RULES, REGS AND ROTTEN EGGS

Detective Superintendent Harriet Martens stars in this police procedural series by the well-known British mystery author who also writes the Inspector Ghote books. In this one, Martens, who is suffering a crisis of dislike for her job, investigates the attempted murder of a pro-hunting politician. However, things are not as they seem at work or in the attempted-murder business. Generally excellent, Sheila Mitchell offers a workmanlike narration of this fine but uninspired book. She doesn't manage to make Martens sympathetic, perhaps because the character isn't written sympathetically. One is left longing for the humor and incisiveness of the Inspector Ghote series. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]