The Russian Wife by Barry Maitland

Publisher's Synopsis

When the Russian wife of the owner of one of the most valuable private collections of modern art in the UK is found dead, Detective Chief Inspector David Brock is drawn into a high-stakes world very different to his own. From the dealers and galleries in London's West End, his investigations take him to Hanover, Miami and New York on the trail of international forgery and fraud.

At the same time, his old colleague Detective Chief Inspector Kathy Kolla, who now leads one of the Metropolitan Police Murder Investigation teams, finds herself at the wrong end of a corruption charge. With her whole career in the balance, she will do almost anything to clear her name.

My Review of The Russian Wife by Barry Maitland

The Russian Wife is the 14th book in the Brock and Kolla police procedural series, a series that has taken the pair of London police detectives through all types of turmoil and is set to challenge them again. 

David Brock has come out of retirement and is once again ensconced in the Metropolitan Police Force, but to his dismay, has been placed in the Fraud Squad. Not quite the return to Homicide that he’d hoped but feels good about the fact that he’s working again.

His first job is to attend the house of millionaire art collector Julian Babington whose wife, Nadya, has received an email claiming that her computer has been hacked and her personal details are now known. This spam email has terrified Nadya, yet she flat out refuses to allow a police technician to access her computer.

When her body is discovered the following day, recovered from a pond at a remote location the warning email takes on greater significance. 

From this start, Brock’s investigation becomes far more complicated as he finds himself wading through the world of art forgeries and fraud. There’s also some serious doubt over the true identity of Babington himself.

Meanwhile, Kathy Kolla suspects that one of the police officers under her command may be doing some vigilante work on the quiet, doling out severe justice to domestic violence offenders. The evidence that she and DS Judy Birch have gathered is pointing an accusatory finger at one of the most diligent cops on the force. But just as they’re ready to take action against the officer, both Kolla and Birch suddenly find themselves facing Professional Standards with some serious charges levelled against them.

This could very well be the end of Kolla’s career unless she can somehow prove that the charges are false.

As has almost become expected of the books in this outstanding series, the plot of The Russian Wife quickly develops from something straightforward into a far more complex situation. Both Brock and Kolla have their backs to the wall - Brock in a case that’s throwing up more twists than a Slinky and Kolla in a fight to clear her name.

Maitland’s writing style is strong and coherent and provides an interesting commentary on the art world through Brock’s thorough investigation. This artistic side of the story proved to be endlessly interesting to me, even with my limited knowledge on the subject.

Considering Brock was retired in the previous book in the series (The Promised Land) his return to the force in a new capacity seems to have breathed fresh life into the man. He’s up and about, driven by the thrill of the chase and even though he’s not particularly impressed to be on the Fraud Squad, still manages to demonstrate the razor sharp mind that challenges you as the reader to keep up.