Adam Colclough lives and works in the West Midlands, he writes regularly for a number of websites, one day he will get round to writing a book for someone else to review.
When walker Leanne Wilson dies in a fall from a Scottish mountain it seems, at first, like a tragic accident. A concerned rescue pilot notices similarities to five other deaths of female walkers in remote locations, suggesting something more than bad luck is at work.
Called in to investigate DS Max Craigie and the Policing Standards Reassurance team find links to something larger than the activities of a serial killer committing seemingly untraceable crimes. A conspiracy that may include one or more person operating inside the justice system.
This has to be one of the most original police procedurals I have read in twenty years of reviewing crime fiction.
The idea of a serial killer using the remote landscape of the Scottish highlands as a means of concealing crimes is darkly plausible. As is the connection between the murders, INCEL culture and the dark web that underpins the plot.
Lancaster has created a team of detectives who display the personal tensions and dark humour of a group of committed professionals operating in a high pressure environment. Among whom Craigie stands out as a central character with both familiarly maverick tendencies and a convincing amount of vulnerability.
This is among the most enjoyable series currently available and, as this latest book shows, is one that continues to improve with each fresh entry.
