A missing persons case, or a double murder? We find out in A Murder of Crows.
A Murder of Crows – the blurb
The most violent thunderstorm in living memory occurs above a sleepy village on the West Coast of Scotland. A young couple take shelter in the woods, never to be seen again…DCI Jack Russell is brought in to investigate. Nearing retirement, he agrees to undertake one last case, which he believes can be solved as a matter of routine. But what Jack discovers in the forest leads him to the conclusion that he is following in the footsteps of a psychopath who is just getting started. Jack is flung headlong into a race against time to prevent the evolution of a serial killer…
Not another fugue
A Murder of Crows started off as a cross between your classic Scot Noir and the excellent Before I Go To Sleep. There is cop Jack Russell (yes really) about to embark on his last case before retirement, alongside dementia sufferer Alice who only has moments of lucidity, making her very vulnerable to carer Helen. As I read on, the Before I Go So Sleep side fell away and the Scot Noir side took hold. There were some interesting plot surprises, some of which I thought could have been built on further, and a lengthy dotting of I’s and crossing of T’s ending.
A little fugue
Towards the end, Alice’s little fugues, Jerome’s rising resentment and Jack;s half thoughts about ringing his wife did become repetitive. There were also a lot of characters that either seemed superfluous to the plot or difficult to pin down and remember. And whereas I really wanted to understand more about Alice whose story I found fascinating, I struggled with the central relationship between Caroline and Alistair. I struggled with Caroline’s story-line in general really. I won’t giveaway any spoilers but found her part in the story very unbelievable.
Give it a go
I found the book easy to read and can imagine a book club picking it apart with relish. But I did struggle. So much so that I pondered whether to post a review or not as I don’t like negativity just for the sake of it. However there was something that kept me reading and I do feel that despite it being obviously a debut there is a lot of potential. Give it a go and let me know what you think.
If you like Scottish crime, try the very Hebridean The Black House by Peter May.
