Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 8/20/2009 + 2348 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

First Line: Conversations in the Macduff police office ceased the moment Detective Inspector Walter Byrne barreled through the plate-glass doors.

Two years ago Seth Mornay, ex-Royal Marine, returned home to start a new life as a Detective Sergeant in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Grampian police force. When the body of a woman is found in an old churchyard, it's up to Mornay and his partner, Constable Claire Gillespie, to solve the case despite the fact that their immediate supervisor seems to be throwing cogs into the works every chance he gets.

It took almost half this book before the pieces began to fall together and "percolate". In the beginning, Mornay is shown as being more interested in the number of women he can bed than he is in solving his cases. His career in the Royal Marines is mentioned several times but details are extremely sketchy, and the tired convention of the obstructive superior tends to bore me. Since I've never been impressed by detectives with overactive zippers, I was seriously thinking about sending this book along to the next reader unfinished. Mornay was supposed to be the Whiz Kid of the Grampian CID, but none of the evidence was supporting that claim.

Fortunately Kincaid managed to get Mornay on track. One or two details about his past in the military, Mornay's sudden abstinence, and the tie-in of an earlier case made The Last Victim in Glen Ross an involving and interesting read. My day was saved.

I have the next book in the series, Last Seen in Aberdeen, on my shelves, and I'll be picking it up sometime in future to read the further adventures of DS Mornay.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details