Cold in Hand

COLD IN HAND is the 11th novel by British author John Harvey to feature Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick, and the first full-length Resnick work in about 10 years. Like its predecessors, it will immediately be categorized as a police procedural.

But as labels go, this is both misleading and limiting. While it surely details the difficult and varied paths police follow in closing cases, what distinguishes this and the entire series are the characters and how the investigations impact them personally. To paraphrase Michael Connelly’s oft-quoted observation, what stays with you is not how the cops work the case, but how the case works the cops.

The novel opens on Valentine’s Day as two rival teenage gangs face off against one another with knives. DI Lynn Kellogg happens upon the scene and attempts to defuse it. But then a gang member pulls a gun and shots are fired. Kellogg survives, thanks to her bullet-proof vest, but 16-year-old Kelly Brent dies shortly after being rushed to the hospital.

Resnick, nearing retirement and currently pushing papers at a desk, is called back to the front line to investigate the shootings. Complicating the matter is the fact that Resnick and Kellogg have been living together for the past three years. Then there is Brent’s father, who takes every public and private opportunity to blame Kellogg for his daughter’s death.

No sooner is Kellogg recuperated and back at work when she discovers that one of her cases has come to the attention of the Serious and Organized Crime Agency, a special unit investigating international criminal activities. A young immigrant woman witnessed a murder and is willing to testify about the killer. Kellogg promises to protect her. But SOCA is certain that the man she intends to accuse is linked to international gun running and people trafficking. And SOCA would rather keep the suspect out of jail until they make their case.

Harvey switches back and forth between these two cases as Kellogg begins to wonder how deeply SOCA is involved with the international criminals, and Resnick tries to keep his involvement with Kellogg subdued and follow his case objectively. But additional complications pile up and the both detectives find themselves challenged to very limit of their professional and emotional capabilities.

As is often the case with actual police investigators, Resnick and Kellogg are rarely involved in a single case. And the details of their other cases, covering minimally a couple of paragraphs and often entire pages, can easily confuse readers. And it doesn’t help that Harvey introduces a few new characters just before the second part who become essential to the rest of the events. Then, too, there are the differences in the British law enforcement and legal structures, and the various references to popular British sport and culture that might further disorient those unfamiliar with life across the pond.

But stick with it. The rewards are more than worth the effort. Harvey’s prose style is direct and deceptively simple. Yet he details the inner conflicts and emotions of his characters with the same skill and comprehensiveness as he does the investigations themselves. Resnick especially wonders if he is no longer fit to deal with the complexities of the world around him and finds it increasingly hard to find solace in his beloved collection of jazz CDs and his scotch.

And, again owing to Harvey’s allegiance to the actual workings of police investigators, the various and far-flung sources finally come together to reveal the essential keys to both of the novel’s major cases. They are unexpected but imminently satisfying. But Resnick — sadder, older, but not much wiser — is left at a crossroads in his life.

Harvey’s entire bibliography is highly recommended. COLD IN HAND may not be the best introduction to this fine series, but it should not be missed. —Alan Cranis

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