Whispers of the Dead by Lin Anderson and narrated by Sally Armstrong is the 18th book in the Rhona MacLeod series and the first book I have listened to. I really enjoyed it, especially as I found this book easy to follow from the beginning. I loved the way the author writes and the way she made it easy to get into this new story within this series which was great especially as she is a new author to me. I will be looking forward reading more books within this Rhona MacLeod series, I loved it.

The narrator Sally Armstrong was hard to get the hang of, but after a few chapters I became to like her voice and the way she read it in the audiobook.

Three young boys have made their 'den in an abandoned building. It's fenced off and boarded up- but when would that stop some lively lads? When they climb into the grounds they find a naked man, tied to a chair with his eyes & mouth sewn shut. When they scarper they drop a mobile phone -unfortunately it belongs to an older brother with gang connections!

When they investigate the scene, manner of death suggests to forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod it is a gangland killing & at the autopsy a bullet carved with a snake is found in the stomach making it even more likely. Along with this investigation a film crew shooting in Glasgow have lost their leading man, It is going to keep them busy.

This is not the first of the Rhona MacLeod series I've read although I've never gone through them systematically. However this can easily be read as a stand alone. It was a fast paced gritty story with good characters- I really liked the young lads! Thanks to Net galley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

The latest Lin Anderson title set in Glasgow proved as page-turning as always! Along the way to the resolution of the murder we saw developments in the lives of long-running characters and new ones. As always, the Scottish setting(s) add to the enjoy,ent.

#WhispersoftheDead #NetGalley I really like this series, especially the fact that whilst the detective - McNab - has a major role, it is Rhona - the forensic scientist who has the starring role. Well written, easy to read with plenty of action and drama, two separate storylines eventually merge together but keeping the reader in suspense until near the end. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Rhona MacLeod makes a welcome return, so when an actor goes missing in Glasgow whilst filming a Hollywood blockbuster is it linked to the body found strapped to a chair in the City's Elder Park with eyes and mouth sewn shut? This series of books never disappoint such a great plot and so beautifully written. Such a rollercoaster ride of a book!!!!

There are two threads in this wonderfully complex story. The first is a gruesome killing in Glasgow, the second relates to a young mother in prison for the murder of her young daughter.
Ally, Dreep and Kev are three friends who are busy ‘ decorating’ the outside of a deserted building. When they find the body of a naked man, tied to a chair, with his eyes and mouth sewn shut, they naturally panic and run away. Due to heavy snow outside, they leave footprints. Unfortunately, Dreep took a photo , then dropped the phone in the snow. His bad luck was in ‘ borrowing’ the phone from his brother who has ‘ form’.
Forensic scientist Rhonda McLeod becomes involved in both cases. She gives talks at the Lilias Centre, a custodial centre for woman. Marnie, the young mother accused of killing her daughter Tizzy, asks what happens if a body cannot be found. Upon Marnie’s release, she is placed in great danger from those who know the truth and will kill to keep it hidden.
Rhona, DS McNab, DS Clark and Chrissy McInsh all join forces in this dark, gory and challenging murder mystery.
What comes about is the loyalty amongst the young boys, they are mainly neglected, trying to find their way in a society that regards them as worthless. However, they are noticed and people do care about them, and it is heartening to realise that the Police are tolerated and helped when misfortune befalls the boys.
Marnie talks to her dead daughter, this brings her comfort. It’s not at all unusual, and listening to Tizzy helps Marnie to come to terms with the past and to hopefully have a better future.
I find this to be a very addictive series, the characters are well formed and the more you know them, the better is the rapport between them. Black humour is so necessary for all members of the emergency services, but may seem heartless to onlookers.
The tension in the novel is cranked up throughout, the pace is measured, perhaps to give us armchair detectives a chance to play?
This is the eighteenth book in the series, but works as a standalone story. I loved it, very engrossing and page turning. Five star rating.
My thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan, the publishers for my advance copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave a copy to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

- A little bit of a slow start but then the storyline became gripping and was an enjoyable . Will definitely read more of this series

One of favourite authors, so it is highly recommended as alway as it continues a long run of enjoyable reads.. You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for ARC.

For those unfamiliar with Rhona Macleod, Glasgow forensic scientist, jazz lover with a complicated love life and a very independent cat, start with this, book 18 if you must, but ideally go back to the beginning so you can appreciate the way the series has grown with Tartan Noir, with forensic science itself. The series overall is a timelapse of Scotland in the last 30 years or so and the interpersonal relationships and sense of place will keep you engaged. Anderson is a pioneer in making sure the forensic detail is as realistic as possible, even if the details need to be telescoped to suit the narrative.

Rhona is intrigued by a chat with a woman in a prison setting, shortly before being embroiled in assessing the scene of a particularly gruesome death with some unfamiliar gang-like hallmarks. Could this be new players in Glasgow's drugs trade? Or something else?
Meantime, her friend and sometimes co-conspirator DS McNab investigates a disappearance from a movie set, where once again Glasgow is called on to portray another city's mean streets. And forensic psychologist Magnus Pirie is concerned about a former patient who has disappeared, with less fanfare.

As all this plot weaves together into a coherent whole, the main players do their difficult jobs as well as they can and go home, via pub or takeaway, to feed their families in whatever form they take. There is violence here, but never without context or consequence, and sometimes the systems fail those they are set up to serve.

I’ve been a fan of Lin Anderson for several years, delighted to find a British series starring a Forensic Scientist with an authentic feel.Set in Glasgow that also feels real. (Love Scottish Noir!) It starts with a bang as Rhona and her Police Colleagues try to solve a gruesome.murder witnessed by a trio of lads. Plenty of twists ensue with an actor going missing from a local Film Set and repercussions from a poignant cold case. Compulsive reading!
The likable characters remain the same, but it can be read as a standalone; but so good it’s worth looking out for others.

This is the latest from Lin Anderson in what may be a long running favourite crime series that I absolutely love, but I cannot express just how much joy I feel on the release of her latest forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod, a series primarily set in the gritty, grimy streets of Glasgow. It is approaching Christmas, it is freezing cold and there is snow and sleet on the streets, 3 young boys, Ally Feeney and his mates, Dreep and Kev, stumble across a horrifying scene of a tortured dead man strapped to a chair, his mouth and eyes stitched shut, pushed out of the window of the dilapidated Fairfield Farmhouse in Elder Park. It is later discovered the victim, a good looking man, has been forced to swallow a bullet with a snake head etched on it. It all suggests a gangland feud.

There is a another thread, featuring Marnie Aitken, a talented seamstress who has created a beautiful Highland dance doll, who Rhona meets on her last day of being incarcerated for confessing to being responsible for the death of her beloved 4 year old daughter, Tizzy, a claim we later learn DS Michael McNab has never believed. Marnie has a desperately traumatic personal history, on her release she makes her way back to her haunting former home, but not before she sends the doll, now a disturbing sight, to Rhona. McNab and the police team which includes DS Janice Clark, overseen by DI Bill Wilson, struggle to identify the Elder Park victim, but a Hollywood movie is being filmed, and the lead actor, Jason Endeavour, has gone missing, could there possibly be a connection?

This is bleak, dark, brutal and intensely gripping storytelling, brilliantly plotted, packed with twists and turns, from the talented Anderson, that had me completely immersed right up to thrilling conclusions. I so felt for Marnie, and all that she had undergone, it's a miracle she has managed to hold herself together, and young Ally is a great creation, a lovely boy, who it emerges is a super recogniser. It is such a pleasure to become reacquainted with familiar and established characters, including Chrissy McInsh, a woman it is impossible to keep the truth from, a Michael who has his Harley stolen, and catch up with all their personal lives. I cannot wait for the next in the series!! Highly recommended to those who enjoy great and gritty Scottish crime. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Enjoying the Macleod/McNab series.. Good descriptions of settings. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing..Definitely looking forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Whispers of the Dead by Lin Anderson.

Really enjoyed read it this , and haven't read this author before so it was a joy to find another great author in this genre.
A few twists and it was a great gritty story . Will go back and read the others.

The working partnerships of DS Michael McNab and DS Janice Clark, along with Forensic Scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod and her trusty sidekick forensic assistant Chrissy McInsh continues in this fast paced, gritty thriller.

Once again the team are reunited over a dead body and the subsequent discoveries that the forensics lead them to. The dark and dangerous underworld of Glasgow is the setting and the author has the atmosphere just right. A clever, twisty plot, with lots of threads that join together nicely. Although part of a series, the book is good as a standalone.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan.

I've read a couple of books in this series, in no particular order, and so, in my opinion, they can be read as standalone books. This one started with torture and murder and a group of kids finding the body. This led to a hunt for a murderer, a hunt for the kids, a missing person case and more. I read this in one sitting as I wanted to know what would happen next. It's not immediately obvious who the murderer is.

Another gritty but realistic offering from Lin Anderson. I just love the usual cast of characters and in each book they have another mystery to solve. This one is no different. Marnie has just been released from prison for killing her young daughter - but did she? McNab didn't think she was guilty of the crime 6 years ago so now he and Rhona revisit the case to find out what really happened then. They need to find her abusive former partner before he finds her.
Lin Anderson always keeps the reader on their toes. Keep them coming please.

Thanks to Lin and NetGalley for allowing me to read Whispers of the Dead before the publication date.
I enjoy Lin’s books, particularly when she refers to areas in the city which visitors don’t notice.

This book is about kindness and cruelty, opportunities grasped and opportunities missed, vulnerable people and those looking to take advantage of that vulnerability.

Dr. Rhona MacLeod is presenting certificates to women prisoners who have completed her class on forensics. Whilst there, she meets Marnie Aitken who is coming to the end of a 6 year sentence. Soon after her release, Marnie disappears. Marnie’s story gives the reader pause for thought as details of Marnie’s life are revealed.

Glasgow is a favourite location of American movie studios. When leading man, Jason Endeavour, goes missing, it threatens the scheduling of the film. In reality, Endeavour is a born and bred Weegie whose roots were in the care system.

Keen to get out of the winter weather, three young boys head for the den which they have made in a boarded up house in Elder Park. Finding a dead body in the grounds was not part of the plan and they flee, only to discover that they have dropped a phone..

Following the breakdown of his latest relationship, DS Michael McNab is behaving like a bear with a sore head. This is not helped when a Chicago detective inserts himself into McNab’s murder investigation.

This series featuring forensic scientist Rhona Mac Leod is one of the best around! I absolutely loved this recent episode, set in and around Glasgow, with it's clever plotting and fast paced action. I could feel myself being transported back to the Govan area of my childhood due to the accurate, well researched descriptions. I love the touches of humour throughout as the team investigate the disappearance of an actor filming in the city. This is one of my favourite series and long may it continue please! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another very welcome outing for forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod and her colleagues. This time they are investigating the murder and torture of a young man found in Glasgow tied to a chair with his eyes and mouth sewn shut and the disappearance of a four year old girl for which her mother was convicted of murder. The book contains all the elements we have come to expect from a Lin Anderson novel, excitement, thrills and twists with plenty of horrific action thrown in for good measure. Countering all this is the ever present support and care the team shows each other whilst solving the crimes, and sprinklings of humour and poignancy. A great read as always. I really hope this series goes on for a long time as I feel really invested in the characters and really care what happens to them. 5* from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own
opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Great book. One of a series so having read previous books in the series does help.
Great characters and interaction between them.
Looking forward to the next one.