quippe | Entries tagged with craig robertson

The Blurb On The Back:

A murder investigation frozen in time is beginning to melt …

November 1993. Scotland is in the grip of the coldest winter in living memory and the Lake of Monteith is frozen over. A young man and woman walk across the ice to the historic island of Inchmahome which lies in the middle of the lake. Only the man comes back.

In the spring, as staff prepare the abbey ruins for summer visitors, they discover the unidentifiable remains of the body of a girl, her skull violently crushed.

Present day. Retired detective Alan Narey is still haunted by the unsolved crime. Desperate to relieve her father’s conscience, DS Rachel Narey returns to the Lake of Monteith and unofficially reopens the cold case.

With the help of police photographer Tony Winter, Rachel discovers that the one man her father had always suspected was the killer has recently died. Risking her job and reputation, Narey prepares a dangerous gambit to uncover the killer’s identity – little knowing who that truly is. Despite the freezing temperatures, the ice-cold case begins to thaw, and with it a tide of secrets long frozen in time is suddenly and shockingly unleashed.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Craig Robertson’s Narey/Winter crime series gives a glimpse at Narey’s personal life through her relationship with her father and hinges on a cold case in both the literal and metaphorical sense. It’s let down by its ending (specifically the revelation of the killer because it’s never explained how s/he managed some of the crimes) and the Alzheimer’s storyline has been used in other crime series (notably Mark Billingham’s TOM THORNE series) but the relationship between Winter and Narey is fleshed out more and I welcomed the greater role played by Danny – an old school copper who doesn’t take any lip from the youngsters and the return of Addy. I also thought that the subplot (where Danny and Tony must find a young member of the traveller community in return for information) hung better with the main plotline. All in all, it was an enjoyable read that kept me turning the pages and I will definitely check out the next in this series.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A series of high profile shootings by a lone sniper leaves Glasgow terrorised and the media in a frenzy.

Who is behind the executions of some of the most notorious criminals in the city? As more deaths occur – including those of police officers and innocent members of the public – the authorities realise they have a vigilante on their hands.

Police photographer Tony Winter has seen more than his fair share of dead bodies – his job grants him a front row seat at every major crime scene. So when he notices something in one of his prints that the forensic team has missed – something that seems to link the sniper’s victims with the case of a badly beaten schoolboy – he launches an investigation of his own.

Meanwhile, DS Rachel Narey is smarting after being transferred from the sniper case onto a seemingly routine enquiry into the death of a prostitute. But she can’t help but notice how every lead draws her back to the sniper.

As Winter and Narey delve deeper, their quest for the truth and search for the killers will lead them both down increasingly dark and dangerous paths.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Craig Robertson’s second novel is a sequel of sorts to RANDOM in that DS Rachel Narey remains a key character, but the focus is Tony Winter. Although it’s brave of Robertson to hang a story around a character with such profound psychological issues, I found Winter too creepy to root for and wondered how he was allowed to keep doing his job and what Narey saw in him. The sniper story is slow to get going and creaks at the seams while the prostitute storyline is basically there to keep Narey occupied. In addition, Robertson’s dialogue isn’t as crisp as it is in RANDOM with the banter between Winter and best friend DI Derek Addison rapidly becoming repetitive and dull. This is a shame because Robertson is great at making the most of his Glasgow location, wringing every bit of character out of it as he shows off a city in transition. Ultimately, although this isn’t as good as RANDOM, it’s still an okay read and I will check out the next in this series.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

You wake up wet and cold. You must have passed out drunk.

Your head is full of muddle, empty of memories.

In your pocket is a grindaknivur, a knife for cutting whale meat.

The blade is coated in someone else’s blood.

You can run from your past but you can never hide from yourself …

When John Callum arrives on the wild and desolate Faroe Islands, he vows to sever all ties with his previous life. He desperately wants to make a new start, and is surprised by how quickly he is welcomed into the close-knit community. But still, the terrifying, debilitating nightmares just won’t stop.

Then the solitude is shattered by an almost unheard of crime on the islands: murder. A specialist team of detectives arrives from Denmark to help the local police, who seem completely ill-equipped for an investigation of this scale. But as tensions rise, and the community closes ranks to protect its own, John has to watch his back. But far more disquieting than that, John’s nightmares have taken an even more disturbing turn, and he can’t be certain about the one thing he needs to know above all else. Whether he is the killer …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tartan Noir meets Scandinavian Noir in Craig Robertson’s standalone crime novel whose slow burn plot makes excellent use of its atmospheric setting and its protagonist’s mysterious past. However, the reveal of the killer was a bit of a let-down and didn’t quite make sense in the context of what we’re told while some of John’s actions are incredibly reckless (even when considered in the context of the discoveries we make about his past). I’m a fan of Robertson’s writing - he has a crisp way with description that gives you a sense of both place and violence and kept me turning the pages while there are also some funny lines. However, if this book sparks a series, I’m not honestly sure that I’d read on, although I would always check out Robertson’s other work.

THE LAST REFUGE will be released in the United Kingdom on 22nd May 2014. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Glasgow is being terrorised by a murderer the media have nicknamed ‘The Cutter’. But how do you catch a serial killer when even he doesn’t know who’s next?

At the desk at the door were two glass bowls. One held mints, the other business cards. I reached into the business cards with my right hand. I delved deep and took one out:

Jonathan Carr. Salter, Fyfe and Bryce Solicitors. 1024 Bath Street.

Perfect. Not that it would have mattered who he was or what he did.

All of my victims are selected at random. Each one brought to me by a cruel twist of fate. But I’m not a complete psycho … I wouldn’t want you to think that …

Telling the story in his own words, The Cutter reveals the method, and motives, that drive him to kill again and again, in an escalating spree that leaves DS Rachel Narey and her team mystified.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Craig Robertson’s debut novel is an interesting perspective on the criminal thriller, told with a strong voice and in a manner that keeps the pages turning. The story didn’t quite work for me in the final quarter, but it didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the book and I’m interested in reading the author’s next book.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy of this book.