Dark suits and sad songs

Once again I could only borrow this title from the library as an e-book however I soon became enthralled in the story and read it quickly. This book is number three in the DCI Daley series by Denzil Meyrick.

We return to Kinloch in Scotland to witness the dramatic suicide of a civil servant. Shortly afterwards, in Glasgow, his assistant is killed by a passing vehicle when crossing the road. Then two minor players in the local drug trade are assassinated. What is happening in this quiet village on the Scottish coast?

We know from earlier books in the series that there is corruption at high levels in the police force but it soon becomes obvious that the corruption also extends to local politics. DCI Jim Daley and his deputy, DS Brian Scott know that they are out of their depth in this investigation but who can they trust? When a young girl is kidnapped every effort must be made to save her from the person known only as The Dragon.

The story is told from the perspective of DCI Daley but we also learn of the the thoughts and past actions of a range of other characters, adding depth to the story. Jim Daley's private life continues to be a mess that needs to be sorted. Brian Scott also has his problems as he recovers from the trauma of being shot and resorts to the whisky bottle. The book also provides a parade of other characters including Hamish and Annie who contribute to the story and assist in unexpected ways.

There are many layers to these books written by a former policeman. This book is a crime thriller involving the drug trade plus the corruption of power. The book is also about a community of people who should be enjoying living in isolation from the city (Glasgow) and the rest of the world in general. However a sinister presence has invaded their isolated village and surrounding area.

If you enjoy the books of Louise Penny and Donna Leon, who set their series of character driven crime books in a distinct community, you will probably enjoy this series though the description of the murders is a little more violent. The characters from the village speak in the local dialect which is not difficult to follow and adds to the atmosphere of the book as does the description of the local environment.

Whisky from small glasses

This book is first in the series of DCI Daley books written by Scottish author, Denzil Meyrick.

When a woman's body is washed up on to a beach in western Scotland, Inspector Jim Daley, with his colleague Detective Sergeant Brian Scott, is sent to Kinloch from Glasgow to investigate. In Kinloch they discover a close knit community containing a variety of characters who assist or hinder the investigation. This is a character driven crime thriller with the village of Kinloch and its surroundings also playing an important role in the telling of the story.

Being the first in a series of books, the back story of the characters that is gradually revealed, including Daley's marriage problems and the revelation that much of the crime occurring in the area is drug related, is continued in subsequent volumes. As the investigation continues Daley realises that corruption in high places is behind much of the crime in the area. Although the books in the series could be read as stand alone titles it is probably better to read the books sequentially.

I enjoyed this introduction to the world of DCI Daley and his colleagues, and once I became used to the vernacular spoken by many of the characters I became immersed in the life of community of Kinloch and the attempts of the police to solve the spate of violent crime occurring in their region.

The last witness

While we were in England recently one of the members of our group gave me a copy of the book, The last witness, by Denzil Meyrick. This is the second in a series of books about D C I Jim Daley. I had not come across this author before and when I checked catalogues for two Australian libraries  I discovered that one had two books in the series as e-books while the other had some of the titles as paperbacks or e-books.

The book falls into the category of Scottish crime novels known as Tartan Noir. Earlier this year Val McDermid wrote an article in Crimereads, On the Remarkable Rise of Tartan Noir. These books cover the gritty world of crime in Scotland and the speech of the characters is in the local dialect.

In this book a crime is committed in Ringwood, Victoria, Australia, resulting in the murder of a husband and wife who left Scotland to take on a new identity and lifestyle. The murderer left a calling card revealing that he is a crime lord who died five years previously. Other murders of people previously associated with the crime lord begin to occur near the town of Kinloch and it soon becomes obvious that people involved in his arrest and trial, including the police, are now targets.

The story is revealed through the viewpoint and thoughts of a number of the characters. This is a fast moving action crime novel and as the plot progresses we learn the back story of many of the characters.