Entry three in the Joe Kozmarski series, A BAD NIGHT’S SLEEP, shows author Michael Wiley at his down-and-dirty hardcore P.I. best. His terse sentences couple perfectly with the slam-bang action as Kozmarski finds himself in very, very deep trouble right from the stunning opening chapter.
Our hero is investigating thefts from a construction site when he manages to actually see the thieves in action. They’re uniformed cops. He calls for the what-he-hopes-to-be-not corrupt police and when they arrive, a cop vs. cop shootout occurs, ending when Kozmarski is forced to use his own gun.
That doesn’t go down so well. In the aftermath, Kozmarski is enlisted to help the good police infiltrate the gang of bad police.
The plot here gets a little too woolly with a significant number of crooked cops, an outrageous plan sponsored by the good cops, and the tangential involvement of an FBI unit that acts more rogue than one would imagine. If you can ignore the crazy elements of all this, Wiley’s fast-paced style and facility with action scenes will keep you going, rooting for the P.I. in all of his predicaments, and thrilling at the very dangerous game he plays with just about everyone involved. —Mark Rose
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