Taggart... Columbo... The Sweeney... Spender

Cops on the box have become some of the highest rated TV series all over the world. In this outstanding collection, Peter Haining has assembled stories about the most famous and long-running of these police series, ranging from the earliest black and white episodes of cult favourites such as The Fugitive to major features such as Cagney and Lacey, Inspector Alleyn and, the most recent addition to their ranks, the formidable Chief Inspector Jane Tennison of Prime Suspect.

Here is half a century of crimebusters complete with full information about the series they inspired and the actors who have made them famous. The perfect companion to Peter Haining's earlier bestselling collection, The Armchair Detective, this is a collection no television crime buff should be without.