Currently suspended detective Nick Belsey bluffs his way through the upper echelons of London celebrity culture to solve a disappearance turned stalking turned murder turned who knows what. He uses ruses, tricks, lies and simply lets people draw their own wrong conclusions to gain access to people and places forbidden to him, and most others. These are all skills he developed as an effective, and supposedly corrupt police officer. “Every corner of London seemed to hold associations these days, streets overlaid with scar tissue.” But the career seems to be almost over.

Belsey works his way into inner circles and solves several crimes to uncover the true reason behind all the questions. Oliver Harris is a truly skilled writer. I’ll be looking for the other books in the series. ( )

Bad boy detective Nicky Belsey, under suspension for gross misconduct (pending a hearing) is quietly living under the radar in London in a local police station which was recently closed up due to cost-cutting measures. A phone call from a needy older woman pulls him out of his hovel and before the reader know it, one thing has led to another and Nick is working security for the very famous, young and pretty music star, Amber Knight. And, as to be expected in these novels, the bodies start showing up.

This is an unabashed crime thriller, intelligent and highly addictive. Nick Belsey always breaks rules, plays both sides, and this time he’s thought to be involved and this must pursue his own investigation out of sight of the police. And, my, what a twisted and tangled trail he follows leading to places the reader would never guess. I laughed a few times with the audacity of Nick Belsey and the storyline itself. It’s a fun ride right to the end.

This is the 3rd book in a series, but they can easily be read separately. ( )

I don’t know whether I didn’t enjoy The House of Fame, the third installment of the Nick Belsey series by Oliver Harris. It might have been because I read it in fits and starts (until I sped read — skimmed the last 100 pages) so I never got into the flow. It could be because it actually was disjointed and reading it in longer segments wouldn’t have helped. But, to me, it wasn’t a great book.

Quick summary (which I don’t think is a spoiler): Nick Belsey is a disgraced cop who is under investigation. Trying to keep a low profile, he is living in a disused police precinct/court house. While no one is supposed to know he’s there, someone does because a woman knocks on the door looking for him. Her son, Mark, has disappeared and she would like Nick’s help in trying to find him. Of course, he accepts, low profile be damned.

In searching Mark’s room, Belsey finds he has an obsession with a young star, Amber Knight. So, Belsey goes to her mansion, gets in under false pretenses and poses as a private security guard.

Let’s stop here and say that one thing leads to another which leads to another and bodies start piling up. The House of Fame then veers off course and instead of exploring the life, stalkers and murders of the rich and entitled, goes down a totally different, relatively unbelievable road.

Belsey gets into and out of jams with ease. He outsmarts everyone. He poses as a cop, a private investigator, etc. He’s always one step ahead of everyone else.

The House of Fame was a Publisher’s Weekly Star book which always leads me to wonder what they see that I don’t but whatever it is, I’m blind to it. So, I say to you, there are some great mysteries out there. If you try The House of Fame and love it, I’m glad. But if you don’t love it, don’t say I didn’t warn you. ( )