Hunter has a past. Hunter has a secret. Can he unravel his past, keep his secret and keep Edinburgh safe?Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse, but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.Hunter recalls the disappearance of a dead body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is … Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection – it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.
Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?
Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Will it change his life? And can he keep Edinburgh safe?
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Two young boys stumble over a body while bike-riding home. When they return to the site with their parents and the police, the body is gone. The boys are thought pranksters at first, but blood evidence proves there was a body. It is never found.
Thirty years later, two coworkers out for morning exercise stumble upon a body at a muddy river’s edge. With a dead cellphone in an isolated area, the men leave the body to contact authorities. When they return, the body is gone.
At first glance, the only connection is WHO found the bodies. The first body was found by fifteen-year-old Hunter Wilson and his younger brother, Fraser. The second body three decades later is found by DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu, and their boss is… DI Hunter Wilson.
With the holidays fast approaching, Hunter wanted to clear as many cases as possible, but this newest case may not be one of them. His team will have to search through thirty years of missing person cases as he deals with thirty years of nightmares.
This is my first read by Val Penny and I enjoyed it! What seemed like a simple plot in the beginning took enough twists and turns to keep me guessing almost to the end.
I loved the characters… well, except for Arthur and his jerk brother. And Jamie was annoying, but everyone had distinct personalities and played off each other well.
Gender reassignment, the LGBTQ community, and racial issues are dealt with realistically without being preachy or heavy-handed. Family issues are a big part of the story and they’re honestly portrayed and at times, humorous.
Don’t know when I’ll get time to read the first four books in this series, but I’m definitely on board for the next case!
Enjoy!
I was delighted when this, the 5th in the excellent Edinburgh Crime Mysteries landed in my kindle. I have enjoyed the other 4 and this one did not disappoint.
It’s a joy to see the way the various characters are developing as the series progresses. Looking forward to the next one! Please keep them coming, Val Penny.
The fifth brilliant instalment of Penny’s Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. This is such a fast-paced, well-crafted story with an all familiar cast and also some new faces. The descriptive passages are vivid – I could picture Edinburgh at Christmas and almost taste the gluhwein at the German market. This time, not only does DI Hunter Wilson have a secret, but he shares a truly terrifying episode from his childhood with us. And here’s where the past and present connect; when Bear Zewedu and Tim Myerscough are out running they see a corpse but when they return to the scene it has disappeared. The mystery is not just about the who, but the why and the how as well.
Penny is the master at weaving different strands of stories together so that, by the end, everything is very neatly sewn up. This also feels like a very timely tale – DCI Inglis being a prime example of a voice that, unfortunately, we’ve all heard before, but one which still manages to find air space. There’s so much to love in this book – there’s humour and romance as well as all the action, but my favourite thing about Penny’s writing is the effortless way she writes dialogue. It’s a joy to read. I can’t wait for Hunter’s Rules.