Avenge the Dead by Jackie Baldwin
Genre: Crime/Police Procedural
Publisher: One More Chapter
Publication Date: February 28, 2020
About the book
Sometimes murder is the only way to get even…
The gripping new Scottish crime thriller that you won’t be able to put down. Perfect for fans of L J Ross and Val McDermid.
Four friends with dark secrets. One killer out for revenge.
DI Frank Farrell and DS McLeod are tasked with investigating the brutal murder of a defence solicitor’s wife in Dumfries.
It’s been over a year since they left the town after an investigation robbed them of a dear friend. But now they’re back and must find a way to move on.
When the son of another defence solicitor is murdered, a strange tattoo etched on his body, the case takes them into darker, more disturbing territory.
It leads them back into the past – to a horrific fire in a cottage that took a woman’s life, to four friends harbouring dark secrets – and finally to a killer waiting patiently for revenge.
Note: This is number 3 in the DI Frank Farrell series. Though I have not read the first two books, I didn’t have too much trouble following along. There’s a previous case that is referenced a few times, but not enough to be off-putting or confusing for readers who haven’t read books 1 & 2, and better yet, there’s no spoilers.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and Emma Welton of Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for a copy of Avenge the Dead in exchange for an honest review.
Scroll down to the giveaway for a FREE copy of Avenge the Dead plus the other two books in the Frank Farrell series, all signed by the author, AND extra treats. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Now on to my review.
My thoughts
Here’s the short version of this review: It’s an enjoyable police procedural/crime novel. Go read it.
If that’s not enough to compel you, here’s my longer review:
The book’s prologue ends with an act of brutal violence: the fiery death of a nameless woman. But the fire doesn’t come until after I felt sympathy for this woman, who apparently has some morning-after regrets about sexual and drug-related indiscretions with people she will face in court the next day. Then she dies.
There are so many juicy, alluring tidbits in this opening. As the story jumps to the present day, I read on, eager to figure out how that death relates to the current murder. Or does it?
Of course it does. In real life, it wouldn’t necessarily; when one investigator has a hunch that the two cases are connected, the rest dismiss it.
But this is fiction: what happens in the prologue (especially a murder) must affect the current story . . . somehow.
It’s a complicated story, a scattered jigsaw puzzle of seemingly disconnected pieces. As a lot of readers do, I kept trying to guess the killer’s identity and fit all the pieces together. I couldn’t. And for a long time, neither can the detectives, who meet dead end after dead end on the murders.
Suspense
Baldwin does a good job keeping us in suspense. Will McLeod and Farrell figure out who is the killer before another person dies? Or are they too late, and there’s no way to stop the events that started long before the first page? The question pulses beneath the story-line.
Complex characters
DI Frank Farrell is a complex character. As an ex-priest, he struggles with his faith (or lack of it), seeming intent on punishing himself for the past and sabotaging his own future. Fortunately, his old friend Father Murray is there to give spiritual advice: hang on. I enjoyed these parts a great deal. Farrell’s struggle with his faith reminded me a little bit of Ian Rankin’s early novels, where John Rebus feels isolated and hears only silence when he prays. Here, though, it’s more fleshed out.
I also enjoyed the other characters, particularly DI Kate Moore. Her grief and stress take a toll on her body, and she reminded me of myself when I had an eating disorder in college. I don’t know if Baldwin intended to portray Moore this way, but the character’s self-destructive coping methods resonated with me.
There were a few things that distracted me.
Sometimes I wasn’t completely convinced by some of the suspects’ behavior. Without spoilers, it’s hard to explain. But on rare occasions, the attorneys don’t display as much canniness as I’d expect; and on some equally rare occasions, certain police seem unrealistic. It’s rare, as I said. It might be realistic, though: no one performs at the peak of one’s abilities all the time, especially not under stress. It did take me out of the story a little bit, though.
This is a nit-picky detail, but it bothered me, so I thought I’d mention it. Throughout the book, Frank Farrell is usually referred to by his last name (Farrell, DI Farrell) while Mhairi McLeod is usually referred by by her first name (Mhairi). As the point of view comes more-or-less equally from both characters, I found this curious. It felt like a power imbalance, with a professional name for the man and a more personal name for the woman. I doubt the author meant it this way! It’s simply a little quibble on my part, one that stems from too many years of studying feminist literary theory. Sorry. Old habits die hard.
But Baldwin is excellent as she develops the relationship between Farrell and McLeod. They’re partners and close friends. Both are terrific, well-developed characters. Both are still grieving from a previous case that left their friend in a comatose state. Ferrell, in particular, can’t let go of his emotions and his character arc in this story is moving, realistic, and carefully written.
I thoroughly enjoyed Avenge the Dead and I recommend it to those who like police procedurals.
Buy the book!
Doesn’t this book sound great? If you’re interested in buying it, here’s all the places you can get your copy of Avenge the Dead.
Purchase Links:
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/avenge-the-dead/jackie-baldwin/9780008383916
Hive.co.uk: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Jackie-Baldwin/Avenge-the-Dead/24235324
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VtCqDwAAQBAJ
Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780008383916
About Author Jackie Baldwin
Copyright Kim Ayres
Jackie Baldwin is a Scottish crime writer. Her debut crime novel, Dead Man’s Prayer, was published
by Killer Reads on 2nd September 2016. The second in the series, Perfect Dead was published on 15 th June 2018. For most of her working life, she has been a solicitor specialising in Family and Criminal Law. She later retrained as a hypnotherapist. Married with a grown family, she recently moved from Dumfries to East Lothian.
Follow Jackie on Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieMBaldwin1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackieBaldwinAuthor/
Website: http://jackiebaldwin.co.uk/
Giveaway
An Avenge the Dead Prize Bundle featuring all three books in the DI Frank Farrell series signed by the author plus extra treats! Click here to enter the drawing:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/995da7e520/?
Terms and Conditions
The giveaway will end at 00:00 (GMT) on Sunday 15th March 2020 and is open internationally. The winner will be contacted by email on Monday 16th March 2020 and will need to provide their postal address which will be passed to Jackie Baldwin for dispatch of the prize. No personal information will be stored as a result of this giveaway. There is no cash alternative. Good luck!
Love this? Read these next!
If you love Avenge the Dead, check out my reviews for other police procedurals. Never Forget by Martin Michaud, This Poison Will Remain by Fred Vargas, Marked Men by Chris Simms, and for Sherlock Holmes fans, try The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer
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