Publication Date: 2nd November from Orion
Source: Review Copy
Two brutal killings rock Inverness, and bring ex-Met Detective Inspector Lukas Mahler the biggest challenge of his career…
The body of the queen of daytime TV, Morven Murray is discovered by her sister, Anna, on the morning of her wedding day. But does Anna know more about the murder than she’s letting on?
Police informant Kevin Ramsay’s murder looks like a gangland-style execution. But what could he have stumbled into that was dangerous enough to get him violently killed?
Mahler has only a couple of weeks to solve both cases while dealing with his mother’s fragile mental health. But caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, is ex-Met DI Lukas Mahler hunting one killer, or two?
Well written and intriguing debut here from Margaret Kirk – set in Inverness, one of the main strengths of this novel is that setting and putting it firmly into the minds of the reader, using the character driven narrative to keep things engaging.
Mahler is a police detective I got right on board with. Challenged in some but not all of the usual ways, he is a little like a fish out of water, dealing with two murders and a mother who is mentally unstable. The mystery elements are strongly atmospheric, with a few little twists and turns along the way – the supporting cast all come with their own little foibles and overall this was an extremely steady and confident start to a new police procedural series.
The ending works well both as a conclusion and a continuation, there are some characters other than Mahler that I’m hoping to meet again in book two – I have no problem recommending this and I will absolutely look forward to the next story and revisiting Inverness once more.
Smart and compelling, top notch crime fiction.
Happy Reading!
Thank you so much for this – really pleased you enjoyed ‘Shadow Man’. And yes, Mahler and his team will definitely be back!