Murder on the Internet by
Ron Ellis
pbk out February 05
(Nirvana)
at £5.99
This is another of Ron Ellis's 'Inspector Glass' series, about a reactionary
copper of the old school who disdains any modern innovation in both
policing and society at large.
At first sight, I was put off by the physical appearance of the book, but was
soon reassured when I started reading. It is a slim A5-size volume, with a
small typeface, wide margins and odd-looking prelims, but Ron's writing
rapidly grabbed me, as he is whimsical and funny, as well as putting into the
mouth of DI Glass many grossly politically incorrect things that I often want
to say myself.
Two different investigations gradually come together in the book, one run by
Glass and the other by his modern son-in-law, also a senior detective in the
Met. Glass has to look into the death of an old gay, who with his partner,
form the innards of a pantomime horse. During a police stag party, the
showing of a confiscated blue film comes to an abrupt halt when a sergeant
recognises his god-daughter as the lead actress and soon a pornographic
organisation is uncovered, linked to some horrific murders of young girls,
the subject of the son-in-law's investigation.
The whole background of the plot is sleazy and repugnant, but the author
manages to leaven the offensive theme with his humour and compelling
interest in the story-line. I even suspect that he is using the plot to convey
some strong personal feelings about the dangers of leaving unsupervised
teenagers to dabble with the chat-rooms on the Net. The author is quite a
character himself, having been proclaimed the man who has had the most
jobs in Britain, with librarian, DJ, singer, actor, publisher and many other
careers under his belt.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
Murder on the Internet by
Ron Ellis
