This omnibus edition contains the first 3 books of the Inspector Brant series. It’s a world where the cops are probably just as bad if not worse than the criminals they are trying to catch. Detective Sergeant Brant is not averse to taking protection money from local shopkeepers and running up tabs he has no intention of ever paying off and these are just some of his good qualities. The first book, A White Arrest, sets the tone and introduces the cast of characters whom we get to spend just as much time with as DS Brant. There are two cases for them to tackle in this one: Someone’s threatened to kill the England cricket team and is only taken seriously when the first body turns up. The second involves a vigilante group who are knocking off some other small-time crooks but in ways that compete for headline space with the other killer. Taming the Alien and The McDead follow along in similar vein offering up casual violence and brutality in almost every page.

The author’s short, punchy dialogue keeps the pace and readability high and will be familiar in style to those who’ve read Bruen’s other more celebrated series featuring Jack Taylor. I would say that these fit in with the more traditional noir genre and the author himself comments that he wanted to try something along the lines of Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct sequence of books but when he asked Scotland Yard for assistance in researching and they refused then these books were the result. I like the author’s style so while these books don’t quite hit the heights of the others I will still at some point continue with this series. ( )

Ken Bruen - The White Trilogy

Collecting A White Arrest, Taming the Alien and The McDead, this introduces two of Irish noir writer Ken Bruen's finest creations, the unlikely duo of Chief Inspector Roberts Detective and Sergeant Brant. While Roberts isn't exactly a do-gooder, he's positively a saint compared to the amoral and brutal Brant. This dichotomy makes them such a fascinating pair to follow as the cover London (and New York in one memorable story) in search of the legendary "white arrest", putting the collar on a criminal so dangerous that it makes their career and puts them on the fast track for glory. To that end they track seedy London vigilantes, cricket team murderers, and a wicked thug who is stalking Brant from the depths of London's vile underworld. Bruen is one of my favorites, and his short, curt writing style does take a bit of getting used to. But once you grow accustom to the short blasts of staccato dialogue (think David Mamet or James Ellroy) you realize how wonderfully expressive his storytelling style is. These certainly aren't cozies, they are nasty, brutish and violent; but if you enjoy police procedurals that are thoughtfully and uniquely written, Bruen is a writer not to miss. ( )