📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Unforgiven Dead by Fulton Ross

 

Inkshares
27 July 2023

My thanks to the publishers and to Laura Sherlock for my copy of this book

You could have saved her. Sure as the tide against his Highland shores, the refrain beats into Constable Angus ‘Dubh’ MacNeil’s mind. For years it has haunted him, accompanied by the faces of those he could not save—the Burned Man, the Strangled Woman, the Drowned Boy. All witnesses to a secret he cannot share and a gift he now refuses to embrace. 

You could have saved her. The refrain drives Angus to the seashore at dawn, where a girl lies on the unblemished sand. She wears a green cloak and cradles a corps creadha , a Highland voodoo doll. She has suffered a ritualistic, three-fold death—her head bludgeoned, her throat cut, and symbolically drowned. 

It is Faye Chichester, daughter of an American billionaire whose mission to reintroduce wolves to the Highlands has embroiled the village of Glenruig. But even as media and police swarm the area, that refrain— you could have saved her —echoes in all Angus’s thoughts. For he carries a burden, a blessing, a curse, a secret— dà-shealladh , the second sight of Gaelic lore. Gills MacMurdo, noted folklorist, academic, and Angus’s oldest friend, confirms what the dà-shealladh is warning. Just as Faye’s death was three-fold, so must the murder victims fulfil the ancient pattern. More will die, unless Angus does what he must—close his eyes and see.

📖 My Review

The Scottish Highlands are a place of secrets and shadows and this is captured in this mystery drama which incorporates the myths and legends of folklore and places them firmly into a sophisticated thriller. With its short sharp chapters I was quickly drawn into a murder/mystery which seems to have one foot in superstition, and the other in the drama of local animosity. 

Constable Angus ‘Dubh’ MacNeil carries the burden of having second sight. Plagued by dreams which interrupt his sleep and tear at his soul, and tormented by those victims he couldn't save, Angus is drawn to the beach early one morning where he discovers the body of a young woman. This macabre discovery, plunges Angus right into the heart of the mystery surrounding Faye Chichester's brutal, and ritualistic, death.  What then follows is a tightly packed drama which offers new insight into the popular Scottish Noir genre and combines dark and mysterious with a complex police investigation. However, this is no ordinary police investigation and the small community in the village of Glenruig, a place Angus calls home, is very much part of the developing drama.

The Unforgiven Dead is an atmospheric and brooding crime drama which starts slowly and builds into an imaginative picture of a place riven with secrets, and of a troubled man tormented by his past and of the victims he couldn't save. It is an interesting debut novel by an emerging writer and as it's already been optioned for television I look forward to seeing the story brought to life on screen.

About the Author

Fulton Ross is a writer and journalist from the Scottish Highlands. A graduate in Scottish Literature and History from Glasgow University, he has worked on national newspapers for more than a decade. Inspired by Gaelic folk tales, The Unforgiven Dead is his debut novel. Fulton now lives in Northern Ireland with his wife and three children.

Twitter @FultonLRoss #The UnforgivenDead

@inkshares

@laurasherlock21

📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ All of Us are Broken by Fiona Cummins

 

Macmillan
25 July 2023

DC Saul Anguish #2

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of the book

It’s been a long time since the Hardwicke family has been on holiday. But thirteen-year-old Galen has wanted to see the wild dolphins at Scotland’s Chanonry Point for as long as she can remember, and her mother Christine – a lone parent since her beloved husband left – is determined she gets her wish. But their serene trip is about to be interrupted.

When DC Saul Anguish is called to investigate the shooting of an ex-police officer in Midtown-on-Sea, Essex, he quickly discovers that this is the first in a string of killings by Missy and Fox, a damaged young couple hell-bent on infamy, their love story etched in blood. In pursuit, Saul follows their trail north.

The paths of the Hardwickes' and the deadly couple are about to collide. When Saul and his forensic linguist partner, Blue, arrive on the scene, they witness the unthinkable: a mother forced to make an impossible choice.

Saul must uncover the truth about the couple. But can he find the strength to lay the ghosts of his past to rest before they break him?

📖 My Review..

The dramatic, and nail-bitingly chilling, opening chapter sets the scene perfectly for this roller coaster of a drama which never loses pace or fails to serve up an emotional thriller which pulls you in and doesn't let go until the dramatic ending. Missy and Fox are perhaps two of the most unlikable protagonists I have ever come across and yet this talented author makes you feel an emotional connection to them even as their killing spree takes the story to a whole new level of horror. Countered against this evil is the inevitability of the lovely Hardwicke family, who have their own share of troubles, and who are inadvertently drawn into Missy and Fox's trajectory by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When I was reading this fabulously addictive crime novel all I could think of was what a wonderful TV drama it would be as both Missy and Fox, a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, would translate to television very well. By the time the story was done, and I read it over the space of one sitting as I literally couldn't put the book down without carrying it from room to room so I could snatch a few minutes to read some more, I felt like I had travelled everyone one of the hundreds of miles that Missy and Fox take towards their own inevitable destiny.

I won't spoil All of Us Are Broken by giving away any details about the plot as this is one story you really should read with no idea of what is about to happen next, so all I will say is that this is 320 pages of sheer brilliance, and it is, without doubt, my crime read of the year.

Twitter @FionaAnnCummins #AllOfUsAreBroken

@panmacmillan

@laurasherlock21

📖 Book Review ~ 1989 by Val McDermid

 

Sphere
August 2022

#AllieBurns #2

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of this book

It's 1989 and Allie Burns is back.

Older and maybe wiser, she's running the northern news operation of the Sunday Globe, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media.

But there's plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service to the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction.

The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there's skulduggery in the medical research labs and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When kidnap and murder are added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties.

📖 My Review...

Ten years on we meet again with journalist Allie Burns as she heads up the northern operation of the Sunday Globe, however, all is not well with the global news empire run by media tycoon Ace Lockhart and Allie is about to discover just what deadly secrets are lurking in the shadows

The background of the novel brings into focus the historical events of 1989 where there is not only a downturn in tabloid journalism but there is also the deadly spectre of HIV/AIDS which is threatening the most vulnerable in society. Allie soon discovers that there is more going on in the cut throat world of pharmaceuticals than she could ever have imagined.

With this author’s fine eye for detail and her unquestioned ability to bring people and places alive, a complicated story emerges which is as sharp as ever and so beautifully detailed, that 1989 comes to life so clearly you can hear the soundtrack of the late eighties running in the background. All the strands of this complicated story are woven tightly together and the multi-layers of the plot, which I’m not going to spoil, kept me guessing and which tell an altogether sinister tale.

I have really enjoyed following Allie’s exploits as she chases down the bad guys, getting to know how she operates has been fascinating. I like her maverick nature which is altogether softened by her relationship with her long term partner, Rona, who brings out the best in her. Whilst it is perfectly possible to read 1989 as a standalone those who have read 1979 will be familiar with Allie Burns and will, no doubt, enjoy seeing just what she has achieved in the intervening years, she’s older, and maybe just a little wiser, but no less courageous in the face of adversity.

About the Author

Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.

She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.

She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.

Twitter @valmcdermid 

@LittleBrownUK

📖 Book Review ~ Exiles by Jane Harper

 

Macmillan
2 February 2023

Aaron Falk #3

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of this book

At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

📖 My Review..

I hadn't read any of the previous books in the Aaron Falk series but this hasn't spoiled my enjoyment of this third and final book. Federal Investigator Falk arrives in the small town of Marralee to attend the christening of his friend's son. His arrival coincides with the one year anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Kim Gillespie who went missing on the night of the local festival leaving behind her baby daughter. This gap of a year has caused local feelings to run high and Falk, together with his friend Raco, and other friends of Kim and in particular Kim's teenage daughter, Zoe, all  continue to search for clues to find out just what has happened to this young mother.

The story works well, there is a nice amount of detail to keep the mystery at the forefront of the novel and yet this character driven story focuses more on the after effects of Kim's disappearance and the consequences which may have led up to her going missing. I have enjoyed getting to know Falk, he's an interesting character, and he obviously takes his role as an investigator seriously and yet, I think, in this final novel we see a somewhat quieter side to him, especially as he has a difficult decision to make which will affect his future going forward.

I enjoyed the several twists and  turns and the involvement of other characters who add to the overall dynamic of the story and I felt that everything was wrapped up nicely at the end.  Overall, Exiles is a well written mystery and although part of a series can easily be read as a stand alone story. 

About the Author

Jane Harper is the international bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man. Jane is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and has won numerous top awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year. Her books are published in more than 36 territories worldwide, with The Dry in production as a major motion picture starring Eric Bana. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK, and now lives in Melbourne.

Twitter @janeharperautho

@panmacmillan @LauraSherlock21

📖 Publication Day Review ~ The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy

 

Pan Macmillan
15 September

Thanks to the publishers and Laura Sherlock for my copy of this book

The Other Side of Night begins with a man named David Asha writing about his biggest regret: his sudden separation from his son, Elliot. In his grief, David tells a story.

Next, we step into the life of Harriet Kealty, a police officer trying to clear her name after a lapse of judgment. She discovers a curious inscription in a secondhand book—a plea: Help me, he’s trying to kill me. Who wrote this note? Who is “he”?

This note leads Harri to David Asha, who was last seen stepping off a cliff. Police suspect he couldn’t cope after his wife’s sudden death. Still, why would this man jump and leave behind his young son? Quickly, Harri’s attention zeroes in on a person she knows all too well.

Ben Elmys: once the love of her life. A surrogate father to Elliot Asha and trusted friend to the Ashas.

Ben may also be a murderer.​

📖 My Review 

This is an interesting and rather unusual book with a reveal I cannot reveal without adding major spoilers so I won't even dare go there. What I can say is that The Other Side of Night is a cleverly written story which tests the limits of your imagination and reveals a complex plot which moves along at a considered pace and reveals its secrets slowly and carefully.

Many have said that The Other Side of Night is a book to read with no prior knowledge of where it is going and I have to agree with that premise and that is why this review is rather vague. Defying genre and refusing to conform to any stereotype, this is a cleverly put together story about love and sacrifice and whilst it caught my attention it frequently left me feeling a little bit puzzled.

Did I enjoy The Other Side of Night? Well now, there's the dilemma, I both did, and didn't, and maybe if you read it, you'll understand why.

About the Author

Adam Hamdy is a Sunday Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter best known for his thrillers, including the Scott Pearce series and the Pendulum trilogy. A finalist for the Glass Bell Award for contemporary fiction and previously selected for BBC Radio 2’s Book Club, Adam receives critical acclaim from peers and media alike. Previously a strategy consultant advising global businesses in the medical systems, robotics, technology and financial services sectors, he now works with studios and production companies on both sides of the Atlantic in addition to writing.

Twitter @adamhamdy #TOSON

@panmacmillan

@laurasherlockpr