Detective has all the elements one would expect from a novel by Arthur Hailey - a close-up view of the workings of an industry, this time the Homicide division of the Miami Police Department, some memorable characters, and a compelling story that binds everything together and keeps the reader engrossed. Though there was a bit too much detailing and some predictable turns of events, I could not put this novel down, sleeping late in the nights and getting late for the office in the mornings for the past few days... This one is another satisfying read from one of my favourite authors! ( )

Years and years ago, I read Hailey's Airport and then Hotel and then Wheels and then I forgot about him. His special insight into the industry of his focus is now turned to the business of homicide. And he does an excellent job. Elroy Doil is hours away from the electric chair. He was convicted of one double murder and suspected of many others. He has requested to talk to Detective Malcolm Ainslie before he dies. The book covers the past and the present of this horrible killing spree. The only downside is that Hailey never writes sequels. I'd like to read about Ainslie again… ( )

We know who done it early in this novel but the taut suspense lasts until the end. It’s a testament to Arthur Hailey’s story-telling skill.
Hours before his execution, Elroy Doil demands to see the policeman who arrested him. Detective sergeant Malcolm Ainslie is a former priest about to go on a family holiday. But he goes to Doil, suspected of killing 14 people and convicted for four.
Doil confesses to all the murders – except one, the parents of Cynthia Ernst, Ainslie’s boss. Ainslie is having an affair with Ernst.
Ainslie’s managers don’t share his belief that Doil didn’t kill the Ernsts. Ainslie – with the help of Ruby Bowe – proves them wrong. They show the Ernsts’ murder was copy-cat but there were several critical inconsistencies. We know who the killer is long before the arrest at the story’s climax. But Hailey’s weaves various story threads fraught with conflict maintains the tension. These various sub-plots culminate in a climax that has an unexpected twist.
Hailey was in his mid-seventies when he wrote Detective, his last novel. It has all the hallmarks of the author’s work, the epitome of the procedural. I read a few of his other novels – Hotel and The Moneychangers – in the seventies. They are spell-binding stories. Critics say Hailey’s characters are superficial and his writing style formulaic. But he is a great story teller; if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have sold about 160 million books translated into 38 languages.
[b:Detective|124922|Detective|Arthur Hailey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1180796910s/124922.jpg|1605806] ( )

Politicaly correct nonsense, anti catholic bias. other than that not a bad story. ( )

YES IT IS LONG AND A LITTLE DRAWN OUT WITH MANY EXPLAINATIONS, BUT IT IS A CRIME NOVEL AND ALSO , IN DETAIL, HOW THE MIAMI POLICE DEPT. WORKS.
IT IS ALSO STARRING AN EX PRIEST NOW ON THE FORCE AND SO YOU LEARN WHY HE LEFT AND HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE.
I AM GLAD I FOUND THE BOOK AT A USED BOOK STORE. ( )