A young boy finds a body on a deserted Scottish beach. DS West searches for absconded DI Munro to help track down the killer.Left to her own devices Detective Sergeant Charlie West struggles with the responsibility of a full-blown murder investigation when a man is pushed off a cliff.Veteran crime-solver Detective Inspector Munro has disappeared having blown up his own house to remove a nemesis … his own house to remove a nemesis from a line of inquiry.
Not ready to have her apron strings severed so soon, West eventually finds Munro who reluctantly agrees to shed light on the Ayrshire detectives’ most challenging case yet.
Once the police have discovered the identity of the dead man, and established his demise was definitely the result of foul play, the race is on to hunt down the murderer.
Given the victim’s links to a local drug ring there is no shortage of suspects, yet few of them are willing to share their knowledge with the police.
Can they work out why the man was killed? Will the murderer strike again? The detectives must act quickly before the case goes cold.
TALION is the sixth book to feature these detectives. In order of publication, the full list is:
1. SHE
2. AVARICE
3. ENMITY
4. DUPLICITY
5. TERMINUS
6. TALION
7. PERDITION
8. RANCOUR
All of these books have been bestsellers in their genres, and are available FREE with Kindle Unlimited and in paperback.
more
This is the second book in this series that I’ve read and I loved both of them from start to finish. The writing is excellent with just the right amount of seriousness interrupted at just the right moment with just the right amount of wit or humor. I also appreciate that all members of law enforcement team have just enough peccadilloes to make them believable, but don’t cross the line into overstated dramatic dysfunction that drags down many a good mystery.
Also for readers who who have never read Brassett’s series with DI Monroe, DS West, et al, don’t be put off by the cover statement which describes the book as “A Scandinavian Noir Murder Mystery Set in Scotland” that might elicit images of a relentless progression of all kinds of unspeakable horrors. While there’s enough exciting going on to keep the reader interested, there also are wonderful passages like the following :
“After a fruitless visit to an unoccupied house on McCall’s Avenue, followed by a trip to a car wash where the employees spoke every European language except English, and the discovery that the appearance of his warrant card was capable of silencing an entire pub, Duncan–embarrassed and frustrated by his strike rate–returned to the office looking as dour as a vegan in an Argentinean steakhouse.”
Regardless of age or profession–or memories of same–we’ve all had experiences like this. The author’s ability to somehow make the reader feel like a part of this crew makes this a book apart.
good read
Moved right along… had to read in one sitting
Good story. This is part of a series and I usually want to read them in order. I almost stopped reading this because it kept referring back to something that happened at the end of the previous book. I did keep reading and after a short while the story took off on its own.
One of my pet peeves is when the author gives characters similar names. Duncan and Dougal aren’t too similar but I still had some trouble keeping them straight.
I picked up this book without knowing anything about the series, so I was prepared for anything when I dove into it. Except maybe that it would be funny. Which, it turns out, it was.
“Talion” is #6 in the series, so if you jump into it here, there will be a lot of back story that you won’t have, but that’s okay, I was still able to follow along with the main story itself just fine.
It’s one of those quick-reading, fast-moving mysteries, with not a lot of time given to character building or the kind of pauses that some authors excel at, the ones that give you a breather while allowing the tension to build. But if you like your action coming on thick and fast, this kind of book will probably appeal to you.
The best thing about it, though, is the aforementioned humor, especially in the chapter opening paragraphs. Each chapter begins with a meandering, complex sentence that *does* provide a brief moment of rest and tension building, while also showcasing the author’s talent at unexpected reversals and wry turns of phrase. Overall, a quirky, cleverly written mystery.
Did not find it intriguing–was bored–couldn’t wait to finish.
Loved figuring out the Scottish slang words and acronyms.
There is something about DI Munro & his crew that’s me me anxiously await the next book. I have read all of this series & always hope for more.