A dramatic thriller, which had me guessing until the last page. The central characters are all complex but you care about them. And the atmosphere of the remote parts of the highlands creating a 'Scottish Noire' genre was excellent. I am looking forward to seeing how Monica Kennedy's character develops in future books. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

G.R.Halliday’s latest, From the Shadows, is quite a page turner. A thriller based on our primal fears of a ‘bogeyman’ , of being watched from outside in the dark whilst we naively believe we are safe in our brightly lit houses. Trying to find a link between corpses being found at almost a daily rate is DI Monica Kennedy. A woman who makes up in stature what she lacks in character. In this novel she outsources some of her workload to a social worker called Michael Bach who seeks Monica’s help in finding his missing client Nichol Morgan. Monica is singularly unhelpful to Michael but he perseveres and really becomes the backbone to what should have been a detective thriller. Halliday in choosing various settings in Scotland, quite cleverly uses changes in the weather to add a brooding atmosphere like an organist uses a swell pedal (and as frequently). Furthermore he selectively applies or removes cellular connectivity to further complicate the story, dependent upon plot necessity rather than geographical topography. Niggles aside it’s a gripping thriller and one where its very difficult to predict who the predator is.

GR Halliday transports you to Inverness and the highlands from the very first page, with the bleakness of the land described beautifully and the characters perfect for the surroundings. I particularly liked DI Kennedy- she pretty much stepped of the pages into reality and I love that about a character!
The plot was complex in places but well worth the perseverance as it unfolds beautifully, intertwining the various threads to a great conclusion.

Great read that holds you from the off, quite graphic in parts and very dark. Would reccomend highly to all crime reading ,police procedural fans

this is a promising start to what I imagine is a series involving police in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. I know the area quite well and the author clearly does also which helps the story roll along. Distances are large so hours are long and Monica's struggle with her daughter and her mother add a nice domestic touch to the novel.

I found it a touch slow however its a first outing and I am certainly going to read the next instalment as I am sure that it will settle into a worthwhile series.

For a debut novel it made for an good interesting read, I was a little middle of the road I have to say, in the start and in quick succession we get a couple of bodies but with this we also got introduced to a lot of characters and at times I had to double check who they were and where they fitted in to the storyline. Once I had them all figured out in my head I could get on and enjoy the read. The storyline goes off in several directions and felt there were a few red herring moments and wild goose chases that got a little frustrating to read. Overall it was well written and happy I stuck with the book as it was all go from beginning to end, maybe it was because it was a debut novel and the author had so many ideas that they wanted to use it made it a book I felt I really needed to concentrate on and not a book I could easily dip in and out of.

This is a debut novel by G.R.Halliday, it features what is billed as the first book in a series based in Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy.

I believe that it is difficult for an author to introduce a new detective series, especially so for a first book. However G.R.Halliday has managed fairly well. Whilst I am not sure about some of the characters, the plot, pace and tension are all very good.

I think that there is scope for the development of the police characters in future novels. I certainly enjoyed this enough to look out for the next book in the series.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Random House (Vintage) for a copy in exchange for this review.

This is the first book in the DI Monica Kennedy series, which is set in Inverness and around the Scottish Highlands.

Whilst the story is good with lots of twists, I feel I have been there before. However, this might be that I like this police murder procedure stuff?

The best example of this lies in the fact that Monica struggles with the work/life balance, and her colleagues aren't that much better.

The overall book is well worth 4 stars... but only just.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the chance to read and review.

A fantastic mystery in the great location of the highlands. It had me gripped till the end. I found it it hard to read in some parts, but glad I continued. Looking forward to reading more.

DI Monica Kennedy’s first outing. Has all the standard tropes of detective fiction: misfit and obsessive police inspector, quirky sidekick, red herrings, conflict with senior officers, blood and bone crunching (lots) and hunt for sadistic serial killer with trademark MO.
Outstanding depiction of the wild Scottish Highlands in the rawness of winter: the pine forests, the snow, sleet, wind, which reinforces the bleakness of the plot lines. These, however, are overly complex, gratuitously violent and build to a rushed and contrived ending.
Won’t be ‘meeting’ DI Kennedy again. Feel sorry for her little daughter, neglected and endangered
Thank you #NetGalley and #VintageBooks for my digital pre-release download.

A splendid addition to Scottish crime fiction with DI Monica Kennedy investigating missing boys and brutal murders. A social worker who feels he’s let down a client is the other main part of the narrative. Graphic violence is everywhere in this superbly dark tale with twists and turns galore. Beautifully set up for more episodes this opener is well recommended!

Seven days. Four deaths. One chance to catch a killer.
Sixteen-year-old Robert arrives home late. Without a word to his dad, he goes up to his bedroom. Robert is never seen alive again. A body is soon found on the coast of the Scottish Highlands. Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy is drawn into the murder investigation and she has a feeling that the case won't begin and end with this one death. Meanwhile, Inverness-based social worker Michael Bach is worried about one of his clients whose last correspondence was a single ambiguous text message; Nichol Morgan has been missing for seven days. As Monica is faced with catching a murderer who has been meticulously watching and waiting, Michael keeps searching for Nichol, desperate to find him before the killer claims another victim
An interesting debut novel, there was much I enjoyed but I didn’t find it a comfortable read. There were plenty of twists & turns. I found it to be well written with well developed characters. A good murder mystery & I’ll certainly read more books in the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

It took me awhile to get into this book. The different viewpoints took a little getting used to and I was not that keen on the main characters at first. The crimes were complicated and the chapters seemed a bit unrelated to each other and the reading required some effort. But all of a sudden the story came together, I got to know the characters and started to enjoy the book more. By the end I realised that this a well written story, with lots of twists and turns which became a real pageturner.
The story is set in the Highlands of Scotland, not an area I know well but it made an interesting location. The crimes are resolved in a realistic way, but not following my expectations. Some loose ends remain unanswered and some of the personal stories of the main characters are not added to either, much as real life I suppose. Some parts of the book, like the gamekeepers ? , could have done with more finishing off from my point of view, but may be that comes later in the series ?
All in all a great read
Thankyou to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I`ll definately be reading more by this author .

DI Monica Kennedy is called in when a teenage boy is found brutally murdered and posed in a remote
Highlands location. Soon after the discovery they are contacted by Michael Bach a Social Worker who believes the body could be that of his client, Nichol Morgan, who is missing.
The victim is identified as local boy Robert Wright, but feeling that Michael may be worrying about Nichol for a good reason Monica involves him in the investigation.
Another body is discovered killed in the same way as Robert and Monica fears they could be looking for a serial killer. The Highlands is a good place to hide if you know the terrain so how are Monica and her team going to catch what seems to be a highly skilled killer before they strike again.
This was a good read,interesting storyline and characters. I am looking forward to reading the follow up

Solid police procedural not set in London for once. The main character is interesting enough to hook you and the story is tight.

Monica Kennedy #1

Thenstory is set in Inverness, Scotland. Young teenage boys are either missing or they have been found dead. DI Monica Kennedyniz in charge of the investigation. Social worker, Michael Bach is also looking for a missing boy. Monica is also a single mother. They've just moved back to her roots and she's trying to make an impression.

This book held my attention all the way through. It's quite graphic in its descriptions of the violence that takes place. The descriptions of the scenery and the weather were spot on. This is a dark and gripping read. I liked the main characters and I hope that Michael will feature in more books as the series progresses. My only criticism is the constant reminders of how tall Monica is. A great start to a new police procedural series. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and the author G.R. Halliday for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bleak atmospheric thriller set in the Scottish highlands, introducing the very tall detective Monica Kennedy.

With young men’s bodies turning up, with a stone forced down their throats Monica Kennedy investigates. Monica is a bit of a strange protagonist and the author constantly refers to her ungainly height and tight boots.. a single mother of 4 year old Lucy, she’s a hard working maybe partly misunderstood detective.

Brutal, harrowing with very little to lighten the mood, this is very melancholy start to a new series and a over long book that takes maybe 2/3 to really begin,

I found the narratives a bit of a struggle and this isn’t my favourite book so far this year. I’ve got an approval for book 2 in the series and will endeavour on in hope of something that hits the mark for me. All that being said though I can appreciate the appeal for hard boiled crime thriller readers,

I was keen to read this as I am a huge fan of Scotland and detective fiction set there. The book dovetails the story of the police with Michael, a social worker looking for a client. The basic premise sounds good- young boys are being lured away by a mysterious stranger and end up murdered with small black stones in their throat. However, Monica Kennedy turns out to be a tall (endlessly told this) Breatharian detective who as well as not needing to eat/drink/go to the loo also doesn't need to sleep. She appears to be the only police officer on the planet who can deal with the murders. Her cavalier, unprofessional and totally irresponsible attitude to colleagues is breath taking but to her daughter??? Good grief! I seriously could not believe that she wouldn't be hauled over the coals as a result. The plot disintegrated, the torture session was unnecessary and I'm unlikely to read more

Meet Monica Kennedy, a very tall detective in the Scottish Highlands, who is a single mother to her young daughter Lucy. And who is caught up in a complicated series of murders. Young lads appear to have been lured away from their homes and murdered; however we also see the story a little from the killer's perspective, showing how they are actually abducted.

Monica rather oddly brings in a social worker, Michael Bach, who is seeking another missing boy to help - this bit doesn't really ring true, as the police would rarely, if ever, release evidence to a third party to work on.

Monica is not a particularly endearing character, and hopefully she will become more rounded in the next book, which I am looking forward to reading. Her relationship with colleagues, her mother and even her child are quite prickly.

Overall an interesting story, pacy and I was kept guessing until almost the end to uncover the culprit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book reminded me a bit like Shetland the TV programme only with a female detective instead. Good book but wasnt interesting enough for me . Will read another by this author to see if the books do get any better