MAN OF BLOOD

An appealing new series from the author of the supersleuth Patrick Gillard/Ingrid Langley mysteries. Here, Duffy introduces Commander Rolt of the Metropolitan Police's F.9 (``Foxes'') department, an undercover operation, and his valued employee Piers Ashley, who infiltrated Len Dorney's mob so thoroughly that he's just spent six months in prison as one of them. Now, trying to reacclimate to ``outside'' at Ashleigh Coombe Castle, his family's estate, Piers is shot and almost killed by an intruder, resented by his younger brother Giles, disowned by his father, who thinks he's back with the criminal element, and nonplussed when his mother confesses she's being blackmailed about an affair with a doctor. Then the estate manager's son is killed; Piers's sister's boyfriend suddenly leaves the country; and various family retainers skulk about eavesdropping, and more. Before Rolt and Piers resolve matters, they'll mount a raid on a gaming establishment, run afoul of several local police forces, and meander upstairs and down in the castle. Combines derring-do with a cozy, upper-crust charm—somewhat reminiscent of Golden Age detective fiction, with its great halls, polished armor, etc. The steely Rolt and the dashing Piers will wow devoted Anglophiles.