Next in Line: A must-read Scottish crime thriller

This is book 5 in the Clare MacKay series, I haven't read any of the previous books but as a police procedural novel it worked well as a stand-alone and any back story was given as required. EDIT: I have now read the previous four books. DI Clare Mackay is at her ex-boyfriend's wedding with her latest squeeze, DCI Alastair Gibson, when she is alerted to the murder of a Glaswegian restauranteur at a small country house outside St Andrews called Lamond Lodge which had been hired for the weekend to celebrate the victim's fortieth birthday. The victim, Russell Fox was celebrating with his sister, the daytime TV presenter Gaby Fox and her husband Luke Gasparini, who owns a TV production company, and three of his childhood friends from primary school: Eamon Ferry; Doug Gerrard; and Steve Christie. Russell was shot, just about dawn on the Saturday morning, coincidentally while Gaby and Luke were at the same wedding as Clare and Al. The murder weapon and the shot point to a professional, or at least premeditated, hit. But none of the guests appear to have heard or seen anything. The property had a night-time security guard and CCTV cameras, none of which picked up the murder, although the cameras did pick up some unexpected visitors. As a reader I was pulled this way and that by the evidence which pointed first one way, then the other. However I wouldn't say they were red herrings, more just unravelling the truth as one person after another is discovered to have lied to the police. I really enjoyed this, I liked the way the police went over the evidence at the daily briefings and pursued leads, for want of a better word it felt genuine, lots of hard slog and running round in circles and testing alibis. I will certainly read more of these books (in fact I have just bought the first one in the series), it was engaging, relatable and kept me guessing right to the end. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Despite not yet having read the preceding instalments in Marion Todd's D.I. Clare Mackay series, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Next in Line. It's a well-conceived police procedural, set in and around the picturesque Scottish city of St. Andrews. The book opens with the protagonist, D.I. Clare Mackay, bemusedly attending the wedding of her ex-partner. Fortunately, Clare's given an early excuse to leave, when she's called to an unusual crime scene - a shooting death - at a plush country house outside St. Andrews. Discretion is required, as the murdered man is the brother of television personality Gaby Fox, who Clare briefly met as a fellow guest at the wedding. Clare and her team begin sifting through the clues, interviewing the friends of the victim, Russell Fox, to discern a motive for his murder and following up leads about the presence of a suspicious van seen in the area the previous night. Feathers are ruffled by the arrival of D.C.I. Tony McAvettie, renowned for his sexual shenanigans with junior officers and tendency to take credit for others' work, to oversee the investigation. As the investigation proceeds, the team uncover possible financial motives for Russell's murder and identify a prison sentence he served some years ago as a possible contributor to current events. Can Clare unravel all the tangled threads and identify the killer before they claim another victim? I appreciated that, as well as a strong and complex plotline surrounding the investigation, Next in Line also featured a compelling intertwined narrative focussing on Clare's private life, in particular her developing relationship with D.C.I. Alastair Gibson. Characters were well-developed and believable and the dialogue snappy, with a sprinkling of Scots vernacular. Next in Line was a compelling and entertaining read. I'll certainly be seeking out earlier books in the series for my future reading pleasure. I'd recommend the book to any reader who enjoys well-characterised police procedurals, in the line of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series and Caroline Graham's D.C.I Barnaby series. Like both those series, I believe this would translate well to television adaptation in the future.

DI Clare Mackay may have been thinking about finding a good reason to leave her ex boyfriends wedding, but she didn’t wish for this. Sometimes duty calls and in this case, it called her straight out of that awkward situation and into the high profile case of celebrity Gabrielle Fox’s brothers Murder. Now the community of St Andrews eyes are all on Clare and the team to solve the case. The fifth instalment in this fabulous series, Next in Line is another stellar read from Marion Todd. An atmospheric crime thriller with a touch of romance featuring one of my favourite fictional police detectives, I was immediately embroiled in this latest investigation. I once again found myself transported into the pages where I worked alongside the team trying to solve the puzzle and find the missing pieces. There are plenty of potential suspects and along the way, obstacles, red herrings and twists making for a suspenseful read in the lead up to its thrilling conclusion. As I say in every review I have done for the other books in this series, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Throughly researched to deliver the reader an authentic story and real characters that are all brought to life with impeccable writing, Marion Todd is at the top of her game and I can’t wait to read what she comes up with for us next.