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This is what the world needs with January looming: wise words on topics people am care about! I enjoyed reading this intelligent & witty account, thank you! If you don’t mind, I’ll link to it from the next edition of my Crime Dictionary. I thought I was quite well versed in this area but you have given me pointers to some fiction I must track down. Monolingual me hopes it’s all available in English. I wonder whether you have cast your net as wide as the US police procedural. Might be worth a gander. Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels are held in high regard both there & in my house. You might enjoy them.

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Thanks for your kind words and definitely enjoying your substack too. Let me be honest and say that as far as the American police procedural goes I have not really gone beyond detective Bosch but he certainly ticks all the boxes. Will make sure I dive into the 87th Precinct - thank you so much for taking the time to comment.

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By the way I appreciate that PD James provided us with a detective (Adam Dalgliesh) who deviated on all important points from the recipe. Smartly dressed upper class smooth socially connected operator. Really much more Lord Peter Wimsey than a policeman. Would it be fair to offer myself a way out and say that the Dalgliesh novels weren't police procedurals? Maybe not entirely fair.

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