DCI Christine Caplan is in the ‘naughty corner’ and gets seconded to the Highlands when the investigating officer of a crime goes missing. Members of a wealthy family in a village are found brutally murdered in what appears to be a botched burglary, but the only thing that seems to have been taken is the Devil Stone. It’s an heirloom which is said to bring death if it’s ever removed from their home. Christine is sure that she can find the perpetrator/s swiftly and then go back to civilisation, and her family. Then she realises that her life could be in danger. This was a brilliant storyline and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Canongate for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

If you enjoy Val Mcdermid then this new series from Caro Ramsay will be for you. It is dark and complex. From what might have been straight forward murders comes a complicated bent-cop plot. The characters were very believable and interesting. Excellent crime writing. Many thanks to the publishers for sending me a copy to review.

4.5 rounded up DCI Christine Caplan #1 Two burglars aiming to steal the devil stone get the shock of their lives after gaining entry to Otterburn House, home of the wealthy McGregor family. The murders of five members of the family appear to have the hallmarks of a Satanic killing, especially as the only item missing in a house full of treasures is the devil stone. The crime scene however, is perplexing, making little sense to the local police and giving them a mishmash of messages. Meanwhile, in Glasgow DCI Christine Caplan has not had the best of days having endured a hearing for professional misconduct, a disastrous encounter with a handbag thief who seems as high as a kite and if that’s not enough to contend with, her home life can only be described as complicated. When the SIO of the McGregor case, DCI Bob Oswald goes AWOL, Christine is dispatched north to Conchie in the Highlands to assist DI Garry Kinsella and DS Iain Gowlay. When she arrives it becomes apparent that it’s not the tightest of ships and perhaps even more concerning, where is Adam McGregor, the youngest and hopefully, sole surviving member of the family??? Oh wow, I love a well constructed, exciting police procedural with excellent characters which Caro Ramsay delivers here in spades. The characterisation is exemplary, there are a lot, but they’re all well crafted and very easy to visualise. You can picture DC Craigo with his sharply pressed chinos, unkempt shirts and unusual way of thinking. Then there’s DC Toni Mackie with her over tight tops and the less said about her feet the better! As for Caplan, let’s just say you would definitely want her on your side, she’s straight talking, an incisive thinker and yes, Christine just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you. I really like her and totally root for her. The plot is complex, intense and dark, having multiple strands to it and it soon becomes clear that there’s a rotten heart beating in this beautiful area . The stunning scenery of the highlands is so well described and contrasts sharply with the dangerous sequence of events that Caplan finds herself in the centre of, with zero idea of who she can trust. The atmosphere is positively electric and tense, it’s full of brooding and direct threats as one of the number of sinister events plays out. Caplan is in acute danger, she must exercise all of her wits and her mental and physical strength to stay even half a step ahead if she’s to find a perpetrators whose reach is long. It’s an exhilarating high octane read, it’s a bit chaotic at times but that’s in keeping with the circumstances and with a pace that accelerates as it moves to an exciting ending. It’s absolutely gripping and the author has me hanging on every word and eagerly anticipating number two in the series.

DCI Christine Caplan is under a cloud in Glasgow after a misdemeanour at work so it suits the powers that be to have her out of the way for a while. In Cronchie, a Highland place on the West Coast, a wealthy family have been found murdered in their house. The grisly scene discovered by a couple of lads who has broken into the house with intent to rob it. It looks as if their murder may be part of a ritual as the only thing missing is the infamous Devil Stone. The grisly scene discovered by a couple of lads who has broken into the house with intent to rob it & there is some connection to them being involved with Satanic rituals. But then the investigating officer goes missing. Christine travels North thinking this might be sorted quickly & she can get back to her family. It isn't that simple. The only member of the family still alive (now the heir) is missing. The local police are not a very cohesive team. Some are very ambitious & resent her being there, others seem to be the butt of jokes & these are the people she is steered towards. However, these are the people with local knowledge & underestimated. This was a fast paced story full of interesting characters & interesting byways. I loved it & look forward to meeting Christine again. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

A wealthy family are slaughtered in their mansion and the evidence hints at satanism however when the local chief disappears DCI Christine Caplan is called in. She has been demoted and wants to clear up this murder quickly. As she investigates she realises that there is more to the tale and suspects her new team of involvement in the murders and a lucrative drug smuggling operation. This is a new strand for experienced novelist Ramsay and I quite enjoyed it. As the series is new there were lots of characters and the back-stories were a little confusing at times. However the plot is tight enough, linking devil worship and eco-living, so it skipped along well.