Salamander by Roger Silverwood

A group of British soldiers "liberate" a priceless jewel from one of the deserted palaces of Sadam Husein and smuggle it to England then one of their number winds up dead. Retired Inspector Frank Spence is brought back to head the enquiry. The plot is not that original but then whose plots are these days after decades of detective stories. The book is carried by a pacy narrative suffused with dry humour. A good deckchair book.