Enmity

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 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 show more 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

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.

Just made 3 stars...no explanation for why the murders were committed they way they were and a plot line that was quite unbelievable...

Munro and West are in Ayr investigating the death of a young woman when CCTV footage gives them a possible suspect. Then there is another death.
Like the syle of writing plus I enjoyed the mystery and like the characters, so a good read for me.

Murder occurs and the time of the crime is pinpointed by local CCTV cameras. When the suspect is identified and is questioned by West, Munro has doubts, he is not satisfied they have found the killer. Munro thinks they are still looking for a killer, a very smart killer.

A twisting and turning thriller.