London Falling Read online

  five by fives – a grading system with which analysts assess the importance and reliability of intelligence

  Flying Squad – mobile detective unit within the Met

  FME – Force Medical Examiner, the on-call doctor covering several police stations

  Grindr – gay dating website

  Hendon – location of the police college

  39 Hilldrop Crescent – home of infamous murderer Dr Crippen

  I2 link chart – analysis tool to show links within criminal organizations

  IBO – Integrated Borough Operations, a police department within a borough, which handles communications and gives out pocket books

  ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ – a song associated with West Ham Football Club

  Intelligence Cycle – a standard model of how intelligence is processed in professional organizations

  the Irons – nickname for West Ham Football Club

  kettling – police crowd-control tactic of isolating groups of protest marchers and containing them

  Kojack – police slang term for an electrical socket only found on the dashboards of police vehicles

  marked car – a police car with police insignia on it. An unmarked car is a car without insignia

  Metvest – body armour that also identifies the wearer as an officer in the London Metropolitan Police

  NDNAD – the United Kingdom National DNA Database

  Nagra – an outdated form of undercover recording device

  National Intelligence Model – a formal declaration of how intelligence should be applied to policing

  OCN – an organized criminal network, a gang

  OCU – Operational Command Unit, a division of police forces not on a geographical basis

  Professional Standards – the department of the London Metropolitan Police that deals with police wrongdoing and corruption

  PRO-FIT – software that lets a witness build up an image of a suspect’s face

  punt – slang term for a bet or a liaison with a prostitute

  10 Rillington Place – home of infamous murderer John Christie

  RV point – rendezvous point

  SCD 4 – the police department that examines the scene of the crime

  SCD 7(2) – the police department that deals with special projects within Serious and Organized Crime

  SCD 10 – the police department that runs undercover operations

  Shebeen – an illegal and unlicensed bar, usually in a private house

  shout – paramedic and fire service slang for a call out

  SOCO – a Scene of Crime Officer

  spod – slang term for an intellectual

  the thirty-three boroughs – all the boroughs that together make up Greater London

  tom – slang term for a prostitute

  Tyburn Tree – the gibbet where criminals were hanged, in what is now central London

  UC – undercover police detective

  Acknowledgements

  I’ve been helped by a great many people in writing this book, a number of whom chose not to be named, being serving undercover police officers and intelligence analysts. Where I’ve got it wrong, or used artistic licence (for instance in keeping Gipsy Hill police station open and hugely increasing its size) the fault is mine, not theirs. Decades ago, these characters were first created for a television series pitch overseen by the tremendous talents of Steven Moffat and Beryl and Sue Vertue. The story has changed out of all recognition since those days, but their support and encouragement remain, and I owe them many thanks.

  I’d particularly like to thank my editors Julie Crisp, for a life-changing set of notes, and Bella Pagan, for her continual good stewardship, as well as Chloe Healy, the publicity genius. I couldn’t be happier to be part of Team Tor. And this book wouldn’t have happened at all without the support and friendship of my agent, Simon Kavanagh.

  I’d also like to thank:

  Rob Appleby; Ali Blackburn; ‘DC B’ of the Specialist Crime Directorate; Liam Brison; Tracy and Darren at the Faringdon Coffee House; Cerys Clarke; Rev. Sheena Cleaton; Hywel Clifford; Simon Colenutt; Jessica Cuthbert-Smith; Robert Dick; Jac Farrow; ‘SJG’; David Gifford; Toby Hadoke; Joanne Hall; Jennifer Heddle; Lyn Holmes; Simon Holmes; Tom Hunter; Fazana Saleem-Ismail; ‘JPL’; Matthew Kilburn; Paul Kirkley; Peter Lavery; Rabbi Markus A. Lange; Tony and Tracy Lee; Patricia MacEwen; Seanan McGuire; Mike Maddox; Inspector Dick Malcolm; Laurie Mann; Harry Markos; David Matthams; Ian Mond; Mike Perkins; Rabbi Danny Rich; Claire Ridgway of www.theanneboleynfiles.com; Al Robertson; Guy Robinson; Graham Sleight; Chief Inspector Andrew Smith and ‘T’.

  About the Author

  Paul Cornell has written some of Doctor Who’s best-loved episodes for the BBC. He has also written on a number of comic book series for Marvel and DC, including X-men and Batman and Robin. He has been Hugo Award-nominated for his work in TV, comics and prose, and won the BSFA Award for his short fiction. London Falling is his first urban fantasy novel.

  First published 2012 by Tor

  This electronic edition published 2012 by Tor

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

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  ISBN 978-0-230-076506-1 EPUB

  Copyright © Paul Cornell 2012

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