This is a gritty and raw psychological police thriller with a spectacular finish. ( )

I'd say that at about a third of the way through this book, I was ready to abandon it. The story seemed improbably violent, and the main character, DCI Andy Gilchrist, somewhat implausible. I don't want to give too much away, but at that stage I was finding him a rather implausible character. But author T. Frank Muir knows how to reel you in. The entire story turned on a single tiny detail for me, and from that point on, I just could not bring myself to stop turning the pages. The suspense is simply amazing..crackling to the very last page. Fantastic setting, too; St Andrews and Glasgow. A very impressive book, highly recommended. ( )

This is the second book in the series about DCI Andy Gilchrist set in and around St Andrews in Scotland. Being familiar with the area was one of my reasons for picking this series back up again, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it more than the first one. The characters are better developed, and we are getting to know Andy and members of his family more thoroughly. It's quite an intricate police procedural with some rather gruesome parts. The audiobook was narrated perfectly by David Monteith. I will definitely continue with the series.
Recommended for anybody who likes brooding British detectives who are brilliant at their jobs but deficient in their private lives.
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When parts of a body start turning up with macabre messages attached on the St Andrews golf old course detective inspector Andy Gilchrist realises that not only does he recognise the victim but the messages are aimed at him. When Andy's daughter disappears it becomes a race against time to solve the crime and put the pieces of the puzzle together to find her. This is a well written crime novel, well paced and with interesting characters, although is it a rule of crime novels that all DIs must have an alcohol problem and a broken marriage? A quick and easy read - I look forward to the next in the series, especially to see how the character of Gilchrist develops. ( )

"Hand for a Hand" is the second book in this series, the next is "Tooth for a Tooth". Once again, the protagonist is Andy Gilchrist, Detective Inspector in the small but famous St. Andrews of British Open fame. This series by the way has nothing to do with golf but the courses at St. Andrews do serve as back drop for the story. The story is all about vengeance and the lengths that people will go to to get even. As opposed to the first book which had an abundance of dead bodies, H4H is rife with clues - anatomical parts, notes, and even poetry - all clues. It is not long before the first clue pops up - any guesses as to what it might be ? Anyway, Andy and partner Nance are off to the races, with frequent stops at nearby pubs. As with the first story, the characters are interesting though a few of the bad guys might be a tad overdone, the tension runs high, there are many detours into Andy's personal life and relationships, including a new one. All together a book I recommend. I will note two minor disappointments however. The clues thing was way too much. (Do bad guys even leave clues on purpose anymore?) And again Andy is trying to save a damsel in distress in the closing pages. Hopefully that will not be a part of the next one. Looking forward to T4T. ( )