I’m always keen to share my love of Scottish Crime Fiction and today I’m delighted to introduce a new name on the block!
Before I share my thoughts, here’s what the official blurb says:
Meet Detective Lola Harris, a tough woman with a good heart, solving crimes in gritty Glasgow.
Detective Lola Harris returns from a miserable solo holiday — an effort to get over her useless ex — only to find herself in charge of a high-stakes investigation.
She rushes to a crime scene in the historic Gallowgate neighbourhood. The smell in the basement is thick and sweet, even through Lola’s forensic mask.
The old wooden chair and the rope hanging from its arms are stained red. The earth below is saturated with blood. Six candleholders, their lights burned out, lend the scene an air of a completed ritual.
And yet there is no sign of a body.
A smashed-up phone in the corner puts the investigators on the trail of a local politician who has vanished without trace and a controversial artist who died thirty years ago on a remote Hebridean island.
Lola will have to work with the most obnoxious detective in Glasgow if she’s going to stop the killer from striking again.
My thoughts
Murder in the Gallowgate was one of those books that has been popping up on my radar for a while now and when I discovered the author was local to me then of course I was keen to offer my support! The title also drew me in as the Gallowgate and East End of Glasgow are close to my heart as that’s where my roots are.
With a delightfully gruesome and chilling opening that smacks of some kind of ritual we are introduced to Detective Lola Harris. She’s not a happy bunny at all, her love life is in tatters, she’s just been on a solo holiday which brought her misery and not the happiness she was seeking and now she finds herself back at work and in charge of a high profile murder investigation in the historic Gallowgate area of Glasgow.
The twists and turns keep coming in this one keeping me glued to the pages, with a whole host of characters to keep you on your toes this was a whirlwind of an introduction to an intriguing new detective on the Scottish crime fiction scene. We had the odious DS Pierce, with whom Lola doesn’t share a happy history, Lola’s ex who doesn’t seem to have quite let go and DC Kirstie Campbell, who has her own issues to deal with, this was most definitely a cast of characters who I’m keen to find out more about.
A great sense of place that will bring the area to life for those who don’t know it and provoke a warm sense of familiarity from those who know the area well; added to this a high body count and it’s all quite the combination for the start of a new series! I shall be watching out for more!
Murder in the Gallowgate is available to purchase via
Scottish Crime Fiction Blogger and Author 