This is the 20th something novel in Bill James' police procedural series featuring Detective Chief Superintendant Colin Harpur and his superior (and sometimes nemesis), Assistant Chief Constable, Desmond Iles. The appeal of this series, set in an unnamed small English city, is the relationship between Harpur and Iles. Harpur cultivates an understated persona, which masks his considerable intelligence, in sharp contrast to Iles, also of considerable intelligence, but constantly on the verge (and sometimes over the verge) of mania. This is essentially played as comedy in sharp contrast to the simultaneous story of law enforcement in a city inhabited by rival drug gangs.

I have read all the books in this series. "Girls," which is about the invasion of the unnamed city by Albanian drug and prostitution gangs, holds one's attention throughout and is enjoyable reading. However, it is not on a par with the early novels. This decline has been apparent in the last few entries and seems to be evidence that this series is beginning to run out of steam.