This is one of the best debuts I have read. You can hardly believe that this is Halliday's first novel and I'm thrilled that this will be an on going series with DI Monica Kennedy as the lead. The writing was excellent and made this book a read in one sitting novel. It had me constantly on the edge of my seat with lots of twists and turns. The setting of the highlands and how Halliday incorporates this within his writing perfectly sets up a narrative and gives a atmospheric feeling of cold, dark and dangerous. I finished this novel at around midnight after starting it that afternoon and although I was satisfied with the ending, I'm looking forward to following DI Monica Kennedy on many more chilling investigations.