New tricks Season four Season four /

The old dogs of this popular and long-running BBC television series are retired Metropolitan Police Service detectives who were recruited to assist in the unit's open case squad. Reporting to Detective Super-intendent Sandra Pullman, played by Amanda Redman, the three officers draw on extensive past experiences and connections while applying both traditional and modern policing methods to get to the bottom of long-unsolved crimes. Gerry is the three-times divorced womanizer; widower Jack serves as Sandra's mentor, and borderline obsessive-compulsive Brian battles bouts of depression. Following a successful British mystery series formula, each of the eight episodes here is well written and well acted, featuring guest and recurring appearances by both new and familiar British actors. Although the series began airing in Britain in 2004, North American viewers who have not seen earlier seasons will quickly come to enjoy and be entertained by the London setting, the gradual development of main and supplementary characters, and the lightly comedic touches that characterize the show. Recommended.-Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.