Author: Lin Anderson
Series: Rhona MacLeod #17
Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 10, 2023
Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural
Pages: 480
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publishers Group Canada
Book Rating: 9/10
A remote shoreline. A lethal killer. As lone visitors disappear from the rural northwest of Scotland, campsites become crime scenes in the seventeenth Rhona MacLeod thriller from Lin Anderson.
When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod is brought in to analyze a shallow grave on Scotland’s west coast, she is disturbed by a bundle of twigs crafted into a stickman and left in the victim’s mouth.
Then, when a young woman is reported missing from a nearby campsite with another sinister figurine left in her van, it seems that someone is targeting wild campers. An idyllic coastline known for providing peace and serenity, now the area is a hunting ground.
As her investigation proceeds, Rhona is forced to reconsider her closest bonds. Rumours of sexual assault offences by serving police officers are circling in Glasgow, which may include her trusted colleague DS Michael McNab. Could it be true, or is someone looking to put him out of action?
All the while a young woman’s life is on the line and the clock is ticking.
Review:
Chilling, dark, and skillfully crafted!
In this seventeenth instalment in the Rhona MacLeod series, The Wild Coast, Anderson has written a gritty police procedural that sees forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod and her team tangled up in an inquiry that seems at first glance to be an isolated, missing person case, but which quickly unfolds into something a lot more sinister involving at least one killer with a penchant for confinement, torture, and murder and a strange fascination with figures made of sticks.
The writing is seamless and tight. The characters are multilayered, diligent, and persistent. And the plot is an engrossing, suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, secrets, lies, deception, familial drama, emotional entanglements, depravity, mayhem, and murder.
Overall, The Wild Coast is another thrilling, addictive, propulsive addition to a series that, with its flawed characters, great pace, and constant sense of urgency, is still one of my all-time favourites.
This book is available now.
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Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.