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