Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook free of charge, from Simon and Schuster, via EdelweissPlus, for review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own
Investigative journalist Rebecca Connolly returns in this riveting, immersive thriller from the author of Thunder Bay—for readers of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, and Denise Mina
Synopsis:
When a man in eighteenth-century Highland dress is found dead on the site of the Battle of Culloden, where Bonnie Prince Charlie led his forces to a rout seared into Scottish memory, Rebecca Connolly takes up the case for the Chronicle. A controversial film about the rebellion and battle is being shot nearby, and it has drawn the ire of the right-wing nationalist movement Spirit of the Gael. Is there some link between the murder—the weapon used to impale the man leaves no doubt it was murder—and Spirit of the Gael or the shadowy militant group New Dawn, thought to be associated with them?
Meanwhile, in the working-class part of town, Rebecca's assignment to cover a protest against the placement of a convicted child molester into the community leads her to Mo Burke, the unlikely protest leader. Mo is a formidable woman, but she is also the matriarch of a known crime family and usually prefers to shun the spotlight. What has drawn her out? And what of her two grown sons, who share in the family business? The older one, Nolan, with Ben Affleck good looks, is clearly intrigued by Rebecca, as she is by him, despite her better instincts to steer clear of their dangerous, violent world.
And then another body is found, this one wearing the Redcoat uniform of the victorious British army.
Meanwhile, in the working-class part of town, Rebecca's assignment to cover a protest against the placement of a convicted child molester into the community leads her to Mo Burke, the unlikely protest leader. Mo is a formidable woman, but she is also the matriarch of a known crime family and usually prefers to shun the spotlight. What has drawn her out? And what of her two grown sons, who share in the family business? The older one, Nolan, with Ben Affleck good looks, is clearly intrigued by Rebecca, as she is by him, despite her better instincts to steer clear of their dangerous, violent world.
And then another body is found, this one wearing the Redcoat uniform of the victorious British army.
Review:
This is the 2nd book in the Connely series and a well-done Sophmore effort! I will definitely be adding this series to my must-read list! Rebecca is a good main character- interesting, flawed (who else would put themselves right in the middle of a fight between low-level mobsters and a pedophile?). It's an interesting tale of good versus evil, assumptions gone wrong, and of how redemption can come at a high cost, not only to the person trying but to those around them, like a domino effect. It takes the idea of a police procedural and flips it- so you see the crime from the journalist's view, yet the mystery still needs to be solved. Loads of fun, this one is another page turner!
About the Author:
Douglas Skelton was born in Glasgow. He has been a bank clerk, tax officer, taxi driver (for two days), wine waiter (for two hours), journalist, and investigator of real-life crime for Glasgow solicitors. He has written eleven true crime and Scottish criminal history books but now concentrates on fiction. His novels Open Wounds and Thunder Bay, the first Rebecca Connolly thriller, were longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for best crime book of the year. He lives in southwest Scotland.
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