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Colin Campbell

Hands Off That Series, We’re British

By Colin Campbell

December 11, 2014

We’re the Sweeney son, and we haven’t had any dinner. You’ve kept us waiting. So unless you want a kickin’ you tell us where those photographs are. Detective Inspector Jack Regan knew how to make a point. If he were writing this he’d be telling you, “We’re British son, and we haven’t had our BAFTA.…

The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming

The Resurrection Factor

By Colin Campbell

August 16, 2012

“When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar.” A simple riddle that I heard the first time I think on Doctor Who. Applying the same premise to literature we could just as well ask, “When is a James Bond novel not a James Bond novel?” The answer being ever since Ian Fleming died.…

Colin Campbell at a crime scene as SOCO, back in the day!

Forensically Speaking: The Nonsense Effect

By Colin Campbell

November 2, 2011

We’ve all seen this one, or read it.  Detective assigned to the case visits the crime scene after forensics and photographers and search teams have conducted their examination of the location.  He wanders around soaking up the atmosphere and getting his head around the evidence.  Then something catches his eye.  A glint or a twinkle…

Opening Title from 1962’s Dr. No with stuntman Bob Simmons standing in as James Bond

Treasuring Every Rejection, Threat, and Backlot Bond

By Colin Campbell

June 20, 2011

As much as I love the Fleming books, I was introduced to the world of secret agent James Bond 007 in the movies. The house lights dim.  The screen goes dark.  A line of white circles marches across the blackness, accompanied by a familiar staccato beat.  One circle grows to become the rifling of a…

The Choirboys by Joseph Wambaugh

From The Choirboys to Southland – Uniform Cops Hold The Line

By Colin Campbell

June 2, 2011

“Oh honey. You got balls like an elephant and a whang like an ox.” Words to live by if you happen to be well endowed, but more importantly an example of the superb dialogue that makes Joseph Wambaugh’s novel, The Choirboys, such a treat.  That, plus the fact that it shines a light on the…

The Dark Tower Vol 1: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Great Openings: Words, Camera, Action

By Colin Campbell

May 26, 2011

 “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” Stephen King– THE DARK TOWER 1 – THE GUNSLINGER Okay.  Here’s the deal.  I love a good book and I really enjoy watching a film on the big screen.  Growing up in Yorkshire, going to the pictures was a treat you saved your…

The Wire: An English Cop’s Perspective

By Colin Campbell

May 2, 2011

That’s the job.  Shit rolls downhill.  Cops live in the valley. During my 30 years as a West Yorkshire police officer, those truisms remained steadfastly true.  Crime priorities are dictated by government and passed down to Chief Constables.  They are then spread like cow-shit fertiliser over the Divisional Commanders, Superintendents, Shift Inspectors and Sergeants.  At…

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