Police procedurals seem to be two-a-penny these days. Any old fool with a computer and a few CSI episodes on DVD think they can knock out a thriller. What separates those with genuine skill from wannabes are two things: a sense of place, and a central character.
This is why Graham Hurley is the best police procedural of the moment. His evocation of Portsmouth - its sights, sounds, atmosphere and changing context - is spot-on. The city is as much a character as any of the people within the book. This sets the characters not just in a place and time, but also fills in many of the background blanks that other authors leave.
Faraday is a character of nuance, self-doubt, and a hinterland. He is well contrasted with other characters, instead of being the be-all and end-all of a book's characterisation. He is sufficiently central to be a focal point, without having to carry the whole thing by himself. Other authors could learn from this.
Unlike many authors, Hurley does not feel the need to patronise the reader by reviewing the plot details every twenty pages. He expects you to keep up - and everything you need to do so is there - but it is refreshing to be treated like an intelligent adult.
Each book in the Faraday series takes the prevailing political and social issues along with it, without teetering into a polemic, or feeling as if contemporary references are being awkwardly shoehorned where they don't belong. In addition, it is nice to see an author who leaves threads at the end, instead of feeling obliged to wrap everything up in the last pages like a lame Scooby Doo episode.
Readers of Rankin, or any of the other mainstream procedural writers, will have their eyes opened by these books. They are light years ahead of Rebus et al, in depth, pacing, attention to detail, and contemporary insight.
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