Many thanks to Emma and Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for my spot on this Blog Tour.
A gritty police procedural where the team of Farrell, Mhairi, and Thomson were sent to Dumfries to solve the murder of the wife of criminal solicitor. The suspense ratchetted when another murder occurred, and the team realized that it was connected to a case 10 years ago.
My first book by author Jackie Baldwin, the third in the series, I loved the speed in which the team worked. Due to the happenings to their colleague in book 2, Farrell was at the last strings of his sanity, so this case was mighty important to him.
Though the murders flummoxed all of us, (yes, I too kept thinking about what could have happened 10 years ago) it was Mhairi who held my attention. She was completely professional with a tinge of a tender side. I loved how she took charge when Farrell was incapacitated (read as drunk).
The writing kept to the facts of the story with few off-shoots, the author made a serious police procedural damn entertaining with criminal lawyers as suspects. The clues inserted in the prose were subtle, I kept turning pages hoping to get a better angle to the murder. Suspense started slow but soon came to its peak. The reveal was shocking to say the least (no, I couldn’t guess. Blame my ill-health)
Complexed, flawed characters, a killer on a rampage for revenge, a team which was struggling to solve the clues, an author who kept a tight leash on all of them made this a fascinating story. Tap… Tap… Tap…on the kindle screen I went right up to the end.
P. S. Lithium and alcohol should never be mixed. They cause impairment of thought and judgment. The lead cop Farrell took both. Hence, I felt he couldn’t be a good Detective, didn’t impress the doctor in me.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be read here
Four friends with dark secrets. One killer out for revenge.
DI Frank Farrell and DS McLeod are tasked with investigating the brutal murder of a defence solicitor’s wife in Dumfries.
It’s been over a year since they left the town after an investigation robbed them of a dear friend. But now they’re back and must find a way to move on.
When the son of another defence solicitor is murdered, a strange tattoo etched on his body, the case takes them into darker, more disturbing territory.
It leads them back into the past – to a horrific fire in a cottage that took a woman’s life, to four friends harbouring dark secrets – and finally to a killer waiting patiently for revenge.
Publication Date: February 2020
5 Responses
This sounds intense – I wants! I hope your stash of excellent thrillers finds you feeling better, precious girl.
I am upright today, girl. Hope to be dashing and slashing through my books
Thanks so much x
❤️ 😘