Published by Diamond Crime,
28 September 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-91564915-7 (PB)
DI Duncan Waddell is facing the most bizarre case of his career. It seems that a killer is stalking victims on Glasgow’s streets. Men unfortunate enough to be caught are being abducted, tied up, force-fed, then strangled and their livers removed.
The first indication is a reported kidnap – the victim is Kevin Drummond, a well-known career criminal, who has been found unconscious near a hospital. When he comes to, he claims that he had been abducted, but had managed to escape - his story is supported by physical evidence, but he is very confused and does not know who he is. However, he does insist that his abductor apologised for making a mistake. Then another victim is found - Daniel Adams. The investigation into this murder reveals some unexpected information, but does it support the idea of a serial killer, or is there something else behind the killings?
During the investigation, Waddell, as is his habit, visits his friend and colleague at the Intensive Care unit, where he has been since receiving injuries which had left him comatose. Waddell updates Stevie on his current case and they talk things over. Waddell seems at ease with this unusual and unlikely state of affairs, but no-one else, staff or family, knows about it. For them the question is how long Stevie will be kept on life support if there no evidence of any improvement in his condition.
The story moves forward with a number of unexpected events before the individual ribbons of evidence are neatly tied up and provide a disturbing solution. The characters are well-developed, all adding their own flavour and knowledge to the investigation. Waddell holds his team together and deals with the twists and turns confidently. This is the second in the Detective in a Coma series and it will be interesting to see how the storyline involving the actual detective in a coma is handled.
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Jennifer Lee Thomson is an
award-winning crime writer who has been scribbling away all her life. She also
writes as Jenny Thomson and is an animal and human rights advocate.
Jo Hesslewood. Crime fiction has
been my favourite reading material since as a teenager I first spotted Agatha
Christie on the library bookshelves. For twenty-five years the
commute to and from London provided plenty of reading time. I am
fortunate to live in Cambridge, where my local crime fiction book club,
Crimecrackers, meets at Heffers Bookshop . I enjoy attending crime
fiction events and currently organise events for the Margery Allingham Society.
