Errant Blood (Duncul Mysteries) by C F Peterson
| Errant Blood (Duncul Mysteries) by C F Peterson | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Kristen Perkins
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| Summary: Full of bewildering and intriguing stops and starts, this crime thriller leaves the reader guessing at how each of the seemingly unrelated puzzle pieces will fit together in the end. Once the story grabs you, it doesn't let go until it's all over. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: March 2017 |
| Publisher: Scotland Street Press | |
| ISBN: 978-1910895061 | |
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When Eamon Ansgar's father passes away, he makes the decision to return to his home in the Scottish Highlands to take over control of his family's estate. He has been gone for many years, during which time he has pursued a career in the army and survived a posting in Afghanistan. Having failed to succeed at his subsequent attempt at city life, it seems village life back in Glencul is his only option. For most people in his position, returning home to the peaceful life of lordship over a castle and village would sound like a dream come true. But Duncul Castle and the village it overlooks are both keeping secrets – a mystery lurks in the cellars of Duncul, and some of Glencul's residents would kill for it.
For Eamon, life at home seems to only bring one strange thing after another. One of his childhood friends, a man named Joel, is implicated in the death of a boy in the village. His castle is broken into, and he must enlist the help of a girl called Rona from his past that he simultaneously cannot get enough of and wants to completely erase from his mind. At the same time, some distance away, a billionaire scientist along with his dying wife and shipmate are on a stolen yacht sailing towards Scotland. Additionally, a migrant man plagued with visions and voices is making his way on foot in a desperate attempt to reach the Highlands as well. On top of it all, Eamon has to deal with Latvian gangsters whose crimes range the gamut from drug dealing to money laundering. Each of these seemingly unconnected stories eventually joins together to create a brilliant, if sometimes bewildering read.
For me, this novel was absolutely a case of first impressions being wrong. Peterson's writing stands apart from the norm. The first few chapters came across as near to abstract and left me struggling to understand exactly what was going on, and I really thought that I was not going to enjoy the book. As I continued to read and the pieces fell into place, I realised just how impressively Peterson managed to string together so many separate plot lines into a thrilling novel. The confusion I felt mirrored Eamon's confusion, and as he began to make sense of the events surrounding him so too did I. I felt myself being caught up in the quickly increasing pace of the story and found that despite my initial hesitance to jump into the novel, I had to know what would happen to these wonderfully versatile characters. Overall, a solid novel with plenty of surprises.
If you are interested in reading more Scottish crime thrillers, check out Paying For It by Tony Black. You might also enjoy The Billion Pound Lie by Bill Dare if billionaires are your bag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Errant Blood (Duncul Mysteries) by C F Peterson at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Errant Blood (Duncul Mysteries) by C F Peterson at Amazon.com.
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