A Shot in the Dark, by Lynne Truss

In 1950s Brighton self-important and not very bright Inspector Steine keeps crime rates low by ignoring it. His exasperated offsider Sergeant Brunswick would like to do some proper police work, but is continually stymied by his boss and consoles himself with their charlady’s cakes. This cosy world is turned upside down by the arrival Constable Twitten, who is too clever for his own good and immediately starts to not only detect crime, but also solve it. A criminal mastermind operating under their very noses and getting away with murder, robbery and extortion constantly thwarts all three degrees of bumbling police officers. This is a deeply stupid book, seemingly intended to be wryly funny with many nods and winks to the reader. It’s about as subtle as a music hall variety act, skewering the theatre, journalism and the police force in a totally unoriginal manner and demonstrating an obsession with Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock that gets beyond tedious. The ludicrous storyline and conclusion elicits eye rolls rather than laughter. The novel’s strapline bills it as a Constable Twitten Mystery, seeming to indicate there will be more. This would be pity as there are already more than enough mediocre books in print.