See Them Run – Marion Todd
In a famous Scottish town, someone is bent on murder – but why?
On the night of a wedding celebration, one guest meets a grisly end when he’s killed in a hit-and-run. A card bearing the number ‘5’ has been placed on the victim’s chest. DI Clare Mackay, who recently moved from Glasgow to join the St Andrews force, leads the investigation. The following night another victim is struck down and a number ‘4’ card is at the scene. Clare and her team realise they’re against the clock to find a killer stalking the streets of the picturesque Scottish town and bent on carrying out three more murders.
To prevent further deaths, the police have to uncover the link between the victims. But those involved have a lot more at stake than first meets the eye. If Clare wants to solve the case she must face her own past and discover the deepest secrets of the victims – and the killer.
My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour. I reviewed a pre-ordered purchased copy.
I make no secret of the fact I love Scottish crime thrillers and I leapt at the chance of joining the See Them Run blog tour. I am so glad I did and that I didn’t let this book sit too long in my TBR pile! Marion Todd introduces DI Clare Mackay – a Glasgow cop who has left the big city and headed East to switch coasts to take up a new position in St Andrews. I got totally caught up in this one and I love when I lose myself to a story.
Now I hold Glasgow very close to my heart (and after visiting their university I turned down the chance to study at St Andrews) so my first thought was “Why would Clare make that move?” But she has a very good reason to relocate as Clare is trying to get a fresh start. The reason for her move is brought out as the story unfolds and Marion Todd builds up Clare’s back story in a steady stream of nicely paced reveals. DI Mackay is one of the more memorable and likeable lead characters I have encountered of late.
I am jumping ahead – you can’t have a good crime thriller without a crime or two to investigate. See Them Run opens at the end of a Scottish wedding. The band are pulling up the dancers to join in the Orcadian Strip The Willow (a real crowd pleaser) but Andy Robb doesn’t fancy it. His wife is dragging up a stranger to dance with her so Andy is free to ponder who may have just sent him a flirty text message. The messages continue and Andy is lured out into the night – as a man with an eye for the ladies this is not an opportunity he can miss. Sadly his murderer will not miss either and Andy is plowed down by an onrushing car.
DI Mackay is called to investigate – there can be no doubt that Andy is dead but the police cannot work out why a white card with a number 5 written on it is sitting on his body. Before too long there is a second death and a card with number 4. The connection between the deaths cannot be ignored but there is no obvious connection between the victims. Clare and her colleagues will have their work cut out and we get to join their investigation as they race against time to try and prevent further deaths.
Marion Todd has written an engrossing and cleverly plotted thriller. I am a big fan of police procedurals and I loved that I got to follow Clare’s investigation without having too much knowledge of who the killer may be or what motivated them. By the time I had reached the endgame I was in a story I could not have anticipated after the first few opening chapters.
Strong start for DI Mackay and I hope to have the chance to pick up her next outing very soon – if it is even half as good as See Them Run then I will be in for a treat.
See Them Run is published by Canelo and is available now in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07X6GLQ3Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
