SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE WEEK

Advocate turned author Gillian Galbraith’s exciting detective fiction ticks all the right boxes – we have a female detective as our protagonist and Edinburgh forms the setting for the novel.

Alice Rice is a single, lonely police detective who has become increasingly disillusioned with her career.

It soon becomes apparent that Alice lives for her work, and has sacrificed meaningful relationships as a result. She has no close friends and is dissatisfied with her love life, which is somewhat lacking. Her only companion is her dog Quill, who she leaves with a neighbour when she is at work.

Amid her own battles with her personal life, Alice must solve several grisly murders with professional people the victims.

As the body count rises, Alice is in a race against time and an intellectual struggle with an implacable, faceless killer – someone who is targeting Edinburgh’s affluent New Town, who seems determined to enact revenge on a particular element of Edinburgh’s professional job scene.

The novel evokes a strong sense of place through detailed descriptions. The evocative language, coupled with the medical aspects of the story, offer a refreshing perspective on the typical crime novel narrative. Galbraith’s own expertise is evident, and the cut and thrust of the courtroom was particularly well depicted.

The author manages to create convincing characters, and showcases a mastery of language through her use of vernacular and dialogue. However, the heavy Edinburgh dialect may pose a challenge to non-scottish readers.

Alice is both frustrating and fascinating – she is clearly a thorn in the side of her superiors due to her high level of competence and desire to do things her way.

The well-developed plot was easy to read and the author avoids using contrived tropes so often associated with this genre, and as a result Blood in the Water feels refreshing and unique.

There are twists and turns aplenty, but these do not distract from the plot development. The reader is kept in the dark until the very end, which proves worth the wait as there are no loose ends.

A brilliant and clever page turner, perfect for crime fiction fans.