Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
A serial killer, a detective with his own demons and lots of possible suspects and all set in one of the most captivating cities I ever had the pleasure of visiting. They combine to make for a great detective story that keeps the reader bound in its world long after the story is over.
The characters were fully and richly developed. From the protagonist to the over enthusiastic want-to-be assistant, they all had character traits that kept the reader on their toes. A detective with a few issues that could annoy even the most understanding reader blurred the lines between a person doing good and being good in their own way. And with secondary characters that have their own flaws, it is a perfect ensemble to fill the story with intrigue and mystery.
The plot was a typical murder mystery, but very nicely executed with enough tangents and little red herrings to maintain the readers interest without getting boring, but not too many to distract from the main purpose of the story. In addition, the reader obtains little snippets of the protagonist’s past and character to look forward to the next installment.
The writing was very smooth with a seamless integration of imagery and technical explanation so as not to get too caught up in one or the other. Although, I have to comment on one thing I noticed in the latter part of the story: there was a bit of repetition in the descriptive words used, which took only slightly away from the narration.
Overall, I loved this story and it stayed with me for almost a week after finishing it. If I had the sequel already, I would have started it immediately. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, complex characters and Scotland at the turn of the century.
