What a good read this turned out to be.
The body of a woman is found posed in the scarecrows clothes in a field. Spotted by a cyclist.
What a strange case for DS Dania Gorska. Set in Dundee.
A very interesting storyline with some good characters. Gripping that will keep you interested and not overly complicated.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this interesting novel. I loved the back setting of the book, and how the poor detective has to prove herself among the Polish detectives and community. Really a lovely book.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to read and honestly review.
Set in Dundee just before the EU referendum Dania Gorska is the Polish detective of the title, she is recently divorced and has moved to Scotland from the Met, and his living with her brother Marek. She is brave clever resourceful and not afraid to bend or even break the rules This is a well written Police procedural with excellent characterization, absorbing and entertaining with more than enough twists to keep you guessing, well it did me anyway, also some loose ends to be picked up in the next book in this series, this is all assuming our heroine does not get kicked out of the country thanks to Brexit.
Heartily recommended.

This was a well crafted police procedural with an intriguing detective at its helm. The story deals with timely issues and the mystery is well paced with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. Its always nice to be able to begin a new series so I'm looking forward to seeing what is to come.

A very interesting mystery with interesting characters. I really enjoyed the settings, the characters and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK

Recently arrived in Dundee, Dania Gorksa is trying to move away from her failed marriage and establish herself in a new area. When the body of a woman is found strung up as a scarecrow Dania is plunged into a mystery that has many turns. Set on the eve of the Brexit referendum Dania has to face lots of opposing factions before the mystery is solved.

The Scottish police procedural field is packed with outstanding writers and for a new voice to be heard the material needs to be fresh. In this respect Allen hits the mark, the story of a polish woman moving to Dundee plays well against the backdrop of the Brexit vote. Paralleled with this is the reaction of the population to the increasing numbers of people turning to alternative religion. There is a little more to this book than merely a procedural bit it is handled a little too lightly for it to impact. Whilst the ending was tidy, the twist was little too obvious. However this is a strong debut and sets up well for a series.

I already have a few favourite Scottish crime authors and I will be definately adding this to my ever growing list. Set in Dundee the Polish Detective is a great intro to this new character and I hope a follow up is on its way.

Interesting characters and character development - its going to be interesting to see where they take them. The story was okay - it accelerated towards the end. Enjoyable read

Hania Allen enters the crowded field of Scottish Crime with her Polish DS Dania Gorska who has recently arrived at Tayside Police in Dundee from the London Met after the breakdown of her marriage. She is living with her brother, Marek Gorski, a journalist. The Brexit vote is imminent and there is a highly charged political atmosphere surrounding the issue with ugly expressions of racism, Dania and Marek find themselves targets. Dania's boss, DI Blair Chirnside has been encouraging and supportive of Dania, standing up for her when other police officers have been less than welcoming. The discovery of the murdered Judith Johnstone dressed as a scarecrow on the land of the local laird, Sir Graham Farquhar, kick starts a complicated and difficult investigation. A stressed DI Chirnside is struggling and other pressures lead to Dania leading the case with the evidence she uncovers with the help of DC Honor Randall.

Johnstone is employed the Institute of Religious and Belief Systems, and turns out to be a leading light in the local Druid chapter. As other bodies with a similar MO turn up, poisoned by different toxic plants, it is suspected that the killer is targeting practicing druids. Schoolgirl Jenn McLaughlin, is the sister of Ailsa, Ailsa and her friend, Kerry, are runaways assumed to be in London after texts are received. Jenn does not believe Ailsa or Kerry ran away, and Dania is inclined to believe her after she learns that both were actively involved with druids. She is convinced there is a connection between the missing girls and the murders. The powerful laird comes under suspicion, and despite Chirnside's sceptism, Dania determinedly follows her gut instincts by operating under the radar. The closer Dania gets to the truth, the greater the danger she finds herself in.

Allen's debut is a tense police procedural that is a welcome addition to the crime genre with its unique selling point of the Polish Dania, and her brother, Marek. The history of Poles, the role they played in Scottish history and World War 2 provides a historical and cultural backdrop to the central role played by Dania. The current antagonism faced by the Polish reflects contemporary British politics and Brexit. I found this an engrossing and exciting debut read, although at times the writing was uneven. I look forward to encountering Dania again in her next outing! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a review of The Polish Detective, the first novel to feature DS Dania Gorska of the Dundee Police.

Danka as she is known is called out to a macabre murder site where a woman has been attached to a scarecrow frame and dressed in its clothes. With no forensics or leads as to why someone would want to kill university lecturer, Judith Johnstone, the team are stumped. When more bodies turn up they really have their work cut out for them. In the background to this Danka is intrigued by the disappearance of 2 local girls who have apparently run off to London with just their phones and the clothes on their backs.

I enjoyed The Polish Detective which is a well crafted police procedural with an unusual protagonist. The plot is well paced with reveals coming on a regular basis and a twist at the end. I guessed a certain amount of it in advance due to the way the novel is written but not all of it so there were still some surprises. I like that it is a straightforward third person, linear narrative with very few changes of viewpoint as I find it easier to get and stay involved in the read. Having said that I found the writing style rather flat and not at all gripping. It did however improve my vocabulary of Scots as there were several words I had never heard of before (must be an east coast thing) despite being Scottish.

Danka is an interesting protagonist. After several years with The Met and a failed marriage she has returned to Scotland where she immigrated as a 14 year old. It means, therefore, that she straddles two worlds although, apart from several mentions of Brexit, this is not really explored. Maybe in a future novel? She is smart, resourceful and dedicated so watching her thought processes is a pleasure.

The Polish Detective is an interesting read which I can recommend. 3.5*