Scotland – Judefire33 – The Book Blog

My #Review of #TheDeadOfWinter by #StuartMacbride @TransworldBooks

It was supposed to be an easy job.

All Detective Constable Edward Reekie had to do was pick up a dying prisoner from HMP Grampian and deliver him somewhere to live out his last few months in peace.

From the outside, Glenfarach looks like a quaint, sleepy, snow-dusted village, nestled deep in the heart of Cairngorms National Park, but things aren’t what they seem. The place is thick with security cameras and there’s a strict nine o’clock curfew because Glenfarach is the final sanctuary for people who’ve served their sentences but can’t be safely released into the general population.

Edward’s new boss, DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter, insists they head back to Aberdeen before the approaching blizzards shut everything down, but when an ex-cop-turned-gangster is discovered tortured to death in his bungalow, someone needs to take charge.

The weather’s closing in, tensions are mounting, and time’s running out – something nasty has come to Glenfarach, and Edward is standing right in its way…

Judefire33 rating for The Dead Of Winter

Firstly thank you so so much to Transworld books for sending me a proof copy of The Dead Of Winter.

Now I am a huge fan of Stuart MacBride, and absolutely adore his Logan MacRae novels, however in recent years Stuart has been writing more standalone novels, and The Dead Of Winter is one.

This is a bloody fabulous novel, this is Stuart MacBride back to the absolute top of his game and what he does best. From chapter one we are sent on a rollercoaster thrill ride, with Stuart’s normal dark humor and gritty realism, and this is by far one of his best novels since the Logan MacRae series. I read it at breakneck speed and laughed so much!

Our two main stars are Detective Constable Edward Reekie and his boss, Detective Inspector Victoria Mongomery-Porter, the opening chapter is a scene on a freezing day somewhere in the snowy woods in Scotland. It would appear that DC Edward Reekie is being buried in a shallow grave in the cold ground and that grave is being dug by none other than DI Victoria aka Bigtoria Montgomery-Porter….and that my dear followers, is the absurd setting that starts The Dead Of Winter.

From then on you will be taken thru an exceptional cast of characters who all live in the small sleepy quaint hamlet of Glenfarach….and no it’s not really an ordinary place as it’s full of rapists, gangsters, and murderers. There are security cameras everywhere here like big bugs in the sky stalking everyone as there is nowhere to hide. All the residents have their own little homes and all are electronically tagged and subject to a 9 pm curfew… sounds like a safe place right? Wrong, the fast-paced writing of Stuart Macbride takes you through an almost comedic set of murders and events that draw to a brilliant ending.

I absolutely raced through The Dead Of Winter and i love love loved it! The writing style that Stuart MacBride has is unique in the crime fiction genre, others try to do something similar but no one can write like Stuart MacBride does. The aplomb, that he writes murder and gruesomeness in one sentence and then sarcastic humor in another is exceptional. Having myself, worked for the Police for 12 years in the 1990s, I’m well aware of the dark humor used in extreme situations to lift the pressure, Stuart writes that in such a realistic way it’s superb.

This is a real gem of a novel, and in my opinion, Stuart Macbride’s best for many years, if you like gritty, dark, Scottish crime fiction with a dose of really dark humor thrown in then you need to rush down to the bookshop, and buy The Dead Of Winter, you won’t be disappointed.

A superb 5-star rating from me.

Stuart MacBride is a Scottish writer, most famous for his crime thrillers set in the “Granite City” of Aberdeen and featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. Stuart MacBride was born Feb 27 1969 in Dumbarton, Scotland and raised in Aberdeen. His careers include scrubbing toilets offshore, graphic design, web design and IT/computer programming.
MacBride’s publishing deal was secured with the writing of Halfhead, however the publishers were more interested in Cold Granite, concerning DS Logan MacRae. He was signed on a three-book Logan deal, which was further extended to six books. In 2009 he signed another deal, allowing him to write two more Logan books, and two standalone novels, the first of which is due after the sixth installment of the Logan MacRae series.
He now lives in north-east Scotland with his wife, Fiona and their cat Grendel. He is reputed to be a passionate potato grower, but claims to have a “vegetable patch full of weeds”.

You can follow Stuart Macbride on FACEBOOK

Staurt MacBride has a website HERE

You can buy The Dead Of Winter HERE

#BlogTour #AWinterGrave @authorpetermay @riverrunbooks @soph_ransompr published UK 19.01.2023

From the twelve-million copy bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy comes a chilling new mystery set in the isolated Scottish Highlands.

A TOMB OF ICE

A young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice.

A DYING DETECTIVE

Cameron Brodie, a Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate a murder case so far from his beat.

AN AGONIZING RECKONING

Brodie must face up to the ghosts of his past and to a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.

Set against a backdrop of a frighteningly plausible near-future, A WINTER GRAVE is Peter May at his page-turning, passionate and provocative best.

Firstly thank you so much to Jess at Ransom PR for inviting me to the blog tour and supplying me with a print copy of A Winter Grave.

Now I’ve only read one other book by Peter May ( I know !) which was Lockdown and I thought it was superb, so I was looking forward to A Winter Grave described as a “Crime Cli-Fi” novel…. I read the blurb and was already itching to start reading!

The novel is set in 2051 and revolves around a body being found in the Scottish Highland during ice and snow storms, where a lot of Scotland has been lost to rising sea levels because successive Governments had ignored the warnings. We follow the journey of Cameron Brodie, a veteran Glasgow Detective as he travels to the bleak inaccessible village of Kinlochleven and the events that surround him once he arrives to investigate the body that was found, who was an Investigative Reporter.

From the get-go, A Winter Grave is absolutely gripping and so visceral, in fact sitting here writing I can see the whole book running through my head like a movie. I mean, Peter May is a Bestselling author for a reason, but I believe A Winters Grave may be his finest novel.

It’s written with so much love and care, by that I mean, you can see Peter May cares about the planet, about finding a way to stop Global Warming and Climate Change, and his love especially of Scotland, his homeland.

The way he has written and described the journey Cameron Brodie has up to Kinlochleven is absolutely breathtaking, I mean you feel like you are traveling with him in the eVTOL ( You need to read A Winters Tale to find out what superb craft this is!), and from the start, even this is hazardous for our protagonist!

The storyline is just sublime, an absolute gem, that gives you shocks, surprises, and major OH NO moments in it, I loved the characters and the way they are written is exceptional, full of vim and empathy, Peter May is an artist at writing his characters!

I was a little worried about reading a book set in the future, as it’s not something I’ve read before, but I need not have been. There’s enough of the familiar to keep the reader invested and it really does work superbly well as a crime novel, but focusing on climate change.

You can see how much research Peter May has done with the turn of each page, and nothing is too technical or scientific that it would baffle the reader. And the attention to detail in the props and climate talk is again, exceptional.

A Winter Grave is a truly gripping bookbanger of a novel, I predict that this will be one of the biggest novels of 2023. You can always tell how good a novel is when you’ve read another couple of books afterwards, but the story is still vivid and dancing inside your mind! There is only one thing that I wanted, and that was a map of the Scottish area from now to how it had changed in 2051, but that’s just my thing, I love book maps!

A super 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read from me, and a book that needs to fly in 2023!

Peter May is the multi award-winning author of: – the Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland; – the China Thrillers, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell; – the Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, which is set in France. The sixth and final Enzo book is Cast Iron (January 2017, Riverrun). He has also written several standalone books:

– I’ll Keep You Safe (January 2018, Riverrun) – Entry Island (January 2014, Quercus UK) – Runaway (January 2015, Quercus UK) – Coffin Road (January 2016, Riverrun)

May had a successful career as a television writer, creator, and producer.

One of Scotland’s most prolific television dramatists, he garnered more than 1000 credits in 15 years as scriptwriter and script editor on prime-time British television drama. He is the creator of three major television drama series and presided over two of the highest-rated serials in his homeland before quitting television to concentrate on his first love, writing novels. Born and raised in Scotland he lives in France.

His breakthrough as a best-selling author came with The Lewis Trilogy. After being turned down by all the major UK publishers, the first of the The Lewis Trilogy – The Blackhouse – was published in France as L’Ile des Chasseurs d’Oiseaux where it was hailed as “a masterpiece” by the French national newspaper L’Humanité. His novels have a large following in France. The trilogy has won several French literature awards, including one of the world’s largest adjudicated readers awards, the Prix Cezam.

The Blackhouse was published in English by the award-winning Quercus (a relatively young publishing house which did not exist when the book was first presented to British publishers). It went on to become an international best seller, and was shortlisted for both Barry Award and Macavity Award when it was published in the USA.

The Blackhouse won the US Barry Award for Best Mystery Novel at Bouchercon in Albany NY, in 2013

You can buy A Winter Grave HERE

You can follow Peter May on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

You can find Peter May’s website HERE

My #Review of #TheDeathOfRemembrance the 10th #DCIDaley novel by #DenzilMeyrick @Lochlomonden published by @PolygonBooks on 02.06.2022

CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF D.C.I DALEY WITH A REAL CORKER OF A NEW BOOK…

It’s 1983, and a beat constable walks away from a bar where he knows a crime is about to be committed.

In the present, an old fisherman is found dead by the shoreline and a stranger with a mission moves into a shabby Kinloch flat.

Meanwhile, D.C.I. Jim Daley is trying to help Brian Scott stay sober, and the good people of Kinloch are still mourning the death of one of their own.

As past and present collide, Daley finds himself face to face with old friends and foes. Memories can only last as long as those who keep them, and ghosts will not be silenced.

Firstly thank you so much to Denzil Meyrick for organising a proof copy of The Death of Remembrance for me, with his publicist Jan.

Reading the DCI Daley series has been such a pleasure for me over the last couple of years when I came across them, and with every book I eagerly await it and try to let it sit without being read for a while, as I know, once read I will be in a deep depression, as I never want them to end!

This the 10th in the series is an epic, gritty, realistic book, the storyline moves from the 1980′ s to the present and utterly brilliantly for me, my favourite ever sidekick DS Brian Scott is featured heavily in The Death of Remembrance.

You all know, I read a lot, but every time I read a Denzil Meyrick novel, I’m amazed at how easy they are to read, I’m sure this is not the case in writing them, but I really think Denzil is one of THE best crime fiction authors of my time.

Not only are the descriptions of the fictional Kinloch utterly believable and sublime, but the tangible feeling of actually being there whilst reading the book is also fabulous, I could almost feel the misty, cool air whilst reading!

The other thing that I adore about the DCI Jim Daley series is the wealth of locals, it’s almost like putting on a favourite warm jumper, all the characters just wrap me up into the storyline. From the frosty Liz (Jim Daley’s Wife) to the strong, quick-witted Ella (Brian Scott,s Wide), and Hamish the all-seeing old Fisherman, the cast of characters never loses its way. We meet some old ones in The Death of Remembrance, in surprising ways, but I welcomed them!

The plot is easy to follow and draws on the vast past of Jim Daley and Brians Scott’s lives, with the main storyline involving my favourite ever written character DS Brian Scott who is having some issues with the drink, the descriptions of him fighting his demons are really wonderfully observed. And the reason Brian is my favourite is because he is such an old school copper, with a razor-sharp wit and a penchant for getting the wrong end of the stick with hilarious consequences when talking to Jim Daley or any of his superiors! I really LOVE him, I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a fictional character! The banter between him and Jim Daley and their working relationship is amazing, a force to be reckoned with and such a realistic description of what the Police family is like, and in The Death of Remembrance, there is much to laugh about at as well as tension!

Another triumphant novel in the DCI Jim Daley series, enthralling, spellbinding, gripping, hilarious, tense, witty, sharp and the epitome of Tartan Noir.

I saw something the other day that said ‘Which Author would you give eternal life to?” Well, it would have to be Denzil Meyrick for me!

Another superb 5 Star read.

Now I’m off to sit and weep in a dark corner whilst I await book 11!!

About Denzil Meyrick
Denzil Meyrick was born in Glasgow and brought up in Campbeltown. After studying politics, he pursued a varied career including time spent as a police officer, freelance journalist, and director of several companies.
Beginning with Whisky from Small Glasses, then The Last Witness, Dark Suits and Sad Songs, The Rat Stone Serenade, and Well of the Winds, the DCI Daley series have all become Scottish Crime bestsellers. Whisky from Small Glasses reached #2 in the UK Kindle store in 2016.
An anthology of short stories, One Last Dram was published in late 2017.
The Daley series to date have all been number one bestselling UK audiobooks on Audible. DCI Daley #6 The Relentless Tide and #7 A Breath on Dying Embers one of the Scotsman newspaper’s books of 2018 and 2019. A Breath On Dying Embers was longlisted for the 2019 McIlvanney Prize.

You can pre-order Death of Remembrance HERE

You can follow Denzil Meyrick on TWITTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM

#Guest #Author #JamesMylet @JamesMylet author of #TheHomes @ViperBooks @UA_Books published 22.05.2022

Thank you so much James for being a guest on my blog, it is a huge honour!

JW: I’d like to start, by asking, have you always wanted to be a writer? And where did the idea of The Homes come from?

JM: Yes I have always wanted to be a writer, from about the age of 16 when I first fell in love with books. I always used to write short stories or ideas and share them with my friends, as if I didn’t get them out of my head they would eat away at me. It took me to the age of 34 to first get published and there were a couple of books I wrote first before then that looking back probably helped me get better at writing.

The idea for The Homes came about because after my father died I moved back in with my mum and we talked a lot more than we had done when I was growing up as there was no longer the burden of parenting any more. She told me about The Quarrier’s homes in Bridge of Weir and it sounded like such a strange and unique place, I hadn’t ever seen a book written that was set there and I wanted to get the story told before that generation who lived it got too old.

Quarrier’s Home’s Children’s Houses on Faith Avenue (Dalry Home nearest Camera) 2005 @ Peter Higginbotham

JW: How hard was it writing from the point of view of teenage girls (Lesley & Jonesy)?

JM: I wrestled a lot with this a lot. I felt weird writing at a 40+ bloke writing as a 12-year-old girl (and originally wanted it to be anonymous or under a pseudonym, in the end, we went with a genderless name), but that girl is essentially my mother at that age and I worked with her a lot to get it right, but I would think it is unlikely I would write in the voice of a teenage girl again, just feels a bit weird.

There is an amazing and hilarious Twitter account called @menwritewomen and I live in fear of ever having my work on there.

JW: How important do you think it is to raise the issues children face in care, in the past and today?

JM: The overwhelming thing I wanted to get across was how brave the kids were to make it out of these places, they really had to fend for themselves. The whole book is a tribute to my mum and her friend (who she didn’t meet until after they had left the homes) and the courage and bravery that showed each day.

My mum is a quiet woman and I wanted a book that showed bravery not as a soldier running into a battlefield all guns blazing, but as a small person showing courage on a daily basis to get themselves out of this place.

JW: Who would you like to see playing the part of Jonesy & Lesley The Homes were to be turned into a TV series or movie?

JM: I never really had ideas for the children’s parts as I don’t know any child actors, but I did think of Peter Mullan as the Superintendent.

JW: I have to add here that I think Tessa Peake-Jones would be brilliant as Mrs Patterson!!

JW: As a child growing up, were you an avid reader or was television your thing? Do you have a favourite childhood book or television programme?

JM: I really didn’t like reading growing up. My dad loved reading and it wasn’t for me, I wanted to be outside playing football. Then one day I read Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh and a lightbulb went on that “Oh books can be like this”

That said my favourite childhood book and the book that I remember my dad reading to me was Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl, and I have since read it to my son and he loved it and it felt like passing on a baton.

JW: Which book, that you read in 2021, has been your favourite?

JM: I really enjoyed Andrew O’Hagan – Mayflies and The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong

I should say in the last year I have read a lot of the authors on Viper., the publisher of The Homes, and the standard on that imprint is terrifyingly good. Janice Hallet, Tina Baker, David Jackson, Catriona Ward, every one of the books gives you something more that you were thinking of, every one of them has wonderful extra levels.

JW: Who do you most admire?

JM: Bookwise Iain Banks, Michael Marshall Smith, Steve Toltz.

JW: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

JM: I think the friends and family I have, I am fortunate to have such good friends and a lovely family and it’s important to stop and appreciate it, that and the penalty I saved in the last minute of a cup final when I was 10.

JW: If you could go back in time, to one historical event, to witness it, what would it be and why?

JM: Anfield ’89. I got offered a ticket in my maths lesson at school for £3.50 and we couldn’t go as we were travelling to Scotland that day for the Scotland vs England match the next day.

Football – 1988 / 1989 First Division – Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2 The press team sheet list the players for the title-deciding game at Anfield. 26/05/1989

JW: What is something you are passionate about aside from writing?

JM: Music – I have always loved music. I haven’t been to an event in a long time and saw Father John Misty last week and I have forgotten how much I love it. I have spent a lot of this year trying to listen to albums in full rather than Spotify shuffle.

JW: If you could invite 4 people to dinner, living or dead, who would you invite and why?

JM: Amanda Donohoe, David Rocastle, Bill Drummond, David Bowie (the world has gone to pieces since he left us, I think he was holding it all together)

JW: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

JM: Bad news quick, good news slow. If you know or think something is going to be bad, better warn someone and let them know, with good news, make sure you are certain of the good news as it’s the hope that kills you.

JW: What’s next? What are you currently working on??

JM: I am working on a story called The Herd of Buffaloes, I am 75,000 words into the first draft so there’s a long way to go but after 10 years of starting it I finally have the ending I want for it which is a relief. The hard work starts once the first draft is done.

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You can Pre-order The Homes HERE

You can follow James Mylet on TWITTER FACEBOOK

My #Review of #TheHomes by @JamesMylet published by @ViperBooks on 26/05/2022

Based on the true story of a childhood growing up in a home for abandoned and unwanted children, The Homes is a beautiful and haunting thriller.

‘As moving as it is gripping… I loved it’ CHRIS BROOKMYRE
‘Utterly compelling’ MARION TODD
‘Extraordinary’ JAMES OSWALD

There were good people in The Homes. But there were also some very, very bad ones…

A thousand unwanted children live in The Homes, a village of orphans in the Scottish Lowlands on the outskirts of Glasgow. Lesley was six before she learned that most children live with their parents. Now Lesley is twelve, and she and her best friend Jonesy live in Cottage 5, Jonesy the irrepressible spirit to Lesley’s quiet thoughtfulness.

Life is often cruel at The Homes, and suddenly it becomes much crueller. A child is found murdered. Then another. With the police unable to catch the killer, Lesley and Jonesy decide to take the matter into their own hands. But unwanted children are easy victims, and they are both in terrible danger…

Inspired by a true story, and introducing readers to the unforgettable voice of young orphan Lesley, The Homes is a moving and lyrical thriller, perfect for readers of Val McDermid, Chris Whitaker, Jane Casey and Denise Mina.

Thank you so much to Viper Books for the brilliant proof copy of The Homes

This is the first book I have read by James Mylet, and I was absolutely obsessed with it from page 1! The way it’s written is such an easy read, but the story is not skimped on.

A tale that is based on some truth of 2 twelve-year-old girls in a children’s home in Scotland.

The 2 main characters of Lesley and “Jonesey” are written with such love and care, and they tell the story of friendship, murder and abuse in a place that should keep children safe. That is not to say that there are any extreme scenes, in fact the power of NOT saying something is sometimes stronger!

It’s not very often that books make me cry, but this one did …. NO SPOILERS!

I was totally invested in The Homes, the story and plot were excellent, and I did not guess who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end!

If you like a creepy, thriller then I urge you to read The Homes from a talented and caring writer.

A fantastic 5 star read

James Mylet was inspired to write The Homes based on the short stories his Mother told him about her childhood.She grew up in the infamous Quarrier’s Homes in Scotland in the 1960’s, along with thousands of other orphaned or unwanted children, and did not realise that children were supposed to live with their parents until she was seven. James felt this story needed to be told. James lives in London

You can find James on TWITTER

My #Review of #ForAnyOtherTruth by #Denzil Meyrick @Lochlomonden @BirlinnBooks

When a light aircraft crash-lands at Machrie airport, DCI Jim Daley and his colleague Brian Scott rush to the scene. But it soon becomes clear that both occupants of the plane were dead before take-off …

Meanwhile in Kinloch, local fisherman Hamish is unwittingly dragged into danger when he witnesses something he shouldn’t, and hotel manager Annie is beginning to suspect her new boss may not be as he first appeared.

And just as Chief Superintendent Carrie Symington thinks she has finally escaped the sins of her past, she finds herself caught in an even deadlier trap.

DCI Jim Daley Book 9 – For Any Other Truth….
I’ve had this on my bookshelf for a while because I didn’t want to read it and finish it – The thing is I adore this series, Jim Daley is such a fantastic character and my all-time favourite side-kick Brian Scott (reminds me of several ex Copper colleagues from years ago) who hate Boats as much as I do (you will have to read the series to find out why!).

This book is in my opinion, the best so far, the storyline was original and fast-paced, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way thru….it has the usual humour and unusually emotion (yes I cried), and I’m not going to give any spoilers but someone dies!

The premise is a light aircraft crash at Machrie Airport which starts the ball rolling for a tale of mystery and deceit which drags Jim and Brian into a murky world of old troubles and climate protesters.

A fantastic book as always from one of my favourite authors, plus this one was close to home to me as I used to work in the ops room at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire…..mentioning this will become clear once you start reading!

Thank you, Denzil for another brilliant read…..when’s the next one due out? LOL!

5 Star Read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The next DCI Daley thriller The Death Of Remembrance is out in June 2022

Denzil Meyrick official Website

Denzil Meyrick was born in Glasgow and brought up in Campbeltown. After studying politics, he pursued a varied career including time spent as a police officer, freelance journalist, and director of several companies.
Beginning with Whisky from Small Glasses, then The Last Witness, Dark Suits and Sad Songs, The Rat Stone Serenade, and Well of the Winds, the DCI Daley series have all become Scottish Crime bestsellers. Whisky from Small Glasses reached #2 in the UK Kindle store in 2016.
An anthology of short stories, One Last Dram was published in late 2017.
The Daley series to date have all been number one bestselling UK audiobooks on Audible. DCI Daley #6 The Relentless Tide and #7 A Breath on Dying Embers one of the Scotsman newspaper’s books of 2018 and 2019. A Breath On Dying Embers was longlisted for the 2019 McIlvanney Prize.

Follow Denzil on TWITTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM

Book Review Be Sure Your Sins by Harry Fisher

Be Sure Your Sins

Six people
Six events
Six lives destroyed

What is the connection?

Detective Sergeant Melissa (Mel) Cooper has two major investigations on the go. The first involves six apparently unrelated individuals who all suffer inexplicable life-altering events.
Mel is also pursuing a serial blackmailer but just as she’s about to prove the link between this man and the six bizarre events, she’s ordered to back off.
So why are her bosses interfering with her investigations? Who are they trying to protect? And how far will they go to stop her?

The answers come from a totally unexpected source.

Firstly thank you to Rebecca at Hobeck Books for my copy of Be Sure Your Sins.

I loved this book, at first I couldn’t understand how the six events that occurred were going to make a story…but as I continued to read, it became a complex and weaving plot that had me gripped.

DS Mel Cooper leads the team investigating these crimes, in Edinburgh. She’s a feisty and clever Detective and with her team they uncover plots of blackmail and hate, which hits her close to home!

Fantastically well written, with wonderful descriptions of Edinburgh and some really clever plots, an intelligent and unputdownable thriller of a book.

A 5 ⭐️ read.

I’m Harry Fisher, I write crime thrillers.

I live in Aberdeen with my wife, Shiona and our dog, Harry. And there it is – the lie exposed. Harry Fisher (the writer) is a pseudonym and here’s why. Despite the fact that in my entire life I’ve never met anyone with the same name as me, when I came to publish WBAL I discovered a namesake down south who writes crime thrillers. Honestly, what are the chances? (Mutter mutter.)

I’m a native of Edinburgh and that’s where Way Beyond A Lie is (partly) set. Write about what you know, and all that. It’s also set in Prague. We went there for a long weekend in 2000 so you can see a theme developing. We’ve been to Ballachulish a couple of times too but I couldn’t fit it into the story. Sorry about that, folks.

My second book Be Sure Your Sins will be published 5 October 2021. Six events happen to Six people that destroy Six lives. It’s not a sequel but DS Mel Cooper from Way Beyond A Lieis the central character. Lots of readers told me they loved her and her sidekick Andrew Young so it was an easy decision to give them their own show.

Things I’m into apart from walking the canine Harry every day: travel, outdoor stuff, wine and food, and if all four can be aligned then so much the better.

STOP PRESS: Harry has recently signed with indie publisher Hobeck Books (Trad Values – Indie Spirit). More news to follow.

Find Harry at his website here https://harryfisherwriter.com/

1979 by Val McDermid (Allie Burns 1)

The shadows hide a deadly story . . .

1979. It is the winter of discontent, and reporter Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. There are few women in the newsroom and she needs something explosive for the boys’ club to take her seriously.

Soon Allie and fellow journalist Danny Sullivan are exposing the criminal underbelly of respectable Scotland. They risk making powerful enemies – and Allie won’t stop there.

When she discovers a home-grown terrorist threat, Allie comes up with a plan to infiltrate the group and make her name. But she’s a woman in a man’s world . . . and putting a foot wrong could be fatal.

Now I’m a massive fan of Val McDermid (should be DAME Val McDermid in my option!) , so I was hugely looking forward to reading 1979…. And boy, I was not to be disappointed!

The first in a brand new series, Allie Burns budding Journalist at the Clarion newspaper in Glasgow, sets a great pace from the first chapter!

A train journey on a cold snowy January day brings the first in a series of exciting events, that start a thrilling journey through births, deaths, gangsters, terrorists and drunken journalists, that gripped me from page one!

Setting a book in 1979, seems not so far in our past, but the attention to detail in explaining why it’s now a world away from today’s technological advances, was written so well, I actually felt I was there and it bought up some great memories for me. I always love that a writer can take us places in our own memory, whilst, at the same time, we travel with the fictional heroine! From Showaddywaddy to terrorist threats to strikes, the historical part of this novel has it all….it felt extremely genuine, and the reader can see how much effort was taken in researching this.

The storyline is brilliant, as always from Val McDermid, I was fully engaged and loved the fact that it was set in the world of journalism, especially because in 1979 (when I was 12, I wanted to be a journalist or a Police Officer…both of which never happened sadly) and it’s so authentic, or it felt that way to me!

In summing up, a fantastic start to a great new series, with some genuine OH NO moments! Immersive, thrilling, gripping, authentic with a hearty dash of Watney’s Party 7!

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Val McDermid Official Website – https://www.valmcdermid.com/