Customer Reviews

The Last Victim in Glen Ross

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After ten years of working as a Royal Marine, Seth Mornay was mysteriously transferred to the local police force. After two years on the job, pressure was made to have him promoted to Detective Sergeant in the Criminal Investigation division (CID). This does not endear him to his former immediate superior Detective Inspector Walter Byrne who is angry that his former friend is now his boss.

When Ina Matthews is found murdered in the small graveyard in MacDuff, Scotland, Byrne and Mornay head up the inquiries. Mornay discovers that two years ago that Byrne investigated the case of the vicar's wife who, while pregnant committed suicide. His intuition, which never fails him, tells him the cases are linked. Ina's cousin Sarah is knocked unconscious and Ina's greenhouse is set on fire. Mornay feels like he is running out of time before the killer strikes again.

M.G. Kincaid's debut novel is a polished extremely well-written British police procedural filled with fully developed characters especially the anger and jealousy of Byrne. The audience is treated to a taste of what it is like to live in a small isolated Scottish village where families have resided for generations. The protagonist is an excellent police officer but there is more to him then meets the eye and hopefully readers will find out what it is in future books in this series.

Harriet Klausner

I picked this up for a change of pace from my usual reads, and found myself intrigued from page one. Liked the characters, particularly the main character, DS Mornay - very real and not so perfect - and I really liked the setting, makes me want to read more books set in Britain and I'll certainly be reading Ms. Kincaid's second book as soon as it comes out. Well done.

The main reason this did not rate more highly was my constant irritation of the author referring to previous cases and history yet knowing this is the first book in the series. However, the character of Mornay is interesting; dimensional and imperfect, along with his partner Constable Claire Gillespie. Even though I did suspect the identity of the killer fairly soon, there was enough going on to make me turn the pages and keep me involved. I shall probably follow this series to the next book, more for the characters than the plot.

The Last Victim in Glen Ross, by M.G. Kincaid, is a must read for anyone looking for a suspenseful and riveting mystery novel. The author takes you through a spellbinding ride then blows you away with a breathtaking ending. I recommend this novel to anyone who is ready to read a great mystery. After reading this novel I had a hard time finding a book, that I haven't read, to match this one.
Being that I am Scottish, I was very anxious to get my hands on this book!! I can't wait for the next!

First Line: Conversations in the Macduff police office ceased the moment Detective Inspector Walter Byrne barreled through the plate-glass doors.

Two years ago Seth Mornay, ex-Royal Marine, returned home to start a new life as a Detective Sergeant in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Grampian police force. When the body of a woman is found in an old churchyard, it's up to Mornay and his partner, Constable Claire Gillespie, to solve the case despite the fact that their immediate supervisor seems to be throwing cogs into the works every chance he gets.

It took almost half this book before the pieces began to fall together and "percolate". In the beginning, Mornay is shown as being more interested in the number of women he can bed than he is in solving his cases. His career in the Royal Marines is mentioned several times but details are extremely sketchy, and the tired convention of the obstructive superior tends to bore me. Since I've never been impressed by detectives with overactive zippers, I was seriously thinking about sending this book along to the next reader unfinished. Mornay was supposed to be the Whiz Kid of the Grampian CID, but none of the evidence was supporting that claim.

Fortunately Kincaid managed to get Mornay on track. One or two details about his past in the military, Mornay's sudden abstinence, and the tie-in of an earlier case made The Last Victim in Glen Ross an involving and interesting read. My day was saved.

I have the next book in the series, Last Seen in Aberdeen, on my shelves, and I'll be picking it up sometime in future to read the further adventures of DS Mornay.

This book could have been better. The lead character and his partner are interesting enough but essentially stock characters-- the damaged but brilliant cop and his sexy sidekick. It would be interesting to see if they're better developed in future books. The story could be set anywhere- Scotland could be Cleveland or South Florida for all the part it plays. And the mystery itself is overly complicated and not difficult to figure out. The real challenge is trying to keep the subplots and characters sorted out-- too many minor players have too much time in the book. Rather than allowing them to be introduced and then developed over several books, the author seems to want to introduce and flesh out everyone right from the beginning.

That all said, I've read much worse and if you read quickly and don't mind a few glitches, it's worth an afternoon.

I have read many mystery books, and I am from a Scottish family and I must say I was very disapointed by this book. I had the mystery solved from the time a body was discovered. I kept hoping for a twist but it ended with no such luck. If you are hoping for a good mystery and many twists, this is not the book for you. It read much like a "Nancy Drew" book rather than an adult mystery. It was much too easy to figure out!