LETHAL INTENT

The Albanians are coming. Can DCC Bob Skinner save Scotland for the 15th time (Stay of Execution, 2004, etc.)?

Well, sure, though it won’t be easy. True, the invasion force numbers only four, but these are prime Albanian thugs, scary enough to have MI5 biting stiff upper lips. What precise nastiness do they have in mind? Major drugs, some think. Something worse, Bob Skinner thinks after the MI5 contingent briefs him and asks the Edinburgh CID for help. And while Skinner’s eager to provide it, he’s somewhat distracted by relationship problems. There’s a love grown cold—Sarah, his unfaithful wife—and a love on the boil—Aileen de Marco, Scotland’s newly appointed, deliciously sexy Minister of Justice. Still, Big Bob’s had to cope with amatory distractions before, and the mantra remains intact: Business comes first. Rousing his talented band of dedicated cops—as often as not from illicit beds—he sets out with them to penetrate the Albanian enigma, only to discover there’s a more pressing case closer to home. The children of two senior officers have been murdered, and a third has narrowly escaped. Who hates cops enough to seek such extreme vengeance? And is there any possible way in which the two cases can be connected? A heavy investigative burden indeed, but then that’s what Big Bob’s shoulders have always been for.

Spirited entertainment. Jardine’s randy blokes and birds in blue are reliable page-turners.