The Unbelievers
In Victorian Edinburgh in an age when the Highlands were being cleared of the local peasants in order for the wealthy landlords to turn their estates over to sheep, grouse moors, etc., the Duke of Dornock has been shot and his body dumped in a well on the family estate. Inspector Allerdyce and Sergeant McGilvray VC are put in charge of the case. Things do not go well, and one by one the Duke’s brothers are also murdered. Who could have such a grudge against the family?
The tale is well told and, although it took a while to be drawn fully into the plot, it turned out to be quite a good read. The characters were a little wooden but I understand that this is the first book by this author. He has been described as, ‘a wonderful new Scottish crime fiction voice’, so hopefully this will improve.
