John Connor: Phoenix

Reviewed by MICHELE HEWITSON

A decent stab at a debut police procedural, Phoenix opens with two bodies, and the introduction of Detective Constable Karen Sharpe. She is, in crime-novel tradition, a cop with a past she would like to forget and a liking for more alcohol than is good for her - which of course she uses to help her forget. On a morning when she has the worst hangover of her life, she's dragged into a murder investigation - her boss has been shot, along with a female informant. Better-than-average stuff. Better-than-average writing.

* Orion, $29.95