REVIEW
The Grave Song by Andrew James Greig
Detective Corstorphine #4
~ Twisted tale of families, secrets, love, and loss~Couldn’t put it down ~
What I liked: * DI Jim Corstorphine: strong leader, cares about and utilizes staff to their best potential, focused, puzzle solver, eager to start a family with his wife Shamila, persistent, dedicated, professional
* Jack Knight: military, 1st Battalion, Ranger Regiment, elite soldier, strong, silent, lethal, quiet, protective, intelligent, stoic, there for his sister and niece
* Mary Knight: Jack’s sister, single mother of nine-year-old Amelia, lives in France, left home ten years prior to the story
* That Jack and Mary reconnected and feeling hope that they will have more time together in the future
* Catching up with Corstorphine’s team and watching them work together, they are a cohesive supportive group
* The complexity of the case with its twists and turns, red herrings, and so many unknowns to suss out
* That three deaths/murders and a kidnapping were solved through diligent police following clues
* That all the threads of the story were followed and tied up tightly without any left dangling at the end of the book
* That I came to care about the characters, feel for and with them, and cared about the outcome
* Finding out what the treasure was that Janet told some about * Knowing that there will be another book in the series…hopefully soon
What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant to dislike
* The warped thinking and motivation of the murderer
* The loss of innocent lives and the impact it had on those left behind
* Filip: greedy, unscrupulous, manipulative, crystal aura reading ne’er-do-well
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review
5 Stars
BLURB
The wicker coffin remained upended where it had been dropped headfirst in the open grave. But it was the pale arm reaching from beneath – fingers curled around the woven edge – that froze the mourners where they stood. In the rain-soaked Scottish Highlands, Detective Inspector James Corstorphine arrives at what should have been a simple funeral. Janet Knight wanted only to rest among the birdsong and wildflowers she loved. Instead, her burial becomes a crime scene when a young woman’s body is discovered in the grave. Questioning the fractured family – a volatile soldier son, estranged religious siblings, and a healer who promises passage to the next realm – Corstorphine uncovers a devastating connection. Janet’s daughter Mary vanished from these same woods over ten years ago, leaving behind a mother who never stopped searching. With forensics threatening to unearth every body in the woodland cemetery, Corstorphine must navigate family betrayals to discover why someone chose Janet’s grave to hide their victim. But in these silent woods where even birds have stopped singing, some secrets refuse to stay buried. The fourth gripping DI Corstorphine mystery from CWA New Blood Dagger Longlist author and McIlvanney Prize finalist Andrew James Greig. A haunting Scottish crime thriller perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Ian Rankin, and Val McDermid.
