Deadly Game by Michael Caine (yes, the actor) is actually pretty good. Remember when Tom Hanks published his first novel? Well, this is kind of the same deal in that the guy writing is more familiar with being on screen. Both novels read like movie scripts in some ways. But again, both are pretty good, probably the name recognition helps too.
Caine’s novel is basically a cop drama with international intrigue around lost nuclear weapons. DCI Harry Taylor is the gritty copper who breaks the rules but is well loved. His team is always assigned the get-shit-done jobs, with a healthy dose of keep-quiet-about-it demands from the top. In this case, a box of uranium unceremoniously appears in an East London dump site. There’s a violent raid and the uranium disappears. DCI Taylor has a few suspects, each wild characters, and the trail takes him from London to the Barbados and back.
Some of the language feels dated. Some of DCI Taylor’s actions are dated. But overall it’s a compelling thriller. If you like Slow Horses the Shetland tv series, or police detective stories with some global issue/international intrigue, then set the bar lower but give this a go.