September 5

Perfect Silence – Helen Fields

When silence falls, who will hear their cries?

The body of a young girl is found dumped on the roadside on the outskirts of Edinburgh. When pathologists examine the remains, they make a gruesome discovery: the silhouette of a doll carved in the victim’s skin.

DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach are struggling to find leads in the case, until a doll made of skin is found nestled beside an abandoned baby.

After another young woman is found butchered, Luc and Ava realise the babydoll killer is playing a horrifying game. And it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again. Can they stop another victim from being silenced forever – or is it already too late?

 

My thanks to Sabah at Avon Books for my review copy and the opportunity to join the blog tour.

 

Death, Taxes and a brilliant Luc Callanach book from Helen Fields…the certainties of life!

Perfect Silence was as dark, twisted and unflinching as I had hoped it would be. The “Perfect” series is very well named and Perfect Silence reaffirmed why these books are always the first series I will recommend when I am asked “What should I be reading?”

Dark days in Edinburgh when the body of a young woman is found on a roadside. Badly mutilated yet abandoned while she was still alive, the girl has had sections of her skin cut out of her abdomen – the missing skin forms the shape of a doll.

With no obvious clues (and no leads for the police to follow) a second woman disappears. Her young baby is found abandoned and inside the baby’s pram is a doll made from human skin.

Realising that time is against them Luc and Eva (along with the increasingly brilliant supporting characters) confront the possibility that a sadistic serial killer is operating in their city.

Ava’s attentions are divided by a spate of attacks on Edinburgh’s homeless drug users. A new variant of the drug Spice is debilitating users and turning them into shambling zombies, oblivious to their environment. Someone has been “branding” these catatonic users and slashing a deep cut into their cheek. As the victim count rises we see the damage increasing too.

Ava is under pressure from her boss to deliver results, not least because her boss feels Ava could threaten her position. No spoilers here but this storyline was a highlight of my reading year!

Everything was great in Perfect Silence. A really nasty murder spree. A strong and unpleasant second string of attacks. A squad room at Police Scotland of likeable and engaging characters and the wonderfully compelling writing of Helen Fields keeping the action going to the very last page.

I look forward to these books more than any other. If you are not already reading Helen Fields then I am sorry to say you are really missing out.

 

Perfect Silence is published by Avon Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Silence-Callanach-Crime-Thriller-ebook/dp/B079KMDGDV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536086379&sr=8-1&keywords=helen+fields

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May 10

Fault Lines – Doug Johnstone

A little lie … a seismic secret … and the cracks are beginning to show…

In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, where a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new volcano in the Firth of Forth, and where tremors are an everyday occurrence, volcanologist Surtsey makes a shocking discovery.

On a clandestine trip to new volcanic island The Inch, to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, she finds his lifeless body, and makes the fatal decision to keep their affair, and her discovery, a secret. Desperate to know how he died, but also terrified she’ll be exposed, Surtsey’s life quickly spirals into a nightmare when someone makes contact – someone who claims to know what she’s done…

 

My thanks to Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne for inviting me to join the blog tour

There is a volcano in Edinburgh and it has changed the lives of all the residents of the capital. Earth tremors are commonplace and the unexpected arrival of a new volcanic isle at the edge of the city means that the scientific community have an exciting and unexpected new area to investigate.

Surtsey is a volcanologist and she is studying The Inch, on an evening trip to the new island she plans to meet her lover Tom (who is also Surtsey’s boss).  However, all her plans are unexpectedly changed when she discovers Tom’s body. There can be no doubt that Tom was murdered so Surtsey decides to head home and not report the crime. Nobody knows about their relationship and Surtsey did not tell anyone she was traveling to The Inch, if she can keep her head down then she may be able to keep her part in Tom’s life a secret.

Unfortunately for Surtsey this is not going to happen. Someone knows she and Tom were sleeping together and it is not long before the secret is out. The police will come calling, Tom’s widow is convinced Surtsey is the killer and Surtsey’s boyfriend doesn’t react well to the news either.

Her world is falling apart and Surtsey needs to rely upon her friends and family but there can be no respite their either.  Her mother is in final stages of terminal cancer, her sister and mother barely speak and Surtsey feels she is intermediary between the two at a time when every conversation is strained and challenging. Surtsey can see her mother slipping away and is struggling to cope.

Fault Lines is a murder, mystery while Tom’s killer remains free.  However there is so much more depth to Doug Johnstone’s story as the human drama of Surtsey’s struggle plays out too, the chapters with her mother are quite distressing in places as the reader shares Surtsey’s anguish at seeing her rock diminishing in front of her eyes.

I thoroughly enjoyed Fault Lines, the story flows wonderfully and the characters are deep and engaging. A book which draws you into the lives of the characters and you just want to keep reading to see how the story unfolds.

 

Fault Lines is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fault-Lines-Doug-Johnstone/dp/1912374153/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1525901181&sr=1-1

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April 27

Songs By Dead Girls – Lesley Kelly

 

When Scotland’s leading virologist goes missing, Mona and Paterson from the Health Enforcement Team are dispatched to London to find him. In a hot and unwelcoming city, Mona has to deal with a boss who isn’t speaking to her, placate the Professor’s over-bearing assistant, and outwit the people who will stop at nothing to make sure the academic stays lost.

Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Bernard is searching for a missing prostitute, while Maitland is trying to keep the Chair of the Parliamentary Virus Committee from finding out quite how untidy the HET office is.

 

My thanks to Ruth Killick for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

 

Songs By Dead Girls takes the reader back to Lesley Kelly’s virus riddled depiction of Edinburgh first encountered in the fabulous The Health of Strangers.  I was a huge fan of THoS when I read it last year (my review is here) so I was delighted to hear Lesley was re-visiting the dystopian world she had created.

Life in Edinburgh is not too dissimilar to our reality, but a terrible virus has had devastating impact upon the population and regular health screenings are required to ensure everyone remains virus-free.  The HET guys are tasked with ensuring people attend their screenings and chasing down potential defaulters.  Songs By Dead Girls they face a significant challenge as the primary expert on the virus has vanished just ahead of his scheduled check-up.  He is due to make a presentation to the Scottish Parliament so his absence will soon be noticed – can the HET track down their missing expert without the media finding out what they are up to?

The constant threat of the virus hangs over all characters but it is fascinating to see people adapting quickly and viewing the danger as a frustration – totally believable. The story balances the HET duties and responsibilities with their family/personal lives too. These “away from work” scenes make the characters come to life for me, they are more than the day job and they have loved ones, problems and loneliness to contend with too – that engagement and buy in will keep me returning for more pages, another chapter.

Songs By Dead Girls was a brilliant read. It was fun, suitably puzzling, had several engaging plot threads which kept my attention and I love the dysfunctional HET family – they range from competent to bonkers and are so entertaining.  Following their growth and development over the two books has been a treat and now that I know there is scope for more HET stories I really hope that this will happen (please).

If you enjoy a twisty thriller with engaging characters then Songs By Dead Girls is an absolute must read. I love this twisted world that Lesley Kelly has created and she delivers the fun along while also keeping an undercurrent of danger for her wonderful cast.

 

Songs By Dead Girls is published by Sandstone Press and is available in digital and paperback format. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Girls-Health-Strangers-Thriller-ebook/dp/B076WDH824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524854543&sr=8-1&keywords=lesley+kelly

 

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February 25

Evidence of Death – Peter Ritchie

Billy Nelson is back home in battle-scarred Belfast. But the Troubles have cut this ex-Army Loyalist hard man deep – and now that his city’s allegiances have shifted, nothing is quite the same.

An outbreak of gang violence forces Billy to move on. This time to Edinburgh, where he muscles in on the capital’s drug trade and the family who run it. As the balance of power tips, underworld rivalries between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast spill out onto the streets.

With a spate of horrific incidents and a trail of victims, the pressure is mounting for Grace Macallan, new superintendent of the Crime & Counter Terrorism Directorate. Troubled by her own demons and with everyone baying for the blood of Billy Nelson and his old paramilitary contacts, can Grace hold her nerve?

My thanks to Lina at Black and White for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

 

Edinburgh is about to become a battleground as a new gang aim to muscle their way into the city and take over the top spot among the city drug suppliers. As Edinburgh already had a family at the top of the pecking order who were supplying drugs to their needy customers it is safe to assume that things are going to get messy.

Billy Nelson grew up in Belfast. He hated Catholics and, after a life defining incident as a child, he wants to devote his time hurting as many Catholics as he can. His intelligence and focus comes to the attention of the head of Belfast’s most influential crime family.  He identifies Billy as a resource to be harnessed and encourages the boy to join the army and learn new skills which he can bring back to Belfast in future. Billy agrees and as readers pick up events in Evidence of Death, Billy is home from the army, discharged after an incident which made it impossible to remain in service. He is changed but remains an angry, focused and dangerous individual.

Billy’s return to Belfast is attracting the wrong sort of attention and he is brought back before the kingpin of Belfast’s underworld and given a choice – head to Edinburgh and set up as the new drug suppliers…or die. Billy heads to Scotland, armed and ready to take out any competition.

What follows, Billy and his gang finding a path to challenge the incumbent suppliers, was gripping, at times harrowing and was what the phrase “page turner” was made for. The callous brutality of their path to power, contrasted brilliantly by the author with the lives they are destroying to there, was terrific.

Although the book is part of the Grace Macallen series (book 2) she very much takes a back seat for the first third of the story.  There is no requirement to have read the first book (Cause of Death) as all the backstory is nicely threaded through Evidence but we know Grace is enjoying some much needed rest and recuperation. While she rests the story is building up the various bad guys so that Grace returns from her break as all Hell is about to be unleashed on her turf.

Evidence of Death was a delight to read. It is brutal in places, melancholy in others, the characters so well defined that it made the impact of their respective fates more meaningful for the reader.   There are more books to come from Peter Ritchie and Grace’s story will continue – these are stories you should be reading.

 

Evidence of Death is published by Black & White Publishing and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evidence-Death-Detective-Grace-Macallan-ebook/dp/B079YLC9M1/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1519556336&sr=1-2

Be aware that Evidence of Death is a revised edition and was previously published as The Shortest Days of the Year

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January 25

Perfect Death – Helen Fields

There’s no easy way to die….

Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.

But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task….

 

My thanks to Sabah at Avon for my review copy and for the opportunity to launch the Perfect Death blog tour.

 

By the time I hit “publish” on this review Perfect Death will be in shops and available to download. Buy a copy now…this is a brilliant book.

Luc Callanach and Ava Turner are back for a third outing. Happy Days.

Perfect Death feels much more like an Ava story. Luc is still very much present so panic not! Events early in the story (no spoilers) lead to a shock revelation. Ava wants to investigate and find answers to questions she never imagined she would be asking yet she cannot let anyone else know what she is looking into. This dilemma means Ava will work solo and cannot rely upon Luc’s council or support. What she has to face (alone) is bigger and more dangerous than she could have imagined.

Luc is tasked with investigating the death of a young woman who died as a result of a drug overdose. Her naked body was found on a grassy hillside in the heart of the Edinburgh but her family are adamant she would never have taken drugs.

A second suspicious death gives a suspicion that foul play is involved. However, with virtually no similarities in the cases the connection between the two deaths so tenuous Ava’s boss will not entertain the notion that there is a calculating serial killer working in Edinburgh.

Following events in Perfect Prey Ava is now Luc’s boss and the shift in dynamic of their relationship is fun. Still friends, but with Luc being deferential to Ava’s rank, the pair seem almost seem less assured in each other’s company. I have really enjoyed the “Moonlighting-esk” relationship between the two lead characters and Perfect Death only adds to the intrigue.

Moonlighting…it was a big deal in the 80’s – just go with it.

I cannot say enough good things about the Luc Callanach books.  If you love crime fiction and are not reading Helen Fields then you are missing out on one of the best new voices in your favourite genre.

 

Perfect Death is published by Avon books and is avaialbe in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Death-bestseller-Callanach-Thriller-ebook/dp/B077MNKFTL/ref=la_B006M3SPSS_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516824675&sr=1-3

 

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December 19

The Deathwatch Journal – Ian Rankin

A gripping original story for BBC Radio 4 by award-winning crime writer Ian Rankin, written for the landmark Radio 4 Book at Bedtime.

Saughton Prison, Edinburgh, 1962.

Prison guard Thomas Scott watches over a condemned man sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife.

His prisoner is a guilty man, that’s for sure. William Telfer has done enough bad things in his life. And Scott has been in his job long enough to know that guilty men often proclaimed their innocence right up until the moment the noose was placed around their necks. But as they wait out the days until his execution, Scott begins to suspect that Telfer is innocent of this murder.

An innocent man could be hanged by the neck until dead. And his jailer doesn’t know what to do about it….

To find out the truth, Scott must explore Edinburgh’s darkest corners. And he is running out of time.

 

My thanks to Helena at Penguin Random House for a review copy of the audiobook.

 

The Deathwatch Journal was written for BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and it is perfectly pitched – both for the audience and also for the intended hour of listening.

The story of a condemned man, William Telfer, who has been found guilty of murdering his wife and is sentenced to hang in 1960’s Edinburgh. The story is also that of his guard, Thomas Scott, who spends time with Telfer and begins to question whether his prisoner is really guilty of the crime for which he is due to hang.

Despite being a murder tale there is no graphic violence and not explosive set pieces. We follow Thomas Scott to his work where he will chat with Telfer (who tries to elicit information from Scott to learn more about his guard) and Scott records Telfer’s disposition, activities and diet in a Deathwatch Journal.

As the two men chat Scott becomes less inclined to believe Telfer may be guilty of murder. He starts a private investigation, looking into some elements of Telfer’s trial which left unanswered questions. His digging will cause ripples and it is not too long before awkward conversations will take place with individuals who are quite happy to see Telfer hang.

The story plays out in very enjoyable fashion and the 1.25 hour running time slipped away all too quickly. Away from the prison we get a look at Scott’s personal life and a nostalgic nod to the 1960’s lifesyles and the exciting prospect of a “new town” being built to the West of Edinburgh.

The Deathwatch Journal is narrated by Jimmy Chisholm and his voice lends its-self perfectly to the tale. The tough guys from Edinburgh’s harder days are suitably intimidating.  Thomas Scott comes across as an amiable likeable character and Mr Chisholm comfortably manages  (where other narrators have not fared so well) to give all the characters their own “voice”.

I listened to the Deathwatch Journal without reading the blurb beforehand and enjoyed the mystery of the tale – the afterward was also an unexpected surprise which made me appreciate the story even more (cryptic – but sorry…no spoilers).

Ideal late night listening and well worth setting aside a couple of evenings to enjoy The Deathwatch Journal.

 

The Deathwatch Journal is published by Penguin Random House and Licensed by BBC Worldwide Ltd.  It is available on CD or as an Audible download here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deathwatch-Journal-Original-Story-Radio/dp/B0759Z6L3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513640372&sr=8-1&keywords=deathwatch+journal

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November 25

Perfect Remains – Helen Fields

On a remote Highland mountain, the body of Elaine Buxton is burning. All that will be left to identify the respected lawyer are her teeth and a fragment of clothing.

In the concealed back room of a house in Edinburgh, the real Elaine Buxton screams into the darkness…

Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine’s missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he’s eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine’s killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care.

It’s not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes … The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined.

 

My thanks to Avon Books for my review copy

Earlier this year I reviewed Perfect Prey by Helen Fields.  I liked that book (a lot) and gave it a five star review.  Before I read Perfect Prey I had read Perfect Remains, the book which introduced Luc Callanach, but as I read it while I was on vacation I did not get a chance to write up a review.  Time to catch up…

I Love, Love, Love Perfect Remains.

Helen Fields introduces Luc Callanach to Edinburgh – he is trying to rebuild a career after a scandal at work has forced him to leave France and settle in Scotland.  Callanach is half French and half Scottish and seemingly 100% drop-dead gorgeous – he will fit right in at Police Scotland.

Watching Callanach settle into his new surroundings and face down the battles against new colleagues (who are trying to exert their own claim to be the station’s Alpha Male) was great fun. He needs to prove his ability to a hostile crowd and can only rely upon the support of his fellow DI – Ava Turner.

Luc is thrown in at the deep end when a missing persons investigation becomes a murder case. The body of Elaine Buxton has been found in the hills, dental records confirming the charred remains are that of the missing woman.  However, the reader knows that Elaine Buxton is not dead – she has been hidden in a deep, dark backroom of a house in Edinburgh. If nobody is looking for Elaine then what hope does she have for rescue?

This is a phenomenal introduction to a new character and one of the stand-out reads of 2017. I raced through Perfect Remains, rolled immediately into Perfect Prey and I cannot wait until Luc Callanach returns in Perfect Death.  So, so good.

 

Perfect Remains is published by Avon Books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Remains-gripping-breathless-Callanach-ebook/dp/B01D4WRF9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511637645&sr=1-1&keywords=perfect+remains

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August 3

Perfect Prey – Helen Fields

Welcome to Edinburgh. Murder capital of Europe.

In the middle of a rock festival, a charity worker is sliced across the stomach. He dies minutes later. In a crowd of thousands, no one saw his attacker.

The following week, the body of a primary school teacher is found in a dumpster in an Edinburgh alley, strangled with her own woollen scarf.

D.I. Ava Turner and D.I. Luc Callanach have no leads and no motive – until around the city, graffitied on buildings, words appear describing each victim.

It’s only when they realise the words are being written before rather than after the murders, that they understand the killer is announcing his next victim…and the more innocent the better.

 

My thanks to Sabah at Avon for a review copy of Perfect Prey and the chance to join the tour.

 

One day.

A single day.

I started Perfect Prey at 8.30am this morning in a Starbucks coffee shop and at 11.58pm this evening (well now yesterday evening) I finished the last chapter. It was fantastic. I am enjoying a summer where I seem to be only choosing great books to read but Perfect Prey has been a wonderful high point.

Luc Callanach was first introduced in Perfect Remains – he arrived in Edinburgh from France where he had worked for Interpol. Luc now works for Police Scotland, his arrival and the problems which forced his move to Scotland are covered in Perfect Remains – reading the books in order is recommended but not essential.

If you are a fan of crime fiction then reading both books IS essential. Helen Fields is making Edinburgh a very nasty place to be and I am loving her work. Her tales are dark, the crimes that Callanach is called to investigate are both graphic and disturbing and I found both Perfect books utterly gripping.

In Perfect Prey Edinburgh is rocked by a series of high profile brutal killings. Over a very short space of time 3 vicious deaths have shocked the residents of the capital and the reputation of the city world-wide is suffering. Pressure is placed on Callanach and his colleague, Ava Turner, to come up with results (and fast). What is not helping is the presence of an old flame of Ava’s. He is also a cop – up from London to work on a high profile tech/internet operation, his presence unsettles Callanach as the two do not hit it off. It also disrupts the effective working relationship that Callanach and Turner had established.  With the two at loggerheads the investigations stutter – they are reliant upon their colleagues to keep communications flowing.

With little progress being made and more lives in danger, Callanach reaches out to two contacts from outwith the Police. By going off radar and involving civilians he risks his career but who can he really trust when vital information from the investigations is leaking to the press?

I want to tell you about evil murderers. I want to discuss Luc and Ava. I want to share all the great twists and that terrible thing that happened….but they would all be spoilers and you really need to find them out for yourself. What I really need is for it to be January 2018 so I can read the next book.

Perfect Prey is a must read. The Callanach books are already firmly established as a series I want to follow. Don’t let these books pass you by – brilliant, brilliant stories.

 

Perfect Prey is published by Avon and is available now in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Prey-DI-Callanach-Thriller/dp/0008181586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501715565&sr=8-1&keywords=helen+fields

Follow the tour

 

 

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June 17

The Health of Strangers – Lesley Kelly

The Health of StrangersNobody likes the North Edinburgh Health Enforcement Team, least of all the people who work for it. An uneasy mix of seconded Police and health service staff, Mona, Bernard and their colleagues stem the spread of the Virus, a mutant strain of influenza, by tracking down people who have missed their monthly health check. Now two young female students are missing, raising question after question for the HET. Why were they drinking in a biker’s bar? Who are the mysterious Children of Camus cult? And why is the German government interfering in the investigation? Mona and Bernard need to fight their way through lies and intrigue, and find the missing girls – before anyone else does.

My thanks to Keara at Sandstone for my review copy

 

Meet the North Edinburgh HET.

The HET?

Well that would be the Health Enforcement Team, an agency set up in the aftermath of a viral outbreak which has caused the loss of millions of lives around the world. More on that in a second…

The Health Enforcement Team are our focus in The Health of Strangers and they are an endearing dysfunctional lot. Mona was a cop who was offered the opportunity to move to HET to make a name for herself but was she perhaps shunted off to keep her out the road?  Her colleagues Bernard and Maitland also have secrets in their background or their home life so collectively they may not come across as a well-oiled unit.  The conflicts and insecurities in the team does give Lesley Kelly plenty of opportunity to get some great dialogue going between her characters – love a bit of bickering between colleagues to lighten the mood!

So the virus – a flu strain which mutated. The first wave contaminated many of the population but lots of people recovered (albeit after much discomfort). But the virus mutated and the next wave claimed many lives – those that had contracted flu in the first viral wave developed an immunity but it also meant they saw friends and loved ones die when  the virus returned in its mutated form.

Society changed, some people turned to religion (new Chapters within the churches were formed), pregnancy increased the risk of dying from the virus, different countries adapted better to controlling and containing the spread of the disease. But everyone is now required to attend regular health screenings to ensure they are not unknowingly carrying the virus – miss a screening and you are reported to the HET who are expected to find you and take appropriate action to minimize any potential contamination risks.

I really enjoyed The Health of Strangers. The dystopian setting is nicely balanced not too bleak but Edinburgh is clearly a changed city. There has been an horrific event but life still continues – but it continues differently for the survivors.  People are adaptable and the human resilience shines through but they will be suffering and their grief will channel rage and distrust – characterization will make or break a story like this and Lesley Kelly has absolutely nailed it.

I realise that I haven’t even mentioned the missing girls – the ones that have missed their Health Check, the girls that the HET are tasked with finding. The missing girls will the team busy (and frustrated) and this is the crime story at the core of the book, the investigation is well constructed and there are all the distractions and unreliable witnesses to challenge the team.

So The Health of Strangers is a crime thriller in a dystopian and ravaged Edinburgh with a great cast and the pages which virtually turned themselves.  I bloody loved it.

 

The Health of Strangers is published by Sandstone Press and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Health-Strangers-Plague-Lesley-Kelly/191098566X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497565274&sr=8-1&keywords=lesley+kelly

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March 20

Written in Bones – James Oswald

Written in BonesWhen a body is found in a tree in The Meadows, Edinburgh’s scenic parkland, the forensics suggest the corpse has fallen from a great height.

Detective Inspector Tony McLean wonders whether it was an accident, or a murder designed to send a chilling message?

The dead man had led quite a life: a disgraced ex-cop turned criminal kingpin who reinvented himself as a celebrated philanthropist.

As McLean traces the victim’s journey, it takes him back to Edinburgh’s past, and through its underworld – crossing paths with some of its most dangerous and most vulnerable people.

And waiting at the end of it all, is the truth behind a crime that cuts to the very heart of the city…

 

My thanks to Laura at Penguin for my review copy

A new Tony McLean novel from James Oswald is always met with great anticipation here at Grab This Book. I am a big fan of this series and love the balance that the author finds between cracking police procedural but with a dark, and sometimes supernatural, edge to the stories.

Written in Bones is the 7th title to feature Tony McLean, knowing the back story helps but is not essential – new readers can easily pick up the series without worry of too many spoilers and will not be overwhelmed with confusing links to past events. One of the things I enjoy most about James Oswald’s books is how accessible they are, the stories all flow really well and are nicely paced.

From the very first pages of Written in Bones I was hooked. A body is discovered in The Meadows, a pleasant park in Edinburgh city centre. However, the body is stuck high in a tree and it appears to have fallen out of the sky.  The only possible witness to the crime is a young boy who was walking his dog around The Meadows early in the morning. Unfortunately for McLean and his colleagues he does not appear to be the most reliable source for information as he maintains that he saw a dragon flying over the park at the time the body would have fallen into the tree.

Further investigation will reveal the young witness is the son of one of Edinburgh’s more notorious characters  – someone very well known to the police. Could this simply be a coincidence or does the child’s presence link to crimes committed by his father?  This element of an investigation could prove potentially tricky to some of McLean’s colleagues and Tony will be required to play politics around the station.

Although McLean can be a bit of a loose cannon at times, in Written in Bones there are new colleagues in the station and McLean will have to spend some of his time managing a team. The interaction between McLean and the younger, less experienced officers added a fun new angle to the story and I hope that we get to see a bit more of Tony in “mentor” mode.

Away from the mysterious body in a tree, Tony is also finding himself at a number of properties which have been subject to a break-in. He is pulled around the city and his investigations will leave someone unhappy – powerful people will not want the police sniffing around their operations. Back to that political pressure – Tony’s bosses will try to clip his wings and restrict his resources…can he find a way to make his already stretched team focus on more than one investigation?

I had great fun reading Written in Bones, it’s nice to be able to pick up a book which I know will entertain me and it did not fail to deliver the thrills and excitement that I look forward to in James Oswald’s writing. This has been a richly rewarding series thus far and Written in Bones only enhances the Tony McLean collection.

 

Written  in Bones is published by Michael Joseph and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Written-Bones-Inspector-McLean-7/dp/0718183673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489962099&sr=8-1&keywords=james+oswald

 

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