- Details
- Published: 18 November 2023 18 November 2023
Set in St Andrews, A Blind Eye is the seventh book to feature DI Clare Mackay. Local solicitor Harry Richards is found in his car in the middle of Tentsmuir Forest with his throat cut. There is no obvious motive, but as the team investigate it soon comes to light that he was not as squeaky clean as he first appeared. When the wife of one of Harry’s colleagues dies in a bizarre car crash, the team start to wonder if there is a connection. Clare has her eye on Colin Grandison, up to his neck in money lending and property scams, but he is a slippery character and always manages to avoid getting caught.
The plot is linear with the narrative taking place over the course of nine days. Normally, a DCI would be called in to take charge, but they are all busy elsewhere so Clare just has to get on with it. She has a good team behind her, and this is probably what a real investigation is actually like – lots of checking and re-checking to get solid enough evidence for a prosecution, with the added complication of working around solicitor/client confidentiality.
Marion Todd paints an affectionate picture of St Andrews and the surrounding Fife countryside. The characters of the detectives are fleshed out just enough to make them believable, but not so much that their lives intrude on the investigation. There is a lot of humour to offset the serious nature of the crimes they have to deal with. Robbie’s struggles with his mental health are handled in a sensitive manner. This is one of my favourite Scottish crime series, and I look forward to reading the next one. Thanks to Canelo Crime and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.