The Guvnor by G.F. Newman

The Guvnor
by G.F. Newman
1977, Hart-Davis, MacGibbon
1978 Panther edition

Detective Chief Superintendent John Fordham tracks a gang of robbers in hopes of implicating the high society figures that back them. His plans go sideways when a Scottish cop is killed and the police crack down hard on the London underworld.

Cynical and miserable without getting particularly sleazy. Fordham is the closest to a white hat in the book, but the premise behind his crusade doesn't ring true. If you're a royal connected corporate head making millions off crooked contracts, why would you deal with multiple cutouts to involve yourself in a mail train robbery? There was little sense to how the proceeds of the robbery would trickle up.

Also dubious is the idea of a criminal occupation of the draftsman, someone who puts the team together and plans robberies, but works for a flat fee on a contract basis for a third party. Someone in that position can just plan robberies on their own with less risk and more reward.

This was originally a screenplay, and it could have made a decent episode of the Sweeny or Target, but not enough to sustain 334 pages.

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