Now Or Never by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

You can’t make up your own ending…

The lifeless body of a renowned author is found murdered within his residence, prompting DCI Harry McNeil to uncover the unsettling truth that not everyone held the man in high regard. Initially dismissed as a tragic mishap stemming from a misjudged publicity stunt, this incident swiftly transforms into a grim realization of foul play.

As a remorseless and deranged murderer prowls the streets, McNeil finds himself embroiled in an intense pursuit, exacerbated by the absence of one of his key team members.

Meanwhile, a surprising call interrupts DCI Angie Fisher’s routine – none other than her ex-husband, DI Dougie Fisher, whom she believed would remain estranged. Dougie, now residing in London with his new spouse and infant son, has come north to Fife for a family funeral. A nagging suspicion haunts him – he suspects his father-in-law’s demise was no accident. Frustratingly, his position as a detective in London’s MET has yielded no cooperation.

Initially hesitant to engage, Angie’s resolve wavers when Dougie discloses that his family has become a target. Yet, this is merely the prelude to an intricate sequence of events that ensnare Angie in the investigation. Amidst the labyrinth of twists and turns, the ultimate revelation catches her off guard, leaving her blindsided as events reach their irreversible climax.

DCI Harry McNeil books are always complicated but really well plotted with plenty of twists and turns and I found this book to be no exception. I enjoyed the fact that this full-length novel had about three main plotlines twisting and turning together which helped make me feel like the pace of the whole book kept up at a good clip. There was significant movement in DI Frank Miller’s story-arc which I feel should keep readers of the series very happy, but there was also a good plotline around the murder of a mystery author and some family drama with other members of the police team. I heartily empathize with Frank’s character – he has absolutely been through the wringer, and I definitely hope there’s a bit of peace and stability in store for him soon.

While the plots were all well explained I do feel readers might struggle if they pick this book up just fresh by itself. While certainly not all the previous books in the series need to be read to fully enjoy this – I do feel that at least a few should have been read, mainly so the reader can know and be able to juggle the many different characters and their relationships together all in order. I also finally felt like some of the personal drama between Harry and his wife – a fellow Detective in a different unit, Alex, had reached an easy equilibrium and some semblance of normalcy had returned to them.

While a lot of the different plots did get neatly wrapped up, there was one particular thread that was only partially finished. I personally don’t feel as if this book ended on a cliff hanger – but I will admit that I was relieved the next in the series had already been released so I could move immediately on to it. This is not particularly unusual for this series – frequently the author wraps most things up and leaves just a few loose threads that can be followed into the next book, but I do feel readers who prefer to have the next book ready and waiting might feel that need here.

With a whole cast of funny and interesting characters, a number of different groups all circling around and working together as well as numerous plots twining together this was a good book and an engrossing read.

Twist Of Fate by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Not everybody deserves a second chance.

After a young man’s body is discovered by a newlywed couple inside an abandoned caravan, the police initially speculate whether his death was accidental. However, the investigation takes a dramatic turn when they uncover the victim’s true identity.

The deceased has a deadly past, and barely paid the price for the heinous crime he committed.

DCI Harry McNeil is assigned the task of identifying the victim’s killer, but the case soon becomes shrouded in secrecy. The man’s past is far more complex than anyone had anticipated.

Despite the obstacles, the search for the victim’s original accomplice begins, but the individual seems to have vanished without a trace. However, the investigation takes a gruesome turn when the police in Glasgow discover a shocking crime scene.

It appears that the killer is seeking revenge for the victim’s past actions, which had provoked public outrage years earlier. With the public no longer on their side, Harry and his team must navigate bureaucratic obstacles and catch a ruthless killer who believes he is unstoppable – and is willing to demonstrate it.

DCI Harry McNeil and his team are assigned to find the killer of a young man found murdered inside a caravan. While initially they think it was an accident, soon they are piecing together a complicated puzzle around the young man’s past and they are quickly uncovering more questions and puzzles than finding solutions. Can Harry and his team catch the ruthless killer before more blood is shed?

I have been enjoying the Harry McNeil series for a number of years now and found this to be quite a good addition to the series. While any longer-running series has its ups and downs, I was really pleased to find myself greatly enjoying this book. Readers who are new to this series – or find themselves curious about this book having no prior experience with the author should still find this an enjoyable read. I must admit there is quite a large cast in this series with a lot of cross over from other books. While I do feel a reader can easily pick up on the histories and relationships (both personal and professional) with this book by itself, I must stress there is quite a large cast to keep straight in your head while reading.

That said, I have found that I personally greatly enjoy there are plenty of characters all interacting and floating around with these books. I do feel the author should be commended because with such a wide cast I have not yet ever felt any of the characters are shapeless or “yet another detective” – Carson does an impressive job keeping the characters identifiable and memorable which I feel he should be commended for.

Aside from the characters the other reason I enjoyed this book was because I found the plot well written and complicated enough it really captured my attention. Sometimes with such a large cast the antics and personal lives can completely over-shadow any investigative/procedural side to the plot and in this book, I was glad the plot definitely took front stage here and the various personal aspects were more of a back seat this time around. While balance is a great thing, I found myself really interested and enjoying the murder and the plot surrounding this and for a change I was less interested in what was happening personally for the characters. While with any of Carson’s books a small suspension of disbelief is needed, with an intriguing plot, a bunch of rambunctious characters and a really good line I’m more than happy to fall into the story and ignore any small niggles.

While this book doesn’t end on a cliff hanger there was a particular twist/development right at the end – related to one of the strong secondary characters and their personal life – which I desperately hope will be front and center for the next book. Readers who like every thread tied up properly might not be satisfied with this ending – but since many of Carson’s books end on far greater “cliff hanger” end points I’ve learned from previous experience to keep one or two books behind for exactly this reason.

A book with tons of lively and unique characters and a well woven plot this is a very good story and a series I am continuing to enjoy almost twenty books in.

Do Unto Others by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

THEY’RE RICH. THEY’RE POWERFUL. THEY’RE DEAD.

Settling into his new life, Detective Chief Inspector Harry McNeil is being kept busy, but life is going to become a lot busier.

The body of an MSP has been found slaughtered in an empty house in Edinburgh. But this is no ordinary crime scene. It’s one that Harry McNeil thinks he’s seen before. Down to the last detail, including the position of the bodies.

As they start the hunt, they’re looking for a killer who seems to know far too much detail of what goes on behind the scenes at a kill site. Somebody who doesn’t want to stop.

Then Harry recollects where he saw this crime scene before.

This killer is copying murder scenes from the past. But the past is very much going to catch up with the present…

Life is finally returning to normal for DCI McNeil, his new team is all settling down together, his home life is blissfully happy and his toddler daughter is happy and healthy. So when a particularly brutal and unusual murder scene sticks in his mind, it takes him a while to work out what his subconscious wouldn’t let go. He’s seen the exact same scene from another murder that occurred decades ago. Can his team sort everything out before another murder occurs?

I have been enjoying this long running series for a while now. While the cast of primary characters is quite large, there are a number of rambunctious and thoroughly enjoyable characters all working together. I was quite pleased that DSup Calvin Stewart played a fairly large part in this investigation as I quite enjoy him and feel his character has grown very much over the last few books. I was also pleased that for much of the book Stewart and McNeil were working two different cases. I really felt this dual approach to the plot helped the book feel a little more complicated and deeper than a lot of the previous books have felt.

Readers who pick this book up without having read any of the previous installments might struggle a little with the large cast of characters. While the plot and murders are clearly introduced and defined in this story there are a lot of characters and I do feel readers might struggle a bit to keep everyone in mind, especially as a few of the various Scotland units cross over a bit. That said, readers who have only read a few of the previous books should definitely know enough of the longer term characters that this shouldn’t prove too overwhelming and the enjoyable plot and good pace to the story should still leave this as a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Readers who enjoy a well plotted police procedural style of murder mystery – especially one set in Scotland – should find this book a really good read. I thoroughly enjoy this series and found this book to be a good addition to my collection.

Famous Last Words by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

He caught him once before. Can he do it again?

With Harry McNeil’s life changed forever, he is thrust back into work when a serial killer dies in prison. Harry helped bring him to justice, but even in death, the man has something to say.

A message is found at the man’s post mortem. A message for Harry.

It isn’t over.

An informant in prison claims that the killer bragged about more victims, but none were ever found. Until now.

But these victims aren’t from the past. They’re from the present.

Just because the mentor is dead, doesn’t mean his spirit doesn’t live on…

And Harry is on the hunt for the protégé who is determined to keep the legacy going…

Meantime, DI Max Hold is having a quiet time since transferring back to his home town in Fife, from the London Met.

Until he gets a call to assist at a unique crime scene – Prince Albert’s cairn in the Cairngorm National Park. The body of a young woman has been found at the pyramid, and although the crime scene is being overseen by Grampian Division, Hold is being sent by Fife.

Out of his jurisdiction, some of the other officers think he’s out of his league.

But dealing with some of London’s finest low life for fifteen years, he doesn’t give in easily. And along with a DS who’s on temporary assignment, he faces a tough challenge. But soon this becomes one of the toughest cases of his career. And nothing London threw at him will prepare him for the outcome of this case…

After a seismic shift in his personal life, DCI Harry McNeil is determined to keep things as normal as possible, not just for himself but equally so his one year old infant daughter, Grace. DI Max Hold is having a bit of a break after transferring to his home town in Fife from the London Met, until a case that hits close to home has him called into action and directly into danger.

After a massive twist at the very end of the previous book in this series (Never Go Home) I was very pleased and relieved that this book picks up directly where the previous one left off. While there is a huge change in the works, I feel many readers will appreciate that it needed some time and care to get everything back on track. So I really felt this was an exceptional time for the author to introduce another main character in DI Max Hold – and hopefully this new character will continue either in his own series or possibly as an excellent counterpart for DCI Harry McNeil.

I wasn’t too surprised when Harry and Max’s two cases began to dovetail together – but it really helped me see how well the two detectives could work in parallel together. I’d love to see more of these two in action in future books. And while the cast in the Harry McNeil series is already really full and somewhat crowded, I feel there’s always room for more characters, particularly ones as layered and interesting as I found Max to be.

I also wouldn’t be opposed if Harry starts to take less of the main stage – even if it is “his” series – and some of the other characters, or perhaps Max, take a more active role in the books. I’m interested in where the author might take this series next and am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

I am also cautiously optimistic where Harry is heading in his private life. While I am glad he’s not jumping into anything too quickly, I feel a lot more comfortable with this pathway than I have for the last few books with his relationship with the psychologist Morgan. I am a lot happier with how this new plotline is moving and am quietly hoping it all goes smoothly and well.

I found this to be a really strong Scottish police procedural book and an excellent addition to the series.

Never Go Home by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

You can’t run forever…

When a body is discovered on a carousel at the fair in The Meadows in Edinburgh, it brings back memories for DCI Harry McNeil. He had history with the man, having arrested him many years ago.

The victim was a high-flying politician, destined for great things, but did his secrets catch up with him? Or were the death threats he’d received not taken seriously enough?

Harry and his team hunt for a killer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, putting themselves in the firing line of a madman with an agenda. But it’s Harry himself who is going to have his life changed forever. If he lives long enough…

When a body is discovered at an Edinburgh fairgrounds on the carousel DCI Harry McNeil and his team are called in to investigate. The victim was a politician, but Harry knows the victim from having arrested him many, many years earlier. Can Harry and his team uncover what the madman’s killing spree is really all about and stop him before Harry’s own life is in peril?

I’ve been enjoying this series for quite some time and feel readers who have also been following along should find this book an excellent addition. There is now quite a large cast of supporting characters – both in Harry’s Edinburgh police team as well as the Glasgow team. I love all the different characters and the small bits each of them adds to the varied facets of the story – but I do feel readers who are new to this series might find it a bit harder to keep everyone in mind and understand the many different threads and currents running under the surface. While I don’t feel readers will have to have necessarily read each of the previous books in the series, having a good working knowledge of the many characters and various ties between them would definitely help in a full and better understanding of this novel and the plots within it.

I enjoyed the longer length to this novel as well. With two or three main plotlines all interweaving it gave the book a deeper complexity than I feel many of the earlier books held. I can absolutely feel that the author has grown in his storytelling skills along the way and this book really showcases that well to my mind. I also like how the plot didn’t feel one dimensional to me – linking in with various characters and situations from the past and how those ramifications were brought forward into the present day.

Readers who like a large cast of characters, multiple plotlines on the go and having a larger story arc interlocking in a single book should feel the Scottish police procedural book really has a lot to offer. I personally really enjoyed it and am eager for the next installment. An interesting and well-paced murder mystery novel that held my attention well and is definitely a series worth picking up. Recommended.

All Or Nothing by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Practice makes perfect. Even in death.

DCI Harry McNeil is back at the helm, joined by his old friend, DI Frank Miller. He is juggling his private life with being a single father, running a new Major Investigation Team, and spending time with a woman who may or may not become more than just friends.

Edinburgh at New Year is a time for celebration, fun, and for one person, murder.

The festivities leading up to Hogmanay are tinged with fear as Harry’s team gets a shout when the murdered body of a woman is found floating in the Water of Leith near the docks.

A vicious killer has left his mark and Harry’s new team is put to the test.

But with time running out, the killer is going to be knocking on Harry McNeil’s door, in more ways than one…

It’s Christmas and DCI Harry McNeil is spending the festive season with his infant daughter, Grace, and his new “slightly more than a friend” female companion, Morgan. Just as Harry decides to go with the flow and welcome Morgan more firmly into his life, work intrudes with a particularly vicious killing that falls into the hands of his team. Can Harry juggle his many responsibilities in amongst all the craziness of the Christmas season?

This is quite a thicker book than many of the preceding Harry McNeil mysteries and I was really excited to find there were a number of solid plotlines all woven very well together. Add in Harry appears to be moving forward in his private life as well and there is quite a bit going on in this Scottish police procedural mystery/suspense novel.

Speaking personally, I do feel it’s a little too soon for Harry to be getting entangled in another woman and what appears will become yet another serious relationship for him. It’s only been about seven months since the very surprising death of his wife and ex-working-partner, Alex, and with a fairly small baby daughter (also only seven months old) and two other previously serious romantic relationships behind him a part of me strongly thought this would be a good time for Harry to focus on Grace, his work and getting the non-romantic aspects of his life on solid ground. So I found it hard to get on board with the blossoming relationship with the psychiatrist and felt this aspect to Harry’s life was a little shoe-horned into the story. I especially thought this considering his sister-in-law is living in his house as a mostly full-time career for baby Grace while Harry is off solving crimes at work. It all just didn’t really come together for me, and I didn’t feel a good connection to Morgan’s character, either.

That said – I was really impressed with the multi-layered nature of the murder mystery side of the plot. There is what appears to be an accidental death of a hiker falling off a bridge in Glasgow and body of a murdered woman floating near the docks in Edinburgh – so Harry and his team more than have their hands full as they try to uncover what’s going on and what plans the vicious killer has. I found this aspect of the two plotlines and how the Glasgow and Edinburgh teams worked solidly together was exceptionally well written and had the comfortable, familiar banter that I’ve come to expect from a Harry McNeil book. All the regular characters that a reader wants from the previous novels are present and while the banter and interactions might seem a bit much for readers who are newer to the series, I personally loved it.

Readers looking for a rambunctious romp of a Scottish police procedural mystery should find this a really good read and I thought this was a great addition to the series. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Dead And Buried by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Sometimes, the past is better left behind…

Detective Chief Inspector Harry McNeil had found himself back in CID after a leave of absence saw his team disbanded. Now he’s been temporarily assigned to an existing Major Investigation team, working alongside his old friend, Detective Inspector Frank Miller, after Miller’s DCI dies suddenly.

A body is found in the city centre, torn to pieces. It’s reminiscent of a cold case from years ago and the victim is quickly identified, bringing the old murder enquiry back front and centre.

There’s new management in the Edinburgh police division, and old friends have been replaced by new enemies. Not everybody wants to see Harry McNeil succeed.

But that’s not going to stop him and Frank Miller from tackling the cold case head on, with help from a couple of Glasgow detectives.

But nothing is what it seems. Starting with the death of Miller’s DCI.

Harry and the team find out that some cold cases were meant to be left alone, and that sometimes the past should be left dead and buried…

It’s been months since DCI Harry McNeil lost his wife Alex, and while he’s recovered from some time away to get over the initial shock, things haven’t settled down too much just yet. His old team has been disbanded and Harry has been temporarily assigned to an existing Major Investigations team. When one of DI Frank Miller’s CIs dies unexpectedly Frank and Harry find themselves working together to solve a new case. But they find that some old friends have been replaced by new enemies and not everyone wants to see Harry – or Frank – succeed in finding justice.

I was pleased to find this book was quite a bit longer than a number of others in this series. With the cast of well-known secondary characters growing and the world of both Harry and Frank growing larger I was glad to see the length of the story has equally grown in size. I felt quite a bit of sympathy for Harry – he’s had a pretty rough time of it in the last few months and with his team disbanded – and the loss of the emotional and working comforts that provided – added to the loss of his wife and previous professional partner there’s been some major upheavals for Harry and getting his new rhythm hasn’t been easy. In some respects, this has to have added to Harry’s burden, but I found it also cleared the slate a lot for readers who might not have read all (or many) of the previous books. Harry is starting out with a bunch of new colleagues and the crimes and criminals are all quite new – so much of the backstory and weight of the previous books in the series isn’t there and won’t be a deterrent to readers new to the series.

That said there are still plenty of friendly faces and characters the readers should know and there’s plenty of support for Harry as well. I found these new cases were well plotted and interesting enough to keep me eagerly turning the pages trying to solve what was going on before Harry and his team could. Readers who enjoy a lot of banter and wit along with their Scottish Police procedural style of crime novels should definitely find this an enjoyable and well-paced story.

A solid book with plenty of twists and turns and a stack of interesting characters (both good and bad) this is a fun and enjoyable Scottish police procedural style of mystery/suspense story and well worth a read. Recommended.

Crash And Burn by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

They left him for dead. They made a mistake.

On sabbatical from the force after a personal loss, DCI Harry McNeil spends his days renovating an old cottage he bought, and his nights down at the local bar. He’s living in a small town where nothing much happens. Until it does.

Harry meets a young woman who is searching for her brother who went missing in the area two years ago. He is special needs and she’s convinced he wouldn’t just run off.

Meanwhile, over a hundred miles away, a body is pulled from Loch Lomond, badly decomposed. In his pocket is the name of the missing man.

When the corpse is identified, it throws the missing man’s case in a new light.

Harry gets embroiled in the search and before long, his own life is put in danger.

A killer is on the loose and now he’s back in the town where Harry thought he was going to get peace, but he’s going to get much more than that…

After the recent upheaval and struggling with his grief, Harry McNeil is on an extended sabbatical and renovating a cottage he purchased. In the small town, nothing much happens, until one night Harry stumbles on a young woman who is searching for her missing brother. A seemingly easy favour quickly grows into something far larger and soon Harry is back doing what he does best – investigating.

On the surface this is an easy to follow mystery/suspense story with a number of excellent characters and plenty of Scottish flavour. I have to admit though – much of my patience and interest for the first quarter or so of the book is catching up with Harry himself and learning how he is coping with the recent death of someone very important to him and the ramifications from that loss. Readers who haven’t read the previous few books might feel the start of this book is a little slow and equally they might not understand the importance of this catching up in the start of the story. While I do feel readers who are new to this series will still enjoy the book, I think it will have far more weight and importance to those who – like me – want to catch up on how Harry is dealing with things.

That said, once the investigation gets underway the pace moves a little faster and the case certainly gets more interesting with a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I feel this strong police procedural mystery really gets going and readers will find themselves as hooked as I was. A number of the series favourites are showcased here – though there are a few exceptions – and overall, I feel this is an excellent quick mystery novel. Harry is away from his home ground and not working in an official capacity as he struggles with his grief and coming to terms with the new settings in his life, all of which I find completely understandable.

Readers who have been following along this series should enjoy this mystery and the update to how Harry is progressing, and I equally feel this is a good read for those new to Harry McNeil as a whole. While knowing the background to a number of the secondary characters and Harry’s recent problems might make this story more emotionally compelling this will give new readers a really good taste for Harry’s world and Carson’s writing style, and I feel is a good place to see if this is a series they’d enjoy. Recommended.