I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass

Detective Inspector Christy Kennedy Publication Order #1

by Paul Charles

Peter O'Browne, managing director of Camden Town Records, is missing. Is his disappearance connected with a mysterious fire that ravages his north London home? And just who was using his credit card in darkest Dorset?
Although up to his neck in other cases - including a sex murder and a particularly vicious attack on an old woman - Detective Inspector Christy Kennedy and his team investigate, plumbing the hidden depths of London's music industry, turning up chart-rigging scams, blackmail and worse.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Paul Charles was born and raised in Northern Ireland. He now lives and works in Camden Town, where he divides his time between writing novels and short stories and working in the music industry.

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid debut police procedural with both feet firmly set in the Camden Town area of London. Much like John Havey's Charley Resnick series, the reader follows the professional and personal travails of D.I. Christy Kennedy as he solves a few murders and feels his way though a relationship. Kennedy is decidedly less troubled and dark than Resnick, however. The central case is the murder of the head of a local independent record label who has recently sold out to a major for big money. There's some sort of music insider stuff mixed in, but none of it particularly enthralling in and of itself. It's more fun to watch Kennedy trawl the past and present of the Irish promoter to track down the killer. It moves pretty smoothly, although it'd be nice if Charles managed to make his chapters a tad bit longer (60 chapters over 240 pages = 4 page chapters!), as all the breaks get rather intrusive. His love of music gets the better of him with the rather silly inclusion of song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter (the book's title is that of a Nick Lowe song). These minor annoyances and few bits of a sloppy prose aside, it's a good beginning and I'll definitely look for the next in the series.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy with so many chapters - and quite annoying with all the refereces and quotes from different musicians/bands all the time. The plot drowned in all these quotes and talks about music… The author tries too hard to be witty and funny.

[Randall Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!

I loved the song references at the beginning of each chapter! Brought back so many memories. This book is a must read and I'm looking forward to more of DO Christy Kennedy mysteries!!

[tinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christy Kennedy is on his way into my top three of favourite detectives, right alongside Vera and Morse!

[Anne, Unfinished Woman]

I might like this at some point, but the library book smelled so bad I could not read it.

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second (although it was written first) in the Inspector Christy Kennedy mysteries - set in and around Camden in the mid 90s (and written at the time) which follow the Inspector as he solves murders and tries to negotiate his relationship with ann rea (her capitalisation). It's delightful - although a little bit disturbing - to see 90s London in a book and realise how much everything has changed. This is a period piece in its own way but no less enjoyable for that.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice gentle read from a new author to me.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

An English Police procedural that was decently plotted with many tidbits about the business of the music industry in England but the characters were a little flat and the pacing a bit slow.