Flesh & Blood by John Harvey

John Harvey is a British crime novelist whose 14 title series starring Detective Charlie Resnick were award-winning bestsellers. Detective Inspector Frank Elder made appearances in those novels, but here gets his own four novel series. The first title, Flesh and Blood, won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 2004.

We are in William Laidlaw, Ian Rankin, Peter James territory - solid crimes novels with a respectable investigator, his longtime team of co-workers, and the difficulties in his family life. Elder is given a unique approach as he has resigned from the Nottinghamshire police force after thirty years as Detective Inspector. But as he often wakes up from nightmares of past cases, can he ever really leave them behind?

A remote cottage in the Cornwall countryside is far from his life in Nottinghamshire. His teenage daughter Katherine visits and shares news of his ex-wife, a hairdresser who has left Frank for the salon owner, though everyone is friendly. A call from Maureen Prior, previously Elder's Sergeant and now with the Nottinghamshire Major Crimes Unit calls him with updates of an old case - Shane Donald is being released from prison. In 1989, Shane was an abused teen who was befriended by Alan McKeirnan, a carnival mechanic. Alan took him under his wing, found him a carny job, and groomed him to share his own habit - kidnapping girls to rape and assault, several disappearing that summer. Finally tracked down, DNA tests sent Shane to prison for murder, after a 16 year-old was found after five days of abuse.

Maureen alerts Elder that Shane, now thirty, will be living in a Nottinghamshire halfway house, and Elder recalls names of other girls who disappeared back then. Moving back north, he begins his own soft investigation, interviewing the parents and friends of the girls - as a retired detective, he can collect facts outside of the police rules, he is just inquiring.

After Shane does a bunk disappearing from the halfway house, Elder works with his parole officer to find him, as another young girl who went to a concert, mysteriously never returns. The media goes wild with speculation, linking the two events, but when Shane is not captured right away, public interest wanes.

As days go by, Elder is brought into the official investigation as a civilian consultant, continuing to work with Maureen, and even old friend Charlie Resnick makes a cameo.

It was assumed Shane was originally coerced into crime by Alan, but maybe time in prison has shown he doesn't need someone else to continue.

John Harvey smoothly creates a memorable character we relate to and care about, as well as multiple crime cases over several timelines. He was awarded the Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association for Lifetime Contribution to the genre. This solid read holds your interest over 439 pages, and this award-winning series of four books would make a terrific limited TV series. Flesh & Blood is followed by Ash and Bone, Darkness and Light, and Body & Soul.

Fans of crime novels are guaranteed to like this. Recommended.

Also reviewed by John Harvey:

Ash and Bone (Elder #2)

Darkness and Light (Elder #3)

Body & Soul (Elder#4)

Other British crime novels I have reviewed:

Inspector Rebus by Ian Rankin

Knots & Crosses, Hide and Seek, Tooth and Nail, Strip Jack, The Black Book, Mortal Causes, Let It Bleed, Black and Blue, The Hanging Garden