Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I read Craig Robertosn book tears ago and forgot what a great author and stoey teller he was . I loved this book it was a proper thriller with twists, turns some parts gruesome which I loved . It was based between LA and Glasgow and the story merged effortlessly together . I can't wait to read more from him

This was such a thrilling read, I couldn't wait to finish it.
It kept me glued to the book until the very last page, a roller coaster ride on steroids. Recommended.

I am a confirmed fan of Craig Robertson’s Glasgow based crime series featuring DI Rachel Narey, which unfailingly combine all the elements of a solid police procedural and some truly unsettling investigations. With Watch Him Die, Robertson has totally smashed it out of the park, by introducing a new element into what was an already pretty fine series. The book cleverly combines a joint investigation between Narey’s own team, and that of two detectives from the LAPD. Opening with the discovery of a body in a Los Angeles neighbourhood, which then leads to the pursuit of a killer thousands of miles away, there are so many elements to this book which grabbed my attention.

Starting with the American core of the story, Robertson stealthily immerses us in a world of serial killer obsession, referencing historic cases and how a deep fascination with crimes of others can heighten someone’s natural propensity to kill. Then the LA investigation itself which introduces us to a cop partnership that feels completely authentic, mirrored by the language they use, and how they conduct their investigation. I was strongly reminded of the style of Chris Carter whose Hunter/ Garcia series treads similar ground, and loved the way that Robertson puts his own stamp on this genre of crime writing, with heinous and inventive murders. This is all underscored by a real attention to detail in terms of his depiction of Los Angeles itself, which becomes of itself a third cog in the story. As the investigations diverge and Narey and her Glasgow colleagues become involved, the author flips back to the familiarity of his series, but imbued with some lovely compare and contrasts, as investigative minds become united across the ocean. I thought Watch Him Die was brilliantly plotted, increasing and decreasing the tension superbly as the investigation flips and develops from one location to the other. I liked the relatively cliché free depiction of a serial killer investigation, but also the sly moments of humour in the face of incomparable stress for our intrepid detectives. Another runner in the Top Ten reads sweepstake, and a thoroughly enjoyable change of direction in an already excellent series. Highly recommended.

Wow! Set between LA and Glasgow this is a very well crafted book by Craig Robertson. It kept me engrossed to the last page with the clever plot and high octane pace. There is plenty tension, a serial murderer, complex characters and a bit of authenticity to add to the mix. I loved it and would highly recommend the read. An excellent thriller. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Oh my! This one is a doozie. I mean that in a good way. Watch Him Die puts a capital N into Noir. A high concept thriller that really ticks all of my many boxes when it comes to enjoyment of a crime thriller.

Set in both Glasgow and Los Angeles, Robertson has come up with a concept that makes this really work in a way I hadn’t thought possible. D.I. Rachel Narey is looking for Eloise Grey, though she worries it’s a body she’s looking for, so she’s also looking for Grey’s former boyfriend, a man well acquainted with violent confrontations, Tam Harkness.

Los Feliz cops Mario Kovacic and Carlos Rojo make a routine visit to a house where Ethan Garland has died, believed to be from natural causes. What they find when inspecting the house chills them to the bone and they bring in Detectives Bryan Salgado and Cally O’Neill. It soon becomes clear that they have chanced upon a deadly game…one that will end with someone else dying in front of their eyes if they can’t stop the killer and find the victim in time.

Robertson has come up with a serial killer thriller that is captivating and spine-chilling. Neatly tying in with the theme of one of his earlier books, Murderabilia, Robertson increases the depth of his Noir writing by bringing in to the investigation one of the most notorious L.A. murders of all time.

Though set on both sides of the Atlantic, the dominant story is Rachel Narey’s. When the L.A. cops discover that their dead man has been up to seriously nefarious wrongdoing and they find the murderabilia items, they also discover that the dead man has been researching individuals in Scotland; and that’s when Rachel Narey is read into their investigation.

The L.A. Detectives make for a good contrast with the dogged and intrepid Narey and their personalities are likeable, making the reader feel comfortable with them even as they are uncovering a lot of gruesome information.

Robertson gives the reader a countdown to death and ratchets up the tension as Rachel Narey interrogates the clues for anything that can bring her closer to finding a warped serial killer whose pleasure comes from watching his victims die. Her interactions with an unnamed, faceless killer are riveting and the insight that Robertson offers into the mind of a psychopathic killer is a little worrying, but I’m just going to put that down to good research and striving for and succeeding in getting, authenticity.

Cleverly combining serial murders with a twisty plot and dark and somewhat macabre humour, Robertson pulls the whole book together with flair and panache to make a seriously good multiple murder mystery playing out against a timer where the sand is rapidly running out.

Verdict: With pace and style, Robertson provides an intelligent and nail biting chase full of excellent, snappy dialogue, great characters and above all, a brilliant and original premise. A must read from me.

DI Rachel Neary #8

Set in LA and Glasgow. Evil found it's twin despite there being an ocean between them. The search is on for dead bodies in Los Angeles. The hunt is on for live victims in Glasgow.

Detectives are working on cases that are interlinked somehow. The book has been cleverly crafted. Its fast paced from the beginning and I was drawn into the story straight away. There's multiple murders and twists. There's also some dark humour. There's some references to infamous cases in LA and Scotland. Although this is the eighth book in the series, it did read well as a standalone.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author Craig Robertson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG WHAT A BOOK!!!!!!
In a white tiled cellar is a locked filing cabinet. Inside the cabinet are five silk bags hand inside each bag is a small body part. On the glass desk is an unlocked computer. When it is switched on it shows a live feed of a young man chained to a radiator in bad shape. A message comes up on the screen Why Isn't He Dead Yet????? A multiple murder mystery which spans two continents. This book literally had me gripped from the first to the last page. Chilling, abhorrent and so compulsive. A crime thriller par excellence which ticked all my boxes and I have found a new author and this book is that good I have already downloaded everything else this author has written. If I could award this book more than five stars I would. Bloody brilliant and A MUST READ!!!!
Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

Okay - so while this is part of the Narey and Winter series, it's safe to say that this story really belongs to Rachel Narey. The focus is largely on her and an investigation that she finds herself caught up in. That;s not so to say that Winter does not play an important part in the story, and some would argue the most important part given that he is predominantly at home looking after their child, but it is a seemingly minor narrative point, rather than a full on involvement in the investigation. Of course this only applies to the part of the story set in Glasgow as there is a concurrent storyline, one which feeds into Rachel's case in a rather disturbing way, and in which we meet LAPD Detectives Bryan Salgado and Cally O'Neill.

I love how these two stories intersect. In one we are faced with a search for a missing woman, in the other it is a search of another kind. The search for a young man who is both missing and yet 'in plain sight ...' It is the series of little discoveries that occur after the Detectives are called of an apparent scene of death by natural causes, some morbidly fascinating, others that can only be described as grotesque, that really drew me into the story. With a nod to some of the most notorious real-life crimes that have occured in the US, this. was a book that absolutely had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me glued to the pages right to the very end.

This is kind of a ticking-clock mystery that really keeps you on edge. There is an overwhelming sense of edginess from the start, that absolute creep factor that comes from the moment the first body (natural death guy) is discovered. It is so hard to talk about why without giving too much away but it is safe to say that this guy is a collector with an unnatural obsession for serial killers and cult true-crime figures, with a hobby which may or may not have appeared in one of Craig Robertson's earlier titles ... His obsession leads him to making a kind of pact, one with very dark and murderous consequences. From the initial discovery, and the subsequent search of the dead man's home, comes a sense of urgency one that is exacerbated as the full extent of the case becomes clear. From here there is a real race against time in an investigation which brings our two LA heroes right to the door of DI Rachel Narey. It becomes less locked room mystery (the manner of impending death is all too clear and available to the Detectives in glorious technicolor) but definitely a hidden room mystery as they strive to find not only the who but the where.

This is not a warm and cosy read, some of what happens certainly makes for the odd grimace, with a more than generous ewww factor. But i loved the way in which the author blends crime fact with crime fiction, using one of the the most infamous unsolved cases of the past hundred years as a backdrop for this investigation. Keen fans of true crime will spot the links pretty quickly, those of a curious but less well read nature, will be able to look the relevant cases up on line. It makes for sombre reading. None of the cases are glamourized here, it's not that kind of book, but it does bring into question the psychology of a serial killer, a subject which clearly fascinates Mr Robertson and is used to thrilling effect here.

It is so hard to convey all the things I absolutely loved about this book without giving too much of the plot away so I will say this. Considering that over half of the book features new characters, taking the focus away from our favourite Narey/Winter combo, I was drawn in in immediately. I liked Salgado and O'Neill, liked their contrasting but complimentary characteristics. They felt real to me very quickly and I was more than content in their company. The story set me in mind of the movie Untraceable a little, only instead of appealing to the macabre tendencies of the world wide web, these murders had a very select audience. The nod to real life crimes, using both setting and circumstance to inform the. story made me both horrified and satisfied in equal measure and added a layer of authenticity to the story. Basically it really just worked perfectly for me on every single level.

Which is why I have to give it my red hot reads badge. I read this book in one afternoon, finding myself absolutely glued to the story until I turned the very last page (or clicked - it was on an e-reader don't you know). As I felt the tension rising, the final moments until the story reached its oh so dramatic conclusion making me sit up straight, and even start leaning forward, in my chair, I could feel the smile on my face growing wider. There are so many little touches - the snappy chapters, the spot on dialogue, the use of little cutaway scenes in which it is clear that the killer is lining up their next victim - that keep you right on the edge of that last nerve that you won't want to walk away. It is almost a relief to have the one final moment of calm, a breather to let you come down after an increasingly nerve-wracking story. A very satisfying conclusion.

Now this may have been a while in the making, but no need to apologise Mr Robertson. It was absolutely worth the wait.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advance copy of Watch Him Die, the eighth novel to feature DI Rachel Narey of Police Scotland.

In LA Detectives Bryan Salgado and Cally O’Neill are called out to a death which seems natural but leaves them deeply uneasy when they examine the house. In Glasgow Rachel Narey is looking hard for Eloise Grey and even harder at her suspected killer. In LA the dead man’s computer leads to a hunt for a kidnap victim and provides a link to Glasgow.

I thoroughly enjoyed Watch Him Die which is an absorbing police procedural with several good twists and amusing dialogue. The narrative switches between LA and Glasgow but with two albeit linked, plot lines it is not in the least distracting but compelling as they feed each other and whet the appetite for more. The plot is quite unusual although not totally original and the author does a great job with it. I never knew what was coming next and felt surprised at every turn. And, no, I’m not going to elaborate on this as it could offer spoilers. I also liked the way the most famous unsolved murder in LA history was woven into the plot - it makes for great reading and had me going unto it didn’t.

This is a great read with an easy to read style and, despite the subject matter, a certain warmth due to the camaraderie between the detectives and their amusing exchanges. I am a Glaswegian so there is the added joy of familiar locations, mindset and dialogue but the LA side is also addictive.

This series started out with Rachel’s husband, journalist Tony Winter, taking centre stage but in this one he has little contribution to make. To be honest I prefer a straightforward police procedural and Rachel is my kind of detective, dedicated, tough and takes no prisoners.

Watch Him Die is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Well, this one hooked me in right from the start and gripped me to the very end. How does a dead body in a district of Los Angeles link to a missing girl that DI Rachel Narey is investigating in Glasgow.? Unexpectedly, link they do in this well written and fascinating novel and is told in alternating storylines from the investigation in LA by Detectives Bryan Salgado and Cally O’Neill and in Glasgow by Rachel Narey.

This is a really clever multiple murder mystery which unfolds extremely well. The pace is excellent and there are no occasions where it slackens off, it’s high octane all the way. The dialogue is great, realistic and peppered with some black humour. The characters are well portrayed on whichever side of the law they lie. The plot is gritty and well thought out. I especially like how it links to famous past cases in LA, makes references to infamous serial killer cases and to crimes thought to be solved in Scotland. Its extremely twisty and gets twistier as it goes along. There’s a psychological element to the investigation in Scotland where the police talk online to a suspect and this is excellent as he tantalises them with evidence but is it truth or deception? They have to pick it apart to try to work that out. This adds to the tension which ramps up as we reach the conclusion which is particularly tense, chilling and surprising.

Overall, I’ve read a few of the Narey series before and really liked them but in my opinion this is the best. Highly recommended to fans of this genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. I read it one sitting. It absolutely gripped me.
This book is perfect fir fans of thirteen by Steve cavanagh. It had me on the edge of my chair
I really enjoyed this