Cutting Edge

Charlie Resnick is one of those British coppers who seem to have a dark cloud constantly hanging over his head. He's a good guy; he doesn't drink himself numb, and the officers in his squad would do anything for him. His job is really the only thing that keeps him going. Charlie is hovering somewhere between dedication and obsession when it comes to his work.

On the personal front in Cutting Edge, Charlie's ex-wife is doing her best to mess things up for him, and he's trying to help a down-and-out alcoholic musician. Both situations lead to mixed results, but they show readers much of what is so good about Resnick.

Harvey has created one extremely difficult and scary case to solve, and although I never really came to grips with it, it show more certainly was a pleasure to follow along with Charlie as he solved it. If you like tough investigations run by a smart, flawed, and very likable policeman, John Harvey's Charlie Resnick mysteries are just the ticket. show less

Should be 3.75 really. Typical Harvey/Resnick with characters richly fleshed out and Nottingham evocatively depicted. A police procedural that does not launch into the fanciful and all the better for it.

I would describe Charlie Resnick as a Midlands version of John Rebus. His books have that same edge of gritty realism. As a Leicester City fan, it took some time to forgive Resnick his presence in Nottingham but, when I discovered that his chosen team was County, I rapidly absolved him of that particular crime.
This is the first Resnick novel that I have actually read, others have made their way to my senses via radio adaptions: it would, therefore, be rash to make too many strong statements about Resnick.
This story revolves around the assault of a doctor and a medical student at the local hospital. It tackles that old chestnut of the detective "knowing" who is guilty before he has the evidence to prove the case.
Ian Carew is an show more objectionable individual who, the police know, has assaulted his ex-girlfriend but she is unwilling to take the matter to court. When a link between him and one of the victims arises, every effort is made to put together a case but, did he do it? show less

An up and coming surgeon is attacked and badly injured leaving his hospital, and Resnick's team is pressed hard to find the attacker. But, of course, there are other attacks, badly injuring others connected in some way to the hospital. What is the common thread? And, at the same time, someone is raping young women in their homes. Investigating both puts a strain on the team.

And we finally meet Resnick's ex-wife, not in a pretty way.

Call me old fashion but this is what a mystery should be. Ok my bias is here is saying that statement. It is set in England, they do mention football (soccer), and it always seems grey. The crime is decent and the eventual motive plausible and it has some very key elements. You see there is a crime and the cops show up and do not know who did it. They have to figure it out because it is a MYSTERY. What ensues is in the realm of reason and yeah there is a chance to thus figure out who did it (my hobby when reading these things).

What is nice about this particular mystery is that we get information about the crime from all the cops involved. I suppose it is called a procedural mystery. It spreads out the information and presents it to the show more relevent member of the police force. I like this for several reasons. One it shows the team effort and takes the emphasis away from one officer being all knowing. Charlie Resnick is an interesting main character but so are the other cops on the force. I particularly liked that the head officer of the force is also given a perspective. Every mystery novel I have read makes fun of this individual for just doing the politics and public relations, and generally holds them in contempt for being top of the heap and out of the trenches. It is not so here. Once again not an overt part of the novel but a part and it is the sum of the parts which makes this for a good read. show less

This is my second read through of the John Harvey Charlie Resnick series. In CUTTING EDGE it seems that doctors and nurses are safe enough if they stay in the hospital, but when they leave the curing corridors a scalpel wielding maniac is on the loose. The question is are the patients safe IN the halls of healing or are their maniacs with scalpels in there as well.

You can't go wrong with Resnick and the background music of jazz and the blues which echo the human condition in all it's sorry state.

From one of the book boxes that Moem sent to me. This one wil 'disappear' into my MTBR for a while.