Red Box

Red Box by Will Strang is literally a police procedural. Reading more like a true crime book it painstakingly tells the story of a drug bust in far more detail than most works of fiction.While this is inevitable as author Strang is a former detective and undercover policeman it does make the plotline feel somewhat pedestrian. That wasn't a problem for me as I'm an avid reader of true police stories,and specifically those written by former undercover officers but if you're expecting something along the lines of a Stephen Leather or Mark Billingham novel you're going to be disappointed.

I did enjoy it,the story involves the investigation of a drug network from "Mr Big" through to petty dealers with an in-depth look at how undercover police patiently watch their prey and the intricacies of putting a case together that will get a result in court.
The whole thing is very detailed and realistic to a degree that I wondered why the author didn't just write a non-fiction book in the first place, aside from the last couple of chapters ,and the cliffhanger ending, I'm guessing it was very much based on a genuine case anyway.

As a detailed insight into how British police investigate drug dealing and the efforts they have to make to ensure a conviction,collate evidence etc it's a good read,and ironically becuase of that detail probably more of interest to those who enjoy true crime books.