Dangerous Davies, the last detective - Leslie Thomas

As plain-clothes men go, Dangerous Davies looks like a non-starter.
The small fry of petty larceny and minor disturbances in the backwaters of north-west London are his daily round.
His philosophising Welsh drinking companion Mod, his outsized and unruly dog Kitty, his quarrels with his landlady Mrs Fulljames - none of these bodes well for the efficient solving of crimes and the outwitting of villainy.
But Davies is encouraged by his beautiful friend Jemma, and every so often he stumbles upon something really big.