere.” The same cannot be said for Brian Jones, former band member who was found floating facedown in a swimming pool in 1969. Although it was ruled an accident, stories persist that his death was a result of foul play.
It is with this background that our story begins as a thirtyish prostitute known as Julie Teenager (her customers like ‘em young) is found dead atop a broken lift in her apartment building. DS Cathal Breen and his new holier-than-thou young partner Mint are on the case. With the help of Julie Teenager’s maid (booking agent), they uncover a list of suspects that takes them down paths the upper echelon of the Met and even MI6 does not want them to go. Yes, there is a spy in the ointment. Meanwhile Breen’s girlfriend Helen Tozer is expecting their first baby. She has had to leave the police force and she is dangerously bored. As a diversion and at the request of her conspiracy theorist chums, she is looking into the mystery surrounding the death of Brian Jones. Breen supposes it is a harmless diversion, but he couldn’t be more wrong as once again Helen is in harm’s way—and the danger is connected to his own case.
I love this series and the relationship between Breen and Tozer. Five stars.
It is with this background that our story begins as a thirtyish prostitute known as Julie Teenager (her customers like ‘em young) is found dead atop a broken lift in her apartment building. DS Cathal Breen and his new holier-than-thou young partner Mint are on the case. With the help of Julie Teenager’s maid (booking agent), they uncover a list of suspects that takes them down paths the upper echelon of the Met and even MI6 does not want them to go. Yes, there is a spy in the ointment. Meanwhile Breen’s girlfriend Helen Tozer is expecting their first baby. She has had to leave the police force and she is dangerously bored. As a diversion and at the request of her conspiracy theorist chums, she is looking into the mystery surrounding the death of Brian Jones. Breen supposes it is a harmless diversion, but he couldn’t be more wrong as once again Helen is in harm’s way—and the danger is connected to his own case.
I love this series and the relationship between Breen and Tozer. Five stars.
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September 7, 2018I loved the mix of police procedure in the swinging 60's and the characters and events of the time. The basics of everytime anyone wanted the emergency services they had to find a phone box. Also the connection with the Rolling Stones made for an interesting story. Will certainly look for more by William Shaw.
February 14, 2019
I have absolutely loved reading this series. The period details are brilliant, and I am totally convinced by the two main characters. I also love the new series by William Shaw - a very different kind of detective novel. I hope he will continue with both series! I want to know about what happens to Helen and ‘Paddy’.
April 19, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Sympathy for the Devil, the fourth novel set in 1960s London to feature DS Cathal "Paddy" Breen and his girlfriend, former WPC Helen Tozer.
Breen is called in from his day off to investigate a murder. The victim is a prostitute, Julie Teenager, with an exclusive client list who prefer young girls. In reality Julie Teenager is Lena Bobienski, a 26 year old Pole who has found a very lucrative niche market. The problem for Breen is identifying her clients who make up most of his suspect pool but there are darker forces involved and he finds himself hampered at every turn.
When I read the opening chapter my heart sank as it is a present tense narrative recounting the death of a pop star and I really don't like that, but it is only the one chapter and it soon settled in to a straightforward, linear narrative. I was also puzzled by its relevance but it soon becomes apparent that it is part of a running gag about the more outlandish theories on the death of Brian Jones.
I liked the plot which twists and turns and held my attention throughout although I thought the ending was a bit lame in comparison with the rest of the novel. The strength of the novel, however, lies in the period detail and the characterisation. As a man in his 30s with conventional views Breen is regarded as "old" which refers as much to his age as his approach to life. Tozer, on the other hand, is much more open and involved in the new ways. He prefers jazz, she prefers The Rolling Stones. I think Mr Shaw does a great job of describing life in the Swinging Sixties and while it is slightly before my time it seems really authentic. I thoroughly enjoyed Breen's experiences with the spies. Some younger readers may find it laughable because it is but the sad thing it is that, again, it has a real ring of authenticity about it.
Sympathy for the Devil is a good read with an interesting plot, excellent period detail and pleasant characters so I have no hesitation in recommending it.
Breen is called in from his day off to investigate a murder. The victim is a prostitute, Julie Teenager, with an exclusive client list who prefer young girls. In reality Julie Teenager is Lena Bobienski, a 26 year old Pole who has found a very lucrative niche market. The problem for Breen is identifying her clients who make up most of his suspect pool but there are darker forces involved and he finds himself hampered at every turn.
When I read the opening chapter my heart sank as it is a present tense narrative recounting the death of a pop star and I really don't like that, but it is only the one chapter and it soon settled in to a straightforward, linear narrative. I was also puzzled by its relevance but it soon becomes apparent that it is part of a running gag about the more outlandish theories on the death of Brian Jones.
I liked the plot which twists and turns and held my attention throughout although I thought the ending was a bit lame in comparison with the rest of the novel. The strength of the novel, however, lies in the period detail and the characterisation. As a man in his 30s with conventional views Breen is regarded as "old" which refers as much to his age as his approach to life. Tozer, on the other hand, is much more open and involved in the new ways. He prefers jazz, she prefers The Rolling Stones. I think Mr Shaw does a great job of describing life in the Swinging Sixties and while it is slightly before my time it seems really authentic. I thoroughly enjoyed Breen's experiences with the spies. Some younger readers may find it laughable because it is but the sad thing it is that, again, it has a real ring of authenticity about it.
Sympathy for the Devil is a good read with an interesting plot, excellent period detail and pleasant characters so I have no hesitation in recommending it.
September 1, 2019
2.5 stars. I was excited for this after being a big fan of Shaw's two most recent novels, but Play With Fire did absolutely nothing for me. None of what I liked about Shaw's other books--the character development, the pacing--was there. The 60's setting felt played up to the point that it annoyed me. And the only half-interesting character was Helen Tozer, who is left to sit around the house doing nothing the whole time. Won't be back to this series, sadly, but I hope Shaw comes back to his other characters.
July 8, 2017
I loved this book, it kept me guessing right until the end. Breen and Tozer make a fantastic team, set in the swinging sixties it is not just a brilliant crime book but a social history of the time. Well worth reading.
April 29, 2018
Love these Breen & Tozer books and the insight into the 60's. This one left us in the summer of 69 I hope there will be more it would be great to continue into the 70's
June 19, 2019
This was an excellent story. I am a big fan of William Shaw, and his Breen&Tozer pair. Taking place in late 1960's London, it is full of rock stars, free love and changing times. Alongside the setting is a very good mystery that takes Breen, and later Tozer, into a complicated web of murder and espionage.
My hope is that this is not the last we see of these two. They are a fun, often at odds couple. Very enjoyable reading.
My hope is that this is not the last we see of these two. They are a fun, often at odds couple. Very enjoyable reading.
February 9, 2021
It took me a little while to get into the characters, as it’s the same reader and accent in Birdwatcher. However, I’d soon forgotten about that and found it gripping and entertaining. Got to find the next one by William Shaw now. My new favourite author.
February 17, 2025
Loved this series and even began enjoying the development of Tozer's character in this book. She was much more likeable in this book than the previous parts of this series for me. I found the ending of this book and the relationship between Breen and Tozer a really wholesome finish.
5 🌟
5 🌟
March 30, 2017
I am a fan of this series so was incredibly happy to be approved by the publisher to read it ahead of time. I love Breen and Tozer and I especially love the atmosphere and the real life references to the sixties. The author does an incredibly good job at making the story authentic and the plot remains engrossing to the very end. I got up even earlier than usual, just to be able to finish this book before I went to work. The fact that Helen is about to become a mother and is expected to give up police work, but can't, shows how far women have come since then. The total cluelessness of Paddy in relation to his partner and the rest of the fairer sex adds to the charm. This is a another great spy/detective story for lovers of the genre. I certainly hope there will be more of these!
March 16, 2018
Loved every book of this series. cannot wait for the next one!!!
January 29, 2021
Love this atmospheric series set in the 1960's. The Brian Jones subplot made it even better.
May 14, 2017
A fourth outing for Breen and Tozer although this one sees Tozer virtually sidelined due to being 8 months pregnant. It's the summer of 1969, there's a dead Rolling Stone in a swimming pool and a prostitute who caters for men who like young girls is found murdered where she lives and works. Breen's investigations take him into the world of police corruption, conspiracies and espionage. Shaw is a wonderful storyteller and draws you in almost from the start.
December 18, 2019
Set in the swinging Sixties, Detective Paddy Breen and his pregnant girlfriend Helen Tozer are drawn into the murder of a young prostitute called Julie Teenager, but who has a dark past rooted in Poland. Links with the Russian mob, influential clients and possible police corruption muddy the waters as Breen tries to determine who has murdered her.
Shaw sets the scene in the 60s marvellously, and the reader reels to learn what was acceptable behaviour back then. A really entertaining read.
Shaw sets the scene in the 60s marvellously, and the reader reels to learn what was acceptable behaviour back then. A really entertaining read.
September 20, 2019
Well done. I enjoy this series, a police procedural taking place in London in the 1960s. This one is in 1969. Cathal Breen is an intelligent and interesting detective, and his girlrfriend Helen Tozer is interesting too. Here she’s about to have a baby but still solving crimes...
November 2, 2017
I loved this book. I am younger than Tozer, but I remember the drama of parents. The youth rebellion. Please let there be a fifth book.
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