Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Death of Remembrance

The tenth volume in the DCI Daley series by Denzil Meyrick does not disappoint. In The Death of Remembrance events encountered in the past of Jim Daley and Brian Scott in Glasgow impact once again on their lives in the small community of Kinloch.

Brian Scott has started drinking again and finds himself in a brawl in the local pub. This results in his suspension from the police force while his conduct is investigated. Later, Brian remembers that he recognised a person from his past in the pub that night - Hugh Machie who had been involved in a Glasgow crime syndicate. Unfortunately, when he tells James Daley about seeing Machie the report of the sighting is ignored due to Brian's condition at the time.

Shreya Dhar is sent to Kinloch to assist DCI Daley while Brian is out of action. She is also interested in investigating Ian Macmillan. a Canadian who may have criminal links. Hamish is convinced that Macmillan was behind the death of his friend Annie and informs James Daley of his visions. 

Chapters in the book include flashbacks to the Glasgow crime scene from the late 1970s and its connections to the police force. References to some of these events have occurred in earlier books but more detail is provided in this novel. With Hugh Machie being the last of the syndicate alive what remembrance is going to remain of the reign of the Machie family.

Like the other books in this series of tartan noir, a feature of the novel is the description of the characters, their strengths, weaknesses and challenges as well as the community of Kinloch.

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