Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Old Bones Lie by Marion Todd Series: DI Clare MacKay #6
Published by Canelo on July 7, 2022
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 358
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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DI Clare Mackay is about to face a test of her loyalty…
When a report comes in that a van containing two prison officers and a convicted jewel thief is missing, the police in St Andrews work quickly to locate the vehicle. Their efforts prove in vain when no trace is found and they realise the wives of both officers also appear to have left the area. Is this a case of corrupt guards springing a felon, or innocent people caught in the crossfire?
DI Clare Mackay leads the team but has to do without her right hand man; DS Chris West is a cousin to one of the missing prison officers and must not be involved in the case. With a new sergeant at her side plus a previously unencountered DCI, Clare’s people skills are pushed to the limit
I’ve really been enjoying the DI Clare Mackay series. I bought the first one, See Them Run, as a audio deal on Chirp. When the next few in the series went on sale I thought I should see if I liked the first one before I bought more, but then I found the next ones on audio at Hoopla. The audio was interesting because the author narrates them herself, which is something I normally like, and I could hear all the regional type accents of Scotland. So when Old Bones Lie came available I was just caught up to current and ready.
The series is a police procedural and that is the primary focus. We get everything from Clare’s point of view and she leads her team. Often a DCI comes in and never seems to provide support, only wants reports and to take the credit. There are layers in her relationships with her co-workers and her personal life. Clare spends a very high percentage of her time on work, so she doesn’t put much effort into her personal relationships. This may be why they don’t always work. However, she does seem to be settling into one at the moment.
I appreciate many things about Clare’s work life. There is her skill and strategy at tackling an investigation, knowing what is important and what steps to take. She also has to deal with victims and families of victims with some care. Her mentoring of her team and best utilizing their skills also takes some efforts.
The current events seem like a straightforward case where things connect up. The events do connect up but not in the way expected. Really things seemed obvious, except the unavailable DCI, until they weren’t. The whole thing turned on its head with lots of people firmly believing things which were not reality. Clare and her team do figure things out, but it’s a little unsatisfying because some people can’t be charged as there isn’t enough evidence. That is quite realistic though.
About Marion Todd
Marion grew up in the City of Dundee, now home to the magnificent V&A Museum. Always a keen writer, she has had point-of-view pieces published in the Dundee Courier and short stories in My Weekly magazine. She won first prize in the Family Circle Magazine Short Story for Children Competition in 1987.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Marion worked as a lecturer, candle-maker and hotel lounge pianist, a job which provided rich material for her novels.
In 2018 Marion was long-listed for the Sunstory Award and the Scottish Arts Council Short Story Award and in 2019 was short-listed for Dundee Rep’s Stripped programme.
More recently, Marion has turned her hand to crime fiction and in 2020 was shortlisted for the prestigious Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year award with her novel See Them Run, the first in the DI Clare Mackay crime series.
Marion lives in North East Fife overlooking the River Tay and is a sometime babysitter for her daughter’s unruly but lovable dog.
Marion is published by Canelo and represented by Northbank Talent Management.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Looks like an exciting addition to the series.
Thank you Wendy. It’s not my favorite book in the series, probably a bit because I got an eARC instead of audio, but it was still good and I enjoy this series a lot.
I don’t read a lot of police procedurals, but I do enjoy them when they’re done well. Especially when they’re set in England or Scotland. 🙂
Yes I enjoy this one being in Scotland because I feel I know so little about that area compared to England or Ireland.
Anne, thanks for sharing I’m glad you are liking this series and I LOVE Chirpbooks too!
Thank you Debbie. I do really enjoy this series. This one rated a bit lower probably because I love the audio more than the eARC. But I really like this world and its characters.
Interesting!!
yes there are many things I enjoy about this series.