In the village of Cronchie, a wealthy family are found brutally murdered. The Devil Stone, an heirloom rumoured to bring death if removed from their home, is the only thing stolen. The key suspects are known satanists. But when the investigating officer disappears, DCI Christine Caplan is pulled in to investigate.
Caplan knows she is being punished for a minor misdemeanour when she is seconded to the Highlands, but she's confident she can quickly solve the murders and return home to her fractious family. But as she closes in on the truth, it is suddenly her life, not her career, that is in danger.
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(@canongatebooks), 31 August 2023, e-galley, 288 pages, ARC from @NetGalley)
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I enjoyed The Devil Stone a lot. In many ways this book ticks all the boxes of a typical police procedural which includes multiple bodies and suspects and a variety of clues that lead to many places including red herrings and more questions. The book stands out because of the characters. They are all really well written and come to life on the page. The best character is Caplan. She's not a typical police officer, flawed real and human. Caplan thinks someone has it in for her when witnesses lie about what they've seen her doing and her family is targeted but nobody believes her, and she's determined to expose the rat at the station she's been sent to. The pacing is spot on, forcing you to keep flicking through the pages.
