Against The Clock by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The body of a teenager is found near Portobello Beach in Edinburgh, wrapped in plastic. She went missing five years ago but it’s obvious she only died recently. Inside the plastic is the dress she was wearing when reported missing. Where has she been kept and why has she been killed now?

The dead girl’s abduction mirrors that of two young girls who have gone missing in the past two weeks. DCI Harry McNeil is assigned the case with the help of two colleagues from Glasgow, who have discovered the body of a young girl in an abandoned leisure park. Now an eight-year-old girl is snatched from the beach. Is it connected to the other two older girls who have gone missing?

As the detectives follow the clues, they know they’re dealing with somebody who is not only a deranged killer but who will disappear with his victims. Just like he did five years ago. Harry and the others are pulling out all the stops to find the girls, but all of them know, they’re running against the clock…

When two teenaged girls are found dead – one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow they are very quickly identified as two of three young girls who went missing within days of each other five years ago. DCI Harry McNeil and a number of his colleagues quickly work together to try and find both where the third girl might be but also re-investigate the original kidnappings.

This is a fast paced and enjoyable Scottish police procedural style of book. I have been enjoying this series and while the plot and mystery can definitely be read alone, I feel readers will gain far more enjoyment from the many characters if they have read at least a few of the previous books to understand the various interactions and relationships.

I was a little disappointed this time around to find Alex’s character pretty annoying. I fully understand her situation and that she’s not quite herself – but equally I feel the jealousy and slightly petty behavior she showed Harry in particular was a bit beneath her. While I feel some readers may think this makes Alex more relatable and human, I personally found it a bit annoying and was pleased when she reverted somewhat back to the character I’m used to.

There is a bunch of Scottish antics and swearing from the various characters – quite a decent sized cast of them too – so readers who are somewhat new to the series might find it a bit of a juggle to keep it all in hand. I admit I really enjoyed this part of the story – the ribald interactions and clear friendship and connections between the group of men. To my surprise, I actually even somewhat liked DSup Calvin Stewart, though I expect he was purposely written as a bit of a git and rude character. He was certainly memorable regardless of whether you liked him or not and while personally I enjoyed him – I’d understand if he’s not every reader’s cup of tea. He is certainly a different and unique kind of character.

With a solid mystery plot and a wide range of variable characters I found this to be a fun romp of a story with plenty of swearing and police work. I’m greatly enjoying the series and am eager for more.

Life Extinct by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Doctor Angela Monroe is found dead at the foot of Salisbury Crags on Arthur’s Seat. An avid runner, it first appears that she fell to her death.

Until the pathologist deems it murder.

It’s the night of the summer solstice and people have been celebrating on the famous dormant volcano.

DCI Sean Bracken and his team are called in to lead the investigation.

Monroe was a well-respected professor, lecturing at a local university, who had no known enemies and was a private person who kept to herself.

Was this a random attack? As they dig deeper into her background, nothing makes sense. But somebody wanted her dead, and when the killer strikes again, it takes the team into a whole new direction.

Meantime, Bracken’s girlfriend is being stalked…by a dead man. Logic says it can’t be him, but who would want to harm her? She enlists the help of Bracken, who knows all too well that dead men don’t stalk…

DCI Sean Bracken is enjoying where he’s at with his life. His work and family relationships are all fairly stable and happy, his growing relationship with his girlfriend Chaz is moving steadily but well and he’s even comfortable still staying in the guest house with a retired detective as his landlord. Only an odd death draws Sean’s idyllic summer to a close on the solstice and Chaz appears to have a stalker – a man who she met a number of years ago through her work in the mortuary – a man who is very dead.

I’ve read a number of John Carson’s books and enjoy both his DCI Harry McNeil series as well as his DCI Sean Bracken series. While I have frequently found the Bracken series to be a bit grittier and harder than the McNeil series, I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. I was very pleased that Bracken’s romantic relationship with Chaz is slowly gaining momentum and they each seem to be steadily getting more series about each other. I also enjoyed how the author spent a little more time showing us the reader more of Sean and Chaz together in their personal time and not glossing over the somewhat new relationship. This helped me see them both and understand that this isn’t some quick fling but has the potential to be long term and serious between them.

I was pleased with the balance between Sean’s work as a homicide detective and his looking into the more personal investigation of who was stalking Chaz. I enjoyed this extra layer into their private life and seeing them work together outside their professional career and I enjoyed this. I definitely feel that while readers who have been following along with this series will find a lot of satisfaction in seeing this extra layer to the characters we’ve read about for a while – this book can easily be picked up by itself and readers can thoroughly enjoy this story even if they haven’t read anything previously in this series.

A strong Scottish police procedural style of novel, this is a strong read and one I enjoyed. I thought there is a good amount of character growth and an easy and steady interaction between the main characters, but it’s also a very strong police investigation-based mystery and I feel this should appeal to a wide range of readers.

Crossing Over by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 star
Reviewed by Fern

A woman is found dead, brutally murdered, her death made to look like an accident. DCI Sean Bracken is called in and discovers that the young woman has a very powerful father. Was somebody trying to get back at him or has the woman’s secrets finally caught up with her? Bracken also has to deal with the mysterious arson attack on his boss’s house. And a name from the past resurfaces, a name that Bracken thought was dead and buried. He is walking a tightrope with these cases and not everybody wants him to succeed. But he’s never backed down from a challenge in his life, and this is no different. With his hands full, Bracken is getting pulled in different directions. But he’s more than capable of dealing with a problem head on. As somebody is about to find out…

At first the death of a young woman looks like an accident, but DCI Bracken and his team quickly discover that she was brutally murdered. With a powerful father determined to find answers and the recent arson of Bracken’s boss’ house all putting pressure on the team they each have plenty on their plate. Can they all find the answers they seek?

This is the third novel revolving around DCI Bracken and I am really enjoying this slightly harder, edgier series. All three books have occurred in a very short timeframe (approximately a month of time for Bracken) and so while I wouldn’t classify this as a serial novel, it definitely has a bit of that feel, with events from the previous book somewhat overlapping this story. I feel the author did an excellent job explaining everything without massive pages of info-dumping – I do feel readers who pick this story up by itself won’t feel lost and will be easily able to follow along, but at the same time I can’t help but feel that reading the series in order will give fans a far deeper and better enjoyment of the story, characters and the situation they’ve found themselves in.

The plot is really well handled to my mind. There are a number of moving parts – both with the murder investigation and also the arson and a few tendrils of other sub-plots dangling from the previous two books – and so I found this gives the storyline a good pace without being too crazy. While there is still a bit of banter and lightheartedness between the character interactions, I thought that unlike this author’s Harry McNeil series there is a bit of a grittier, harder feel to the world and story as a whole. Personally, I really enjoyed this – but fans who are expecting a lighthearted, even slightly comedic feel might find this doesn’t meet their expectations.

With some good plots and twisting for them to intertwine I thought this was a well written and solidly paced story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ll absolutely be reading more in this series. Recommended.

Rush To Judgement by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A woman is found hanging in the woods in a small Highland town. A hearse crashes into an old church and is abandoned. The police find a coffin inside but the body isn’t a recent death. It’s the badly decomposed body of a girl who went missing thirty years ago. DCI Harry McNeil is sent north to co-ordinate the hunt for a killer, along with colleagues from Glasgow. The town plays host to the annual Christmas Land festival, and this year marks the thirtieth anniversary. With the festivities in full swing, it seems that somebody wants to draw attention to the town for a different reason. With hundreds of tourists flocking to the area and only a few days left before Hogmanay, can Harry McNeil and Jimmy Dunbar capture a killer who is not only intent on bringing back the dead but adding fresh kills to his tally? They’re going to have to move fast. The clock is ticking and a New Year is fast approaching. Then everybody goes home. Including the killer…

DCI Harry McNeil and his new MIT team are called up north when a woman is found hanging in the woods of the small Highland town. With the forensics proving she was murdered it reopens old wounds as the victim was the only survivor of a strange set of deaths from a number of years ago. As they investigate further Harry and his team find a surprising number of other deaths all linked together – can they discover what’s really going on in this small rural town?

I definitely feel as if Carson is hitting his stride with this series. The police team have an enjoyable and friendly style and banter that helps keep the pace of the story feel like it’s moving at a decent clip. I also really enjoyed how while it’s clear the team are an excellent machine that works really well together – and have for a while now – there isn’t the feel of this big history, or a series of “in jokes” to make the reader feel lost or like they must go back and read previous novels in the series. This book stands well by itself and I feel readers new to this author and series can absolutely enjoy this story on its own merits.

This has the solid feel of a police procedural story – where following the evidence, questioning other residents of the small community and piecing together both what occurred in the past and connecting it to what’s currently happening in the present all mesh together really well I feel. I thought this book gave a good feeling of a solid plot, with enough characters to keep me guessing but not so convoluted I got lost or had to flip back and re-read sections again to get things straight in my head. I also enjoyed how while there was clearly character/personal progress particularly between Harry and Alex’s characters, it was woven in with the mystery plot and police work carefully enough that I felt the balance was just right.

With an interesting plot, a number of vibrant characters and a lighthearted banter between the cast this is an excellent book both as a standalone mystery and as an addition to the DCI Harry McNeil series.