Release Date: 10/09/15
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
SYNOPSIS:
A young man enters the culverted remains of an ancient Glasgow stream, looking for thrills. Deep below the city, it is decaying and claustrophobic and gets more so with every step. As the ceiling lowers to no more than a couple of feet above the ground, the man finds his path blocked by another person. Someone with his throat cut.
As DS Rachel Narey leads the official investigation, photographer Tony Winter follows a lead of his own, through the shadowy world of urbexers, people who pursue a dangerous and illegal hobby, a world that Winter knows more about than he lets on. And it soon becomes clear that the murderer has killed before, and has no qualms about doing so again.
REVIEW:
Crime Thrillers always strike more of a chord with the reader when they’re familiar with the area and to be honest this one chilled me down to the bone as streets I’d walked along came back to me in a darker flavour in this new release from Craig Robertson. Its well written, has top notch prose but the key selling point in this title (alongside his other works) are the way he brings his characters over, they’re believable, they have a realism that makes them stand out and for me the real challenge is going to see how they grow over future novels but what’s most important is that I care about their fates.
All round this book was a pure indulgence to read. I loved all the aspects within and when a book grabs you so much that one more chapter becomes a blatant disregard for the following day (so you can stay up and finish your book) makes this a must read for any fan of Crime stories.
Release Date: 04/07/13
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
SYNOPSIS:
Scottish Police are called to a murder scene in Glasgow's Northern Necropolis. The body of a young woman lies stretched out over a tomb in what looks like a ritualistic murder. Her body bears a three letter message from her killer, daubed in lurid red lipstick. In the 1970s, Danny Neilson was the detective working on the infamous Red Silk murders. Still haunted by the memory of the unsolved investigation, he spots a link between the new murders and those carried out by Red Silk - details that no copycat killer could have known about. But Archibald Atto, the man suspected of the killings all those years ago, is rotting in jail, so Danny has to face up to his fear that they never caught their man. Neilson goes with police photographer Tony Winter, to visit Archibald Atto in prison. But Atto will not speak to them unless it is on his terms. As clues begin to surface, they learn that they are dealing with a killer whose agenda is so terrifying and history so twisted that it will take the combined efforts of police forces past and present to make an arrest.
REVIEW:
I love a good crime novel and whilst, for many, it’s the Scandinavian crime authors that are leading the forefront at the moment, I love the darkness that the Scot’s bring as they present the cities of the past in all their glory (be it the dark seedy underworld or the lighter heart of the people) within their books.
Here Craig embarks on the third outing for Tony Winters (Crime Scene Photographer) bringing al his abiltiies to the fore in a case that will stay with the reader for quite some time. Add to the mix a family member alongside the usual impressive cast all round makes this a book that not only thrills but keeps you glued to the last page especially with the sharp prose alongside cracking pace all round makes Craig an author you must read. Great stuff.
Release Date: 09/07/11
SYNOPSIS:
A series of high-profile shootings by a lone sniper leaves Glasgow terrorised and police photographer Tony Winter - a man with a tragic hidden past - mystified. Who is behind the executions of some of the most notorious drug lords in the city? As more shootings occur - including those of police officers - the authorities realise they have a vigilante on their hands. Meanwhile, Tony investigates a link between the victims and a schoolboy who has been badly beaten. Seemingly unconnected, they share a strange link. As Tony delves deeper, his quest for the truth and his search for the killer lead him down dark and dangerous paths.
REVIEW:
Having loved Craig’s original release last year I really couldn’t wait to see if the second novel lived up to the excitement of the first. Yes authors have a lot of love and time to craft their original but its usually the second that’s the key to any writers craft as they have to get it done to deadline.
What unfurls within this, Craig’s second title is a story that is not only just as gripping as the first but one that really gets to the heart of the matter giving the reader the seedy side to Glasgow as well as a crime to sink your teeth into (or not depending on which case you really want to follow. LOL) It’s wonderfully written with gripping prose, cracking dialogue and characters that you want to route for thoughout. All in this is a great title and one that I really couldn’t put down. Just make sure that if you get this book that its either a holiday read or that you have the weekend to enjoy it, otherwise the boss may well get a phone call Monday morning with the reader suffering from Mental Exhaustion.
BOOK BLURB:
Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed The Cutter. The murders have left the police baffled. There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason behind the killings; no kind of pattern or motive; an entirely different method of murder each time, and nothing that connects the victims except for the fact that the little fingers of their right hands have been severed. If DS Rachel Narey could only work out the key to the seemingly random murders, how and why the killer selects his victims, she would be well on her way to catching him. But as the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow's underworld begin to close in on The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel - with horrifying consequences.
REVIEW:
As a huge fan of the crime genre I’m always on the look out for what the next big thing and absolutely love trying new authors in order make sure that I can get on the train before the rush hour of hype hits. What unfurls within this offering from Craig is a tale of murder, mayhem with perhaps one of the freshest serial killers to come out of Scotland in a long time. (A character within this offering, not the author.)
Add to the mix a tale that has more twists and turns than a roller-coaster, beautifully scripted dialogue and a mystery that keeps you hanging on by the fingernails and its definitely a tale that will not only entertain but will, if the right people read it, be optioned for film rights pretty quickly.
