The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves

 

Detective Jimmy Perez has left Shetland and is living in Orkney, in Kirkwall on the mainland, with his partner, Willow, and their son, James. As The Killing Stones opens, Jimmy has gone across the water to Westray to search for his mate, Archie, whose wife had reported him missing. Now Jimmy has rung Willow to tell her he has found Archie, dead, next to the apparent murder weapon, an ancient engraved stone which had been taken from the local museum.

Although Ann Cleeves describes Jimmy Perez as having the dark hair and complexion of his Spanish ancestors, I still prefer to think of the gorgeous Douglas Henshall while following Jimmy’s investigation. He was perfect at portraying Jimmy as taciturn, strong and determined, while holding reserves of warmth and sympathy. This case is difficult for Jimmy as he had grown up with Archie, and he and Willow are close to Archie’s widow, now wife, and sons. Willow, also a detective, becomes involved in the investigation despite being on maternity leave while awaiting the birth of her second baby which is expected to happen in six weeks.

The islanders can trace their history back to the time of the Norse invasions, and the stone which killed Archie has words engraved by Vikings over the original markings. There are many possible suspects for Jimmy to interview, including a minor celebrity who has made a television series about his studies of the ancient stone monuments on the island. As well as being a cracking good mystery story, this book has me wishing I could visit the Orkney Islands myself!

Ann Cleeves is, as usual, brilliant at setting scenes and invoking atmosphere. Jimmy and Willow are true to life, as are lots of  other well drawn characters, including a man by the name of Miles Chambers, and there is a terrific build up of momentum towards a most satisfying conclusion.

 Vintage Ann Cleeves!

Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh

 

This book packs a wallop!  I can’t usually get into books where I’ve taken an immediate dislike to the protagonist but this unlikeable protagonist was also magnetic and unfathomable, thus rendering this book unputdownable.

Iris is at a bereavement sufferers meeting when she notices a new member to the group, an extremely handsome man named Jack. Iris and Jack discover that, coincidentally, their partners, Freddie and Alice, both died on the same day, six months previously.

Iris is dealing with a lot of issues. She creates suitable attitudes in response to whichever situation she is facing at that moment. Throughout  the book Iris is detailing her interactions with her family and others up to the present point, as she pursues a relationship with Jack. While feeling sympathy for her, it is hard to like her, or to know how truthful she is in her recollections.

Jack, on the other hand, is equally enigmatic yet unlikeable. They are both quite creepy, really, and as the story progresses, goosebump-inducing. They both kept me guessing, right up to the end.

I love a good psychological thriller packed with surprising twists and Georgia McVeigh has written a beauty.

Published by Penguin Random House

Clown House by Mick Herron

 

 I don’t know if it’s just the delight I’m feeling at the appearance of a new Slough House novel, but this one seems to me to be the best  Mick Herron book ever! Jackson Lamb is back in all his disgusting, repulsive glory, duct taping his socks together,  chain smoking (when he can find a lighter), taunting Catherine with a glass of whiskey, emitting all kinds of horrible sounds and odours from his squalid eyrie, and all the while knowing all, seeing all and watching over his joes with a weirdly  protective eye.

River and Sid are recovering from their horrific injuries, and River is still hoping to get back to the Park one day. Diana Taverner is still ruthlessly holding on to her position as First Desk, and Peter Judd is still smugly confident, with his “…Honey-Monster-meets-Vlad-the-Impaler schtick”. Roddy Ho still exists in his own mind as a super hero kind of macho babe magnet.

The plot involves the existence of a cassette tape which could prove extremely harmful to a high ranking official of the present government. Taverner and Judd both need to be in possession of the tape, and the expendable slow horses are once again placed in danger. 

This is a brilliant, tense, edge-of-your-seat spy story, and at the same time filled with Mick Herron’s laugh-out-loud, eminently quotable gems of humour. I do hope he is working on a follow-up, and you’ll see why when you read it!

Highly recommended.

Published by Baskerville

A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George

 A new, large, fully immersible Lynley and Havers novel! Although Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers don’t appear until almost a quarter of the way through, Elizabeth George introduces a lot of characters before then and they all keep the intrigue simmering nicely.

The setting is Poldark country, although the new fortunes to be made come not from tin but from the lithium to be extracted from water under the granite in some tin producing areas (please forgive my unscientific interpretation). Michael Lobb was being pursued by Cornwall Eco Mining to sell them the property which had been in his family for over a century and from which he made his living creating tin and pewter artefacts and jewellery; however, as the book begins Michael has been found murdered, and several suspects emerge.

Police officers and suspects each have their own back stories and they are all interesting and consequently never make for confusing reading. One thing I liked very much was the murdered man’s own story being told through the pages of his diary. I haven’t seen this done before and, while he is discussing people close to him, he is, of course, shedding light on his own character. What an interesting way to write a murder mystery!

Lynley and Havers’ lives are brought up to date, and Barbara (Havers) for once gets to see how the other half lives. If they’re thinking of bringing back The Inspector Lynley Mysteries series, this story would make a smashing episode. I’m ashamed to say I had previously lost my enthusiasm for Lynley and Havers for a while, but A Slowly Dying Cause has awakened it but good. Highly recommended!

Published by Pan Macmillan