Arran islanders respond angrily when a girl dies in the fells. A subsequent death on the mainland is further cause for concern. The conditions were terrible for a hike up Arran’s highest peak, Goat Fell, so why did a group of schoolgirls attempt it? One of the girls presses on when the others turn back; inappropriately dressed and unprepared, she meets her death.After mountain rescue retrieve the … death.
After mountain rescue retrieve the body, various questions start to be raised. Inconsistencies in her companions’ accounts of events are exposed, and it turns out the victim may have been drugged.
The police investigation begins to centre on a suave, enigmatic Italian man who has made his home on the mainland. Having conquered more than a few hearts, it is his past record that troubles detective Charlie West.
When the body of another young woman is found, police move quickly. But have they got the right guy? And what is really driving these killings?
Full of nice twists, red herrings, deadpan humour, and based in an atmospheric setting, readers will love this book.
RANCOUR is the eighth Scottish murder mystery to feature detectives James Munro and Charlie West. It can be perfectly enjoyed as a standalone. Try it out now, and discover your next favourite crime fiction series.
The full list of books, in order of publication, is as follows:
1. SHE
2. AVARICE
3. ENMITY
4. DUPLICITY
5. TERMINUS
6. TALION
7. PERDITION
8. RANCOUR
more
221 Pages
4 stars
Four young women decide to hike the Goat Fell trail. The weather was awful and the girls were underdressed for such a venture. But only three came back.
The rescue services went to look for the missing girl and find her dead and nearly frozen. It is deemed an accident until the autopsy shows that she was murdered.
DI Charlie, DS Dougal, DC Duncan and retired DCI Munro are on the case. Why did the surviving three girls leave her?
The police have a strong suspect, an Italian man who is a schemer and has suspect relationships with young women – much younger than him.
When another young woman is killed, the tension increases. Both women were drugged. Was the Italian responsible for both deaths? Confusion reigns as more suspects are revealed. Some witnesses have been lying or withholding information.
A subplot runs through the book. It appears that Munro is seriously ill.
This is a well written and plotted novel as are all of Pete Brassett’s books. I truly enjoyed this quick read. The police team gets along so very well. It is very nice to see that there is no one who has major personal problems.
On to the next book!.
Again Peter Brassett has produced a novel with a bundle of Scottish characters who keep the reader entertained as Charlie and Munro make their way to identifying the killer. Brassett spares us the gore of so many noir writers.
Another well written detective story, this time more Detective West than Munro. Good story line, well written dialogue which makes you feel you are in the conversation rather than reading it.
Great Brit dialogue.
Inspector Munro and his team rock! Love the interaction between characters and the twists and turns. The friendship of Munro and DI West will have you smiling as they work together solving the mystery. This is book 8 in the series.
Great series with interesting and well-drawn characters and intriguing plots.
When I was a mere college student years ago, my roommate’s grandmother introduced me to the old saying, “Always a hint, never a show.” It was Granny’s way of reminding us young women surrounded by the era of sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll and miniskirts that subtlety always trumped excess. In the mystery literary world , author Pete Brassett has learned this lesson very well. He can reveal more about a character in a sentence than many an author can in many paragraphs. Similarly, any references to past events in any of his character’s lives only occur if they move the plot forward; they’re never superfluous. Any mention of what’s going on in his main characters’ lives are equally subtle. His plots demand attention, his police are good at what they do, and have private lives that the reader gets glimpses of only when necessary.
In such a way, Rancour’s plot with its many threads moved inexorably forward to an ending that was as it should be with just enough surprises to make it memorable.
This is the first book lread in this series. I had a little bit of trouble following the characters. But I enjoyed this book and will read more but I will start with the first one.
Scottish police procedural. Quirky characters. One of a series. I’ve read several and they keep getting better. If you like British procedurals, you will probably like this one. The Scottish angle makes it different in a good way, but then I am familiar with and like Scottish culture.
I enjoyed the story and the characters. The writing style is different: there are one sentence paragraphs that are very long and the author loves to use – hyphens…
I love Pete Brassett’s books
Predictable. Characters were barely developed.
Really hard to get into. Flat characters and boring story.
The story did not go where I expected it to. It was definitely unexpected in the end. Full of thought-provoking story lines. I enjoyed it.