Synopsis
A body is hauled out of St Andrews harbour. The cause of death a blow to the back of the head.
DI Clare Mackay and her team are immediately suspicious. This was no accident. Local Dennis Gibb was murdered.
Meanwhile a string of burglaries across town divide Clare's attention and she is drawn into a world of property developers, holiday lets and protestors determined to put a stop to the new building works.
When another person linked to Dennis is murdered, the investigation becomes even more urgent and Clare is led down a winding path to local secrets, hidden animosity and dodgy business deals
Review
Having followed Todd's series from the beginning and the terrible harbinger of doom and murder that pervades and invades upon the historic town of St. Andrews and the nearby Dundee area with the awe-inspiring Tay Bridge structure. You are struck by this melding of tradition and wishing to become more current; this collision between old and new values.
Many writers and film directors especially comment how hard it is to make contemporary thrillers and dramas due to the impact that the mobile phone has had in making conversations, phone calls and tracking much easier. People find it harder to hide, and for police officers such as our erstwhile DI Clare Mackay, it is harder for her to do police work when technology is at your fingertips.
Todd has always used Mackay as a conduit and an expression of how hard it is for women to continue and grow into their roles as competent individuals as well as be home-makers and partners. Some of the best moments of writing is of Mackay returning home to an empty house, bar her trustworthy pet dog Benjy, and how regularly she eats something quick, downs a glass of red wine and crashes out in bed.
In this tenth book of the series, these moments are ramped up. Her partner, Al, is only home from work for weekends on Thursday night. This need to be with him while having a job that interferes at weekends compounds this air of depression encircling Mackay while threads of the investigation unravel beyond her control.
This is brave writing from Todd, this pervading sense of doom comes to a head when a march and counter-protest about expected building developments ends in tragedy for the police force. For Mackay it is all too much at times, and Todd has written less a crime thriller but a modern drama for our times.
As ever, she writes with such confidence within the social conversations of her police force; the detail given to investigations and police interviews. Todd continues to grow as a writer, her books read so fluently it beggars belief she is not more widely known.
Watch Them Fall is out from Canelo on 12th March on all formats.
My thanks to Canelo for approving an advanced review copy on NetGalley.
