"The past was not so much another country as a minefield of horror."

I wasn't very impressed with the first Inspector Brant novel I read, but now that I've completed the series, it grew on me and I can highly recommend it.

In this one, Brant is shot in the opening scene, and his colleagues from the Met rush to the hospital. Will he survive? Some are hoping not. When they call his (former) wife to notify her:

"...she cut him off with:
'Is he dead?'
'No, thank God...'
'Call me when he is.'
"Click.
"Stunned Roberts stared at the phone. Porter was hovering, asked:
"'How did she take it?'
'Real well. She sounded like she won the lottery.'"

And of course since the shooter didn't succeed, everyone knows there will be another attempt.

Most of the usual characters are here, including the villainess the Vixen, but there are some new characters too, including an American on loan from the Homeland Secuirity department to help the Brits prevent terrorist attacks whose methods prove to be too much for even this gang of misfits.

This appears to be the last in the series. Since it was published in 2007, it doesn't look like there will be additional entries, even though this one ended rather abruptly with the fate of one or more of the characters up in the air. But we can always hope.

4 stars (for the series)

First line: "Brant was on this third whiskey, knocking it back like a good un."

Last line: "'What's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?'" ( )