I always look forward to a new Rhona MacLeod story as I know I am in for an entertaining read. This one does not disappoint. Lin Anderson draws you into the story from the first page and you feel as if you are right there with the characters. Over the series, the characters have developed and they feel alive on the page, each one bringing something to this highly addictive series. A cracking read and 5 stars all the way.

Wild swimmers discover a child’s body buried in a peat bog by a Scottish lochan. Is this the body of eleven year old Mary McIntyre missing since 1975? Rhona MacLeod along with assistant Chrissy, carefully uncovers the preserved body and interprets the forensic evidence. DS Michael MacNab leads the police investigation.

There is much to enjoy in the latest of the Rhona MacLeod series especially the forensic aspects which are very interesting. The 1970’s attitudes are depicted well especially through the eyes of Mary’s friend Karen Marshall. The case has plenty of twists, turns and revelations and the truth unfolds well. I like the characters and the banter between them is realistic, their lives are portrayed well and there are some good touches of humour.

Although the storyline is good and my interest in finding out the truth does not waver I think that the frequent references to past cases is unnecessary and detracts from the events under investigation. There is some repetition which halts the flow and it becomes a bit ploddy in places. So many sentences start with ‘Plus’ which is so irritating after a while. However, that being said the plot is good, the characters interesting and the good outweighs any negatives I have making in a mostly enjoyable read.

3.5 rounded up.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the ARC.

Lin Anderson continues her wonderful Scottish crime series set in Glasgow, featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod and DS Michael McNab. This is one of my favourite series, and having read so much crime fiction, it is not easy to sustain a riveting long running series without great skill, talent and expertise, qualities that Anderson has in abundance. Rhona is slowly now emerging out of the PTSD she had suffered from since the sin eater case, and thanks to therapy and her last case in Skye, she is at long last back at work, something that she wasn't sure was going to be possible. Her first test of how she is going to cope with and manage her condition comes when wild swimmers come across a buried body in a raised peat bank by a loch.

It turns out to be a child's body, a girl, thought to possibly be 11 year old Mary McIntyre, who disappeared 45 years ago. Karen Marshall used to be Mary's best friend, the two of them joined at the hip, and was left traumatised through all those years, including her marriage to Jack and taking care of him as he suffered from dementia, right up to his death. Grieving and missing Jack terribly, she continues to talk to him, left in a fragile state of mind as she sees dead cats and crows, signs that she feels point to a need to confront and come to terms with what happened in the past and make her peace with it. However, her memories are poor and even her journal has blank pages that has her fearful, wondering what really happened, and what her part in Mary's disappearance might have been. Rhona, McNab and his police partner, DS Janice Clark, with the help of Professor Malcolm Pirie and former DI Jimmy McCreadie, now a crime thriller writer, who led the original police hunt for Mary all those years ago, find themselves investigating a complex case where the nightmares of the past return and the truth is buried deep.

Anderson's greatest skill, and the highlight for me, has been the characters she has created all those years ago and which she has developed so well that I look forward with joy to reacquainting myself with Rhona, her sharp and supportive colleague and friend, Chrissy, a single mother with a wee toddler named Michael after McNab, he saved her during her pregnancy, and, of course, there is McNab himself. There are all their past and present relationships and dates, the long and strong connections between them, and the fabulous supporting cast, such as Sean, the saxaphone player, and a Malcolm Pirie who is always delighted to be included in their cases. For both Rhona and McNab, their dedication and commitment to their jobs makes sustaining long term relationships a difficulty as we see in this latest offering. This is a fantastic addition to what is a stellar Glasgow series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Another brilliant forensic book by this brilliant author. A bit like silent witness and bones all rolled into one