'A final message for Bradford. There is a resolve among Bradfordians not to allow division, hate and racism to prosper, irrespective of faith. Our time to unite as a city has arrived and, as ever, we will not go down without a fight. Let us show the world, once and for all, that this is truly God's own country.'

Book four in the Harry Virdee series opens with a bang, which will definitely grab the attention of local readers - Bradford's Mirror Pool and part of City Hall are blown to pieces after a warning televised on the big screen in Centenary Square - but unfortunately there was too much Hollywood flash about A A Dhand's latest 'seismic plot' to similarly capture my imagination.

The cast, location and subplots are the same - Detective Virdee and his Muslim wife Saima, their little boy Aaron, and the complicated relationship with Harry's parents, played out in familiar locations such as the Bradford Club in the city centre, Bradford City Football Club and the ever ominous Queensbury Tunnel - but the powerful realism of clashing cultures and 'brown on brown' racism between local communities seems to have been given a steroid injection and turned into the plot of an action film. From the explosive introduction to 'Dirty Harry's increasingly violent methods of law enforcement - one particular suspect is put in the hot seat with a nasty dose of chilli powder - every chapter ramps up the tension while leaving credibility far behind. 'Sounds like a speech from one of those crappy nineties movies,' one of the characters quips at one point, and that goes for the plot too, which reads like a terrorist version of Speed - a group of far right terrorists, the Patriots, claim to have planted another bomb in a mosque somewhere in the city and will blow up over a thousand Muslim worshippers unless the four members of an extremist sect, Almukhtaroon, give themselves up - and also if a single person tries to leave any one of the mosques.

Saima, once again caught up in the action, helps to balance the high drama with her usual blend of level-headed intelligence and grace under pressure, and the subplot of Harry's parents looking after little Aaron is perhaps the most affecting of all. When Harry chose to marry a Muslim woman, his father Ranjit, a devout Sikh, disowned him and also forbade his mother to have any contact with Harry, Saima and even their grandson. Having to take care of Aaron overnight, however, forces a childhood memory to the surface which sets Ranjit's heart against his faith. I really felt for Ranjit and Joyti, and their very human fears and failings made a welcome change from Harry the superhero.

Fast-paced and full of action as ever, but Harry Virdee is quickly losing touch with his Bradford roots. 'You don't need to be the saviour of this city any more,' Saima warns; 'Gotham can find another Dark Knight'. Here's hoping book five will bring Harry back to reality. ( )