Cause of Death

Peter Ritchie,

Black & White Publishing, £7.99

Grace Macallan is facing a major change in her career, moving back to Scotland after being linked to the mysterious “Belfast Incident” while working in the force in Northern Ireland – a fatal decision to testify against a colleague ruined her reputation and forced her to make a new start.

As Grace tries to rebuild her reputation in the newly formed Lothian and Borders Major Crime Team, she struggles to rid herself of trouble, tricky when trouble generally comes in the job description. There is underlying trauma from Belfast that has not been dealt with but, despite constantly running from her past, Grace does not let it get in the way of her work.

After a brutal attack on a prostitute leads to several murders, Grace has her hands full once again. Behind the scenes on the Crime Team, things are not all they seem and she has problems to solve among her work colleagues also. With a classic hero v villain plot, we have no doubt that Grace will solve the crimes time and time again.

The book is aimed at a more mature audience and anyone who enjoys the crime genre or thrillers. It was well written and gripping and, as you’d expect with a retired senior police officer as its author, a convincing, authentic account of the police force.

It was the first novel I had read of its kind and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rachel Scorgie