The Talisker Dead by JM Dalgliesh

The Talisker Dead by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Digging up the past… is enough to kill you…
When a teenage islander goes missing on Burns Night, D.I. Duncan McAdam takes a strong interest despite the apparent lack of concern shown by the boy’s father. When a woman’s body is soon discovered in Talisker Bay, with a single stab wound to the chest, Duncan and his team realise they have a killer on the island.

A brutal winter storm is battering the island, and it soon becomes a race against time to find the missing boy. Is he hiding or is someone keeping him from coming home? As the team delve deeper into the lives of the teenager and the deceased, they come to the conclusion that nothing is quite what it seems and more than one person has a vested interest in concealing the truth.

A closely guarded secret, lying in a shallow grave for years, is under threat of being revealed and no one seems willing to face up to their past… least of all, Duncan McAdam himself. Duncan has a decision to make, one that will impact not only his life but the lives of those he cares about the most. Does he have the courage to follow his instincts? And just who is he acting in the interests of… the people he loves… or purely for himself?

A teenager goes missing on Burns Night, and although some of the lad’s family aren’t too concerned, DI McAdam still takes a strong interest in the case. Soon afterwards, a woman’s body is discovered, and even though Duncan and his team can’t see how the two incidents can be connected, there’s no denying that there’s now a killer on the island somewhere.

This is the third book in JM Dalgliesh’s mystery series based on the Isle of Skye. While still feeling very much like a British Police Procedural style of murder/mystery to me I must admit I really enjoy the remote, island community feel these stories bring. I feel somehow the author really manages to balance just right the isolated small town feel with enough personalities and links to still keep things interesting and keep me as a reader guessing. And I’ll admit that while I certainly managed to work out a few aspects of the plot, there were still a number of items I hadn’t guessed, and some of the characters still managed to surprise me too.

Readers looking for an action-orientated or fast paced story might not find this book quite fits their needs, but the characters are delightfully complicated and realistic, and the situations are relatable and believable. I also thought the murder mystery was interesting and also layered enough to keep my attention throughout the story.