BLOG TOUR: The Reckoning (Glasgow Southside Crime Series Book 5) - Maureen Myant

When a successful businessman is left for dead in a tenement close, police in Glasgow are flummoxed. Who could want him dead? His wife has a strong financial motive but the decoding of a mysterious inscription on his forehead points to a motive of revenge.

Then a second body is found, horribly mutilated, also bearing a message. DS Mark Nicholson and DCI Alex Scrimgeour fear they may have a potential serial killer on their hands. Their fears are realised when two more murders turn out to be connected.

Can Mark keep his mind on the job for long enough to work out how exactly these deaths are related to each other? He has enough worries of his own, what with juggling work, being a single parent to two-year-old Gus and now his boss Alex is edgy and distracted. He’s hiding something, but what?

With the help of DC Megan Webster, Mark vows to catch the twisted killer before they strike again but are they on the right path? Is the killer hiding in plain sight after all?

The gripping fifth book in the Glasgow Southside crime series by CWA shortlisted author Maureen Myant is perfect for fans of JD KIRK and SIMON MCCLEAVE, blending Scottish police procedural with dramatic domestic noir, and a peppering of dark humour.

 

What did I think?

Maureen Myant is an author whose books I read without reading the blurb as I love her books and I know it'll be a good one.  I absolutely love the Glasgow Southside Crime Series and although The Reckoning is book five you can definitely read it as a standalone.

I have read the series from the start so the police characters aren't new to me and I loved catching up with them to find out what's been going on in their eventful lives.  The crime in this instalment is a real page-turner as it's about revenge and it really is a dish that is best served cold.

It's actually heartbreaking to read the perpetrator's story as it shows how the social care system can fail at times and leave already vulnerable people with lasting scars.  The police really have a puzzler on their hands to untangle this one as the bodies start to mount up and they are struggling to work out the identity of the killer.

I simply couldn't read The Reckoning fast enough and read it in two sittings. I loved the crime storyline and also the personal stories of the main characters that kept me invested in the story and eager to read more.

Fast-paced, gripping and thrilling, The Reckoning is a perfectly plotted page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  I love this series and can't get enough of it!  It's an easy five stars for this unmissable book.

I received a gifted paperback for the Hobeck Books blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Fallen (Glasgow Southside Crime Series Book 4) - Maureen Myant

An errant crisp packet is all that stands between DI Alex Scrimgeour being murdered on his way to work. Who would want Alex dead? Or was it perhaps a case of mistaken identity? If the bullet wasn’t meant for Alex, then who was it meant for and why?

Alex’s journalist daughter, Kate, newly in his life and now happily settled in the same city, is obsessed with finding out more about a spate of apparent teenage suicides in the city. What do the deaths have in common, if anything? And who are the two mysterious ‘friends’ claiming that some of the teenagers were suicidal despite their families believing otherwise?

Despite pressing domestic issues, Kate can’t let the matter go, plunging her into a potentially dangerous situation.

When his would-be killer turns up dead, Alex is forced to look further back into the past to discover what motivated the shooting. Who is behind the vendetta? Can they be stopped before the next attempt is more successful?

 

What did I think?

You're always guaranteed a good read with a Maureen Myant book and The Fallen is no exception.  It's the fourth book in the brilliant Glasgow Southside Crime Series and, whilst you could read it as a standalone, it's absolutely superb when read as part of the series.

I was hooked from the moment I picked this book up when an attempt is made on Di Alex Scrimgeour's life.  He's certainly a bit of an acquired taste but he doesn't know who could possibly want him dead.  I really like Alex and his personal life plays a big part in the book; I loved seeing the relationship blossoming with his daughter Kate which is in stark contrast to the relationship he has with his dour niece Gillian.

Kate is a journalist and she has sniffed out a story regarding some recent teen suicides.  The families don't believe their children would take their own lives and it's heartbreaking for them.  Kate thinks there's something off too but getting close to the truth puts her in danger and my eyes were on stalks as I was reading.

The suicide storyline is very dark and disturbing but it is written sensitively and respectfully.  There's a lot going on in the book to keep the pages turning rapidly as the myriad strands of the plot weave in and out of the vivid prose.

Gripping, thrilling and fast-paced, The Fallen is an outstanding instalment in a magnificent series.  Very highly recommended.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Shame (Glasgow Southside Crime Series Book 3) - Maureen Myant

Glasgow

The cellar of a suburban bungalow has been hiding a dark secret. During building work, a skeleton is uncovered. DI Alex Scrimgeour and DS Mark Nicholson soon discover the remains have been there for sixty years. The owners of the house from that time, Richard and Doris Cavendish, are dead, but their daughter may still be alive.

Edinburgh

Edith Drummond is pleased to be back at work as a teacher after lockdown. She's a difficult woman with no friends but she's good at her job and the children love her. However, her Head Teacher, Olivia Waring, wants her to retire. Edith is determined to stay put, but their feud soon pales into insignificance when Edith receives a visit from the police.

Mark is sure Edith is hiding something, but he doesn't know what. His suspicion deepens when further remains are found at the bungalow in Glasgow, this time of a newborn baby. Despite dealing with his own personal problems, Mark is determined to get to the bottom of this bizarre case. Is there a link between the two crimes? Is the answer staring him In the face or is there more to the mystery than meets the eye?

 

What did I think?

The Shame is the third book in the Glasgow Southside Crime Series and although you can read it is a standalone and thoroughly enjoy it, it's absolutely brilliant when read as part of the series.  

The character development throughout the series is outstanding and I was as hooked by the continuation of their stories as I was by the actual crime they were investigating.  It's a rather grisly crime when the new owners of a home discover a skeleton in their basement so the police need to trace the previous occupants to identify the body and solve the crime.  

Edith Drummond was so ashamed of her past in Glasgow that she changed her name and moved to Edinburgh.  Edith is a difficult woman to love but she really did grow on me and I completely sympathised with her past family life and her present working life as a teacher.  I was so annoyed that the head teacher can't see what a brilliant teacher Edith is but instead is set on making Edith retire.  I was virtually fist bumping the air when Edith continued to stand up to her.

I am completely hooked by DS Mark Nicholson's story and although I do feel sorry for him, he made his bed so he has to lie in it.  Unfortunately for Mark, that bed is in his boss's flat as his wife threw him out after his affair.  DI Alex Scrimgeour is a bit of a teddy bear now that his own personal mystery has been solved but I really wouldn't be helping myself to his whisky if I was living in his flat!

As impossible to put down as it is to predict, The Shame is a cracking piece of crime fiction that had me on the edge of my seat and reading with my virtual running shoes on.  I already consider this to be one of my favourite crime series and The Shame proves that it is just getting better and better.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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