The bloated remains of a man are discovered bound to a derelict pier in Orkney and newly promoted DCI Lukas Mahler dispatches a team to investigate. But when the body is identified as Alex Fleming – Mahler’s former colleague from his time in the Met – the case becomes personal.
Mahler’s investigation takes him from his old stamping ground of London to the world of organised crime, and from sixteenth-century witch executions to Fleming’s most notorious unsolved case: the ‘Witchfinder’ murders. Are the runic symbols found with Fleming’s body proof the killer’s struck again – or is there an even darker story to be uncovered?
With pressure mounting from all sides and demons from his own past surfacing, Mahler is faced with the most complex moral decision of his career.
Mahler’s investigation takes him from his old stamping ground of London to the world of organised crime, and from sixteenth-century witch executions to Fleming’s most notorious unsolved case: the ‘Witchfinder’ murders. Are the runic symbols found with Fleming’s body proof the killer’s struck again – or is there an even darker story to be uncovered?
With pressure mounting from all sides and demons from his own past surfacing, Mahler is faced with the most complex moral decision of his career.
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Reviews
The Queen of Highland Noir gets spookier and darker with every book! A compelling read!
In the Blood is a potent mix of true-to-life characters, gritty, authentic writing and a plot that kept me guessing until the very end - Margaret Kirk is one of the strongest voices in the current crop of excellent Scottish crime writers
Top notch detective fiction with a little twist of something spooky. Five stars!
Deliciously dark and pulse-pounding
Lukas Mahler's third outing is an intriguing tale set on Orkney where the past and present collide, testing acting DCI Mahler to his limits both professionally and personally. Orkney is as much a star as Mahler, who becomes more compelling with every outing. Highly recommended.
