Written in Blood is the third installment of the DCI Marlin Thriller Series by Scottish author David McGlone. DCI Marlin has had help in the past from his psychologist friend, Al Andrews. However, Andrews has been close to several murder scenes, and although he doesn’t want to think that his friend is a murderer, DCE Marlin often wonders. Andrews helped Marlin put away a serial killer named Mark Rennie years before, and Rennie is out for revenge upon all those who were involved in his going to prison. A body is found where everything leads to the victim being Rennie, but it is discovered that the body is that of a former cop and Rennie is alive and well, extracting his revenge. More bodies are discovered, and since Al is close each time, DCI Marlin has to find out whether Rennie or Andrews is doing the killing.

This series is unique, in that Andrews, one of the so-called “good guys,” may be a serial killer in his own right; that is possibly why he seems to be able to see into the mind of other killers and help DCI Marlin find murderers and get them convicted. Normally, the main characters are investigating murders, and aren’t part of the suspect list, but readers will wonder throughout whether Andrews is guilty. It’s hard to determine, since the characters aren’t well-defined; that may be by design to keep up the suspense and add to suspicion.

Because law enforcement is handled differently in the US, this book is interesting in that officers can have a drink while on duty; their procedures are not the same, and their culture is different. These aspects tend to make the novel more interesting. However, because of the cultural differences, some of the scenarios aren’t as clear as they could be.

While the novel is fairly easy to follow, the writing style tends to make some parts a bit difficult to understand. The story is good, but it doesn’t seem to flow like some other thriller books. However, Written in Blood is worth reading, even if it’s just to find out if Al is actually the murderer as opposed to Mark Rennie or someone unknown.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

David McGlone wrote an intriguing story that certainly delivered on its promise to be a thrilling rollercoaster bent on dragging you into the darkness full of nerve-wracking intricacies until you look up and realize that you couldn’t put it down until the end.

It has a great story line with a fast paced plot that will rouse and alarm you at various time. It certainly raised the bar from the previous installment when it came to characters and content.

If you’re looking for a new crime writer you should pick up a McGlone unless you’re against books that you won’t be able to put down.