An epic first crime novel very much in the Tartan noir mould.
This is very dark crime thriller which is not for the faint hearted as the environment and the culture of the Highlands are the setting for what are a series of grisly murders that are to be investigated by DI Kennedy and her team. While Kennedy is an experienced officer who has gained rank through investigating murders in Glasgow and elsewhere she is newly returned to her home town of Inverness with her daughter to be near her mother. Her history of growing up around the major crime family of Inverness and suspicions that one of them was imprisoned due to her “fitting him up”, adds to the tension of the story. Of her colleagues in the Major Investigation Team one is new to the police and one new to the team and as a team they have not gelled as yet.
Added into the mix is a social worker who it can safely be said is on the verge of a breakdown and who has his own family history that impacts both on his work and ultimately on his ability to help DI Kennedy in the investigations of the murders.
What follows is a fast paced police procedural with the team trying to find the person(s) responsible for the murder of a number of boys. It is full of false leads and while the main characters are developed to a degree this is not put in the way of the story and can be further developed in future books of which I am sure there will be many.
There were times that I had to suspend reality – how could a social worker miss work for several days – but that is the nature of fiction and reality is supposed to be suspended to a degree.
I am sure that Halliday will soon be mentioned in the same sentence as Jardine, Rankin and McDermid.
Added into the mix is a social worker who it can safely be said is on the verge of a breakdown and who has his own family history that impacts both on his work and ultimately on his ability to help DI Kennedy in the investigations of the murders.
What follows is a fast paced police procedural with the team trying to find the person(s) responsible for the murder of a number of boys. It is full of false leads and while the main characters are developed to a degree this is not put in the way of the story and can be further developed in future books of which I am sure there will be many.
There were times that I had to suspend reality – how could a social worker miss work for several days – but that is the nature of fiction and reality is supposed to be suspended to a degree.
I am sure that Halliday will soon be mentioned in the same sentence as Jardine, Rankin and McDermid.