Pete Brassett

Meet DS Charlotte West who is new to the force and feels she has a lot to prove to the misogynists in South London. Asking for DI Munro’s help in finding a missing person could be chancy because he doesn’t tolerate fools easily, and he can see that DS West has some issues (drink, tardiness) to be settled. Before long a body is found and they are searching for a serial killer.

I was looking for a book set in Scotland but instead ended up in South London. (For those who are interested the show more rest of the series takes place in western Scottish town of Ayr). It is a police procedural. But it is relationships, intuition and logical thinking, too. And then the characters just grabbed me and I want to read more. show less

This is a short police procedural set in Ayr on the lovely west coast of Scotland. Retired DI James Munro & protege DS Charlotte “Charlie” West return for their third outing in this series.

Andrew “Max” Stewart is a likeable guy in a dead end job as an estate agent. During one of his nightly strolls he comes across a drunk young woman named Agnes who is weaving down a dark street. Max isn’t much of a ladies man but figures the least he can do is get her to her door upright.

Charlie show more West is currently on leave from her job in London & trying to figure out what to do next while visiting old friend & mentor James Munro. He’s recently retired & enjoying the quiet life when he hears Agnes Craig, the daughter of a deceased colleague, has been murdered.

Police in Ayr are suffering under budget cuts so when Munro & Charlie show up offering help, they’re quickly seconded to the investigation. Good thing, too, as Agnes is just the first on a killer’s very specific list of women who must die.

This is a well paced murder mystery full of colourful characters & plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. Despite the gruesome murders, there’s a cozy feel to the story due to the camaraderie in the small police station & dry humour provided by Munro. It’s a “clean” read with no sex or swearing & all violence occurs off the page.

Normally I go for grittier reads so this was a nice break & I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Munro & Charlie. It’s clear they have a mutual past covered in the previous 2 books but enough details are given that this can stand alone. By the end it’s clear there are some changes in store for the Ayr PD so I’ll keep an eye out for book #4 the next time I feel like a break from the usual. show less

DI Munro is pulled out of retirement when a body of a female is discovered in the remote Daff Glen. He takes with him DS Charlotte West to help in the investigation.
An entertaining well-written crime story, helped by a cast of well-rounded likeable characters.
A good addition to the series.

Not everyone cares if a mystery is clever or obvious, or holds water or not. And perhaps if I really enjoyed the characters or writing or *some* other aspect I could overlook the lack. But, events were just so contrived. And the level of ‘suspension of disbelief’ required for any of it to be buyable was entirely too steep. It reminded me of the old cop adage “I don’t believe in coincidence!” well hold onto your hat! lol I wanted to like this, but it’s just not my sort at all.