4 Stars from me
In book three of the DS Malkie McCulloch series, Malkie is battling more personal demons than ever and there is no real way of disguising the impact this is having on his ability to work the case.
Still profoundly traumatised by the loss of his mother and family home in a fire, Malkie is has to fight to control his spiraling thoughts whisky warehouse. In addition, one of the fire fighters also perishes and questions are raised around the circumstances.
There is a lot going on in this book aside from the main crime investigation and Doug Sinclair masterfully controls the subplots without detracting from the key storyline.
There are some fab characters in this series and the emerging relationships are fascinating on their own, and it is clear there is more to be revealed in future books. Malkie and Steph make for a great team, but Malkie’s self-imposed guilt is weighing very heavy on his soul and actions.
This is another dark and gritty Scottish crime thriller that pulls no punches and takes the reader on a vivid and uncomfortable journey as true gruesome horror of the murder is revealed.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Storm Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review. Doug Sinclair is definitely an author to watch.
Blurb: She opens the door to find two police officers waiting on her doorstep. Fear flashes through her. ‘Can we come in?’ they ask. ‘It’s about your husband…’
Anna Galbraith’s world shatters when she hears the devastating news: her husband’s whisky distillery has burned to the ground and a body has been found inside. But her husband wasn’t the only victim – a young firefighter perished too, leaving behind a grief-stricken fiancée only weeks away from their wedding day.
As DS Malkie McCulloch delves into the Galbraith family, he soon discovers their financial struggles. Was their marriage less perfect than Anne has made out?
After a shocking attack on a firefighter, another body is found, assaulted and set alight in the victim’s own home, and it’s clear a frenzied killer is on the loose. Can Malkie overcome memories of his own mother’s death in a fire to find the culprit? Or will the firestorm of his own life engulf him first?
Read and Rated 