Just Finished Reading: Zero Cool by John Lange

In the mid 1960’s newly qualified radiologist Peter Ross decides to celebrate with a trip to Europe – in fact he intends to lie on a Spanish beach picking up sunrays and foreign women. All seems to be going to plan when he meets the beautiful Angela Locke, but not before he is warned off a job he has yet to be offered – to undertake an autopsy of a recently killed gang boss. Despite several pointed refusals to do so he is finally persuaded – with some helpful death threats to undertake the surgery only to be stopped part way through to help with the insertion of a small heavy box into the corpse. Later, when he tries to leave the country he is abducted by a rival group who want to know where the item – and the body – is now. Unable to help them he is told a fantastic story of ancient treasure and family heirlooms involving a priceless object. Chased across Europe Dr Ross and his now girlfriend Angela Locke need to find the mysterious object or die trying.

This is my 7^th book in the Hard Case Crime series and I have to say that I have been generally disappointed up until now. Unfortunately this book did not exactly raise the bar. It was, at best, readable although it did have the saving grace of at lest having witty dialogue. It was overall rather formulaic and actually reminded me in many ways, other than in the quality of the writing, with The Maltese Falcon – with multiple groups chasing after a fantastically expensive item from a bygone age which may or may not actually exist. Not exactly the worst thing I’ve ever read but should only really be read on a beach holiday and probably left in the hotel room when you return home.