I have been a fan of Owen's writing since his Charlie Parker days. I'm a fan to say the least.
His writing has improved with each book., in the quality of his writing, the roundness of his characters and the depth of his stories. This book was no exception. I urge you to read it. You will not be disappointed. More in depth review on the blog tour.

Having greatly enjoyed the PI Charlie Cameron series, I was intrigued to see where Owen Mullen would go next. This is an excellent novel, part cop thriller and part study of human relationships. The story deals with three siblings and their respective spouses, all of whom have hit crises in their lives. The principal character is Mackenzie, an alcoholic married to a much older man, Derek. When she claims to have a stalker, nobody believes her because of her dependency and events take a series of dramatic and unpredictable turns. A great read!

The description sounds promising: What if woman says she is being stalked; no one believes her. What if it’s true, and she is kidnapped and held captive in a terrible, dark place? What would she do? What if a man’s wife admits she is seeing someone else? She leaves without saying where she’s going. How would the husband react? What if a disturbed woman vanishes? Her brother asks a police acquaintance for help, yet there is no evidence of a crime. What would Glasgow DI Andrew Geddes do?

I had previously read two of Owen Mullen’s Charlie Cameron books and liked them both, so when In Harm’s Way became available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. It didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would. At times, it seemed almost too Gone-Girl-ish. What I mean by that is that none of the characters is likeable, although I managed to feel sorry for a few of them. There was so much dysfunction and drama that it almost became hard to care about Mackenzie, the alcoholic wife who really was in a bad way. Or her husband Derek. Does he really love her, or is he so very controlling that he needs to have her back? Mackenzie’s family members are not much better off. Her sister Adele and her husband Blair Gardiner have issues in their own marriage. With two teenage sons, they have busy lives of their own, and Adele has negative feelings toward her sister that go way back. Brother Gavin Darroch and his wife Monica have a new baby. Gavin turns out to be the most decent one of the bunch.

The first half of the book moved very slowly for me. I had a hard time getting through all the negative family dynamics. I was curious, however. Who is Alec? Who is the man in the black coat? Because we see in the prologue that there is a dungeon, we know that nothing good will come for someone. What’s the motive?

The actual crime scenes are well written, albeit cruel. I did manage to feel pity for the victim and admire her spunk. I had mixed feelings about what was going on with the family. What a jumbled up mess! The police do little to add to the solution. If I think about it, the author does an admirable job describing what it must be like for an already messed up family to go through a traumatic event like this.

I did have an ah-ha moment ahead of the reveal, and it repulsed me. But the final scenes were like something out of a Hollywood movie. It is billed as a “gripping Scottish noir,” but it seemed overly dramatic for my taste. Overall, In Harm’s Way was less than I expected it to be.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books, and the author for this ARC copy. My views are my own.

3 stars.

Wow atmospheric dark gripping and brilliant. The author brings the characters and places in the book to life ,you feel like you are living it with them . It was my first book by this author but it won't be the last

This is a story about three couples. Derek (20 years his wife's senior) & Mackenzie; Gavin (Mackenzie's brother) & Monica; Blair & Adele (Mackenzie's sister) are all main players.

Mackenzie and Derek have problems - he is controlling and she is an alcoholic. In a bid to ease marriage troubles, Derek takes Mackenzie to lunch in Glasgow. After lunch, a man across the street waves at Mackenzie. Derek notices and makes a comment. He has jealousy issues and figures this man may be the reason that Mackenzie goes out at night.

At Adele's birthday party, Mackenzie says one minute that the guy (from the street in Glasgow) is stalking her and the next that she is in love with him. Huh. Actually there is a rift in all three of the marriages. It is even hinted that Blair may be having an affair with Mackenzie. Too bad this party even had to "happen".

Mackenzie has a puzzling "affair" with someone named "Alec" .

Later, Mackenzie is kidnapped and subsequently abused. She figures that it is money that the kidnapper
wants and knows that Derek can supply this. But she is wrong. The police are brought into the picture and find out that Mackenzie was well-liked and that Derek "too old" and too controlling.

Eventually, Mackenzie makes two valiant efforts to escape (but fails). Finally, it is Derek and Gavin who follow the kidnapper, and nab him. DI Geddes finds out who the kidnapper is.

Mackenzie and her abductor are both rushed to the hospital and that is when the reader finally begins to see the truths (and non-truths ) unravel.....

Clever book with great character development.
Good, quick read.

Many Thanks to Bloodhound Books and netGalley for a really great read!

In Harm's Way doesn't make it as a thriller. There is no suspense or thrills until near the end, a brief car chase. The story is mainly a description of three dysfunctional families, destroying themselves. Scenes intended to be horror only show cruelty, but fail to evoke a feeling of dread. The self-flagellation of the characters continues ad nauseam.

The frequency of cliches and similes is astounding, assumedly to capture the dialog of everyday Scots, but eventually they become intrusive and artificial.