"Book 'im Danno!"

Spotted through the window of Steelhouse Lane Police Station in central Birmingham yesterday: The Complete Inspector Morse Collection.

A light read for quiet nights down the nick, or something much more significant? Is a well-thumbed Morse mystery yanked off the reference shelves when CID are at a loss for leads and in desperate need of pointers? "Hmmm, what would Morse do?" "Hang on - I remember a bit in 'The Secret Of Annexe 3' that might just help us out here..."

One thing's for sure: Aston, Newtown and Perry Barr might not resemble the leafy villages of Oxfordshire, but there are certainly plenty of murder mysteries to be solved.

Next week: the surgeons of the nearby Birmingham Children's Hospital are seen crowded round 'Holby City' learning new techniques.