I found this to be a difficult book - on one level it tells a disturbing story but on another level it follows the much-used formula of a detective with her own issues and demons to face. Unfortunately the main character's actions are, to me, unrealistic - especially towards the end of the book. As a result I was rather disappointed in "From. The shadows".

I loved the Highland location and the ginger cat, otherwise this book did not really tick too many boxes for me. The plot was a little confused and several boys either killed or missing and I began to get confused with it. It was not a bad read, but definitely not one of the best books I have read recently.

DI Monica Kennedy is investigating the murder of a young lad and helping a local social worker, Michael Bach, with the disappearance of one of his young clients. When more bodies turn up the whole investigation gets to close to home and lives are in danger.

Being from Inverness then I am instantly intrigued with books set in the Highlands and this was beautifully written. The landscape and weather were on point and the characters were believable and intriguing. Can’t wait to read a sequel! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

From the Shadows is the first book in the Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy series by G R Halliday and it is a promising start to what will hopefully be one a successful and long running police procedural series.

The story is set in the Scottish Highlands and uses its' setting well to add atmosphere to the book.

Kennedy is a single mother of a young daughter and whilst some of her backstory is not revealed, presumably for future stories, she is still clearly described as are the major supporting charterers

The book initially centres on the search for a missing teenager but via a series of twists and turns this soon expands into missing teenagers.

The book is reasonably well paced and although the writing style is slightly quirky this is a series that I look forward to reading more of.

This is one of those books that leaves you unsure how you feel about it. There are many elements about it that are good but there are others that make you frustrated.
The plot of this book is very good in that it has a compelling investigation but the pacing of it is poor, you need to get to half to two thirds through before it gains traction inevitably leading to a rushed conclusion and a confusing mass of information as it tries to twist and turn you through an ending. As its a first novel my feeling is that the author has tried too hard, they seem to have crammed all the good ideas they have had in instead of giving the individual elements time to breathe and find their feet. That said I would probably read another novel by H R Halliday as there is a sense that they will become something very good and will look back on the first novel as something not as good as it seemed at the time.
The other issue really is with credibility, I am aware that you have to suspend belief when reading fiction (as it is just that) but a novel with two vaguely rogue characters - one form the police the other from social services is too much. I found it difficult to believe that a DI would just hand over evidence to the social worker less still send him out on unofficial investigations. However both the character were ok in themselves, the social worker being a slightly thinner portrayal than the angst written DI who looms large both physically and metaphorically through the novel.
The rating structure of this book is more difficult as the story get at least 4 out of 5 as I was interested in it and I was drawn on. the quality of the writing was ok more of a 3 out of 5 and some swearing found its way from the speech into the narrative unnecessarily, there were also too many short sentences, variety is the spice of life! The variable chapter length aided the pacing of the book and drove me on in my reading. For believability it drops down to 1.5-2 and this credibility gap as discussed brings the whole thing into an unwarranted lower mark overall. The weather and landscape feature well in this book. At one point the police describe the evidence laid out before them as too straightforward, almost like a 'paint by numbers investigation' and sometimes the writing feels like that too. All the hallmarks of crime fiction but just not painted deftly enough. Overall I give it 3 stars.
Overall a good start to what will hopefully DEVELOP into a good series and I do wish G R Halliday all the best with it as there is obviously a talent there for writing and storytelling.

#FromTheShadows #NetGalley

An interesting and enthralling story with many twists and turns. I was thoroughly engrossed whilst reading the book and could not put it down. Definitely recommended.

Another new writer to me and another new cop to enjoy. DI Monica Kennedy lives and works in the Inverness area, which is portrayed brilliantly by the author as wild and uninviting. In this first novel in the series she is charged with finding the killer of teenage boys and the search leads her into frightening situations and violent encounters. At the same time she is trying to raise her young daughter. Monica is an interesting cop, and I look forward to further novels in the series.

Good story set in the highlands. First in what is likely to be a series. A great debut Novel from G.R. Halliday

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, I have enjoyed reading this book.
This is the first book in the DI Monica Kennedy series, which is set in Inverness and the Scottish Highlands. The characters are extremely interesting, the three main police officers are all flawed in different ways. The storyline is about the disappearance of young men and when the bodies are autopsied a Black Stone is found in the throats of each of them.
The storyline is extremely clever and there are many twists and turns and misdirections, until as a reader you begin to wonder who is the killer and who are the victims.
Highly recommended.

This is a very good debut novel set in the Scottish Highlands and featuring DI Monica Kennedy She is called to investigate the disappearance of two teenage boys. The narrative is told between Monica and Michael, a social worker, and left me slightly confused at times. There was plenty of atmosphere in the book, giving a good sense of the beautiful setting but the conclusion left me a little confused. A very good start to a new police procedural series. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.. reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

From the Shadows by G. R Halliday is the debut novel by the author and the first book in the DI Monica Kennedy series.
Sixteen-year-old Robert comes home late and his dad is strict with him. He is sent to his room to be never seen again. His mutilated body is found in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands with a stone stuck down his throat. DI Monica Kennedy is set to lead her team in the investigation, and she put herself wholehearted into this investigation. In more so, than being mother to her 4-year-old daughter Lucy, who is with her mother most often. But, is on her mind most of the time. When another body turns up and another kid has disappeared Monica knows she has a serial killer on her hands.
This is a good start for a first book in a new police procedural series and quite different to others I have read. I liked the descriptions of the moors and the remoteness of the Scottish Highlands. But I found it hard to like any characters in this book. Not even the protagonist DI Monica Kennedy and the comments made about her size. What was that all about? It didn’t make the story any better. Also, at first, I found it hard to get into this book. I thought I would give up but as I just got pas the half way mark it got interesting. A great start but I think it needs some improvements.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Vintage for a copy of this book.

This book is a good police investigation book. I enjoyed reading it but I didn't relate to the characters maybe it's with it being a first one hopefully if there is more in the series I would read them. I found it hard following the story. Thank you to NetGalley author and publisher to my arc copy for a honest review.

GR Halliday's debut is a welcome addition to the Scottish Noir crime fiction genre, with its melancholic and morose atmosphere that hangs heavy throughout, set in the Scottish Highlands and Inverness. 16 year old Robert Wright disappears from his home, only for his mutilated, tortured body with a stone thrust deep down his throat to be found posed in a remote part of the Highlands. Leading the police team is DI Monica Kennedy, a rather tall woman, a single mother, with 4 year old daughter, Lucy, whom she barely sees but is constantly in her thoughts. Her mother who shows a touch too much interest in Monica's cases, looks after Lucy. Michael Bach is a guilt ridden social worker, with a traumatic past, desperately worried about about one of his missing clients, 17 year old Nichol Morgan. With a murder investigation on her hands, Monica knows the police have no resources to devote to finding Nichol, so she breaks procedure by telling him to find Nichol as she gives him his client's laptop.

Matters escalate when a second body of a another young boy with the same MO is found in a remote location by a loch. Monica's ambitious boss, Superintendent Hately foists on her a Dr Hamish Lees, a criminal psychologist, an arrogant man with certainties that Monica is highly doubtful of. Interspersed in the narrative is the watcher, a highly intelligent presence, operating several steps ahead of the police. Monica and Bach are faced with a case that throws ups ever increasing dangers, with the likes of Owen MacLennan and Don Cameron. The police team are not immune from the tragedies and horror that engulf the investigation where it appears there are more victims than the police were ever aware of in the past. With a boss that is too focused on one suspect, Monica is forced to operate below the radar until it all ends up in a blood soaked thrilling finale that has me avidly anticipating the next book in the series.

This may not be a perfect debut, the author dwells a little too assiduously throughout on Monica's height and the ending is a trifle too fudged. However, it is terrifically compelling, packed with plentiful suspense and tension, and with some wonderful characterisation. I liked the inclusion of the cat, Colonel Mustard, along with Michael's IT geek, Henry, and the flawed but determined DC Connor Crawford. Both Monica and Michael have suitably dark backgrounds with trauma, and a Monica that can make truly troubling decisions. All in all, this is a brilliantly chilling beginning to what promises to be a stellar series set amidst the background of the stunning Scottish Highlands. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

A very good procedural, entertaining and engaging.
I liked the plot, the cast of characters and loved the wonderful setting.
The book is chilling and you cannot put it down.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A good police procedural book introducing us to Detective inspector Monica Kennedy. I liked the way the story was told by two different perspectives. Set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, it made the book atmospheric and I loved the descriptive quality of the authors writing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for my copy.

I have to say I quite enjoyed this as a debut novel for a new series. It was quite different from the usual murder/thriller books and of course being up in the Highlands of Scotland added to the murky tale.

I’m not sure that I gelled with the characters that much, the police seemed a little hillbillyish and it was Monica who did all the work.

I must add though I did find the authors continual jibe at her being like a man and tall with big feet wearing, there was no need for that.

My thanks to the author and netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I love Police Procedural books and this was fantastic, based in Inverness. Fingers crossed that this becomes a series. Highly recommend

From the Shadows is a solid police procedural with some horror elements. The writing sucked me in and plunged me into a sinister world set against the bleak backdrop of the Highlands. I enjoyed watching the investigation come together from different angles. Some of the characters I loved - Henry, Michael and Colonel Mustard, but I really disliked the main character who comes across as shallow. I recommend this book and want to read more in the series for myself despite Monica, because I want more. I'm looking forward to the sequel to get more answers.

There's a good story in there. It was challenging to read the arc on my kindle without proper formatting and punctuation, so I think the actual finished book would be a more straightforward, focused and more relaxed read.

I must admit I was confused with some of the plot threads though, although this could be because of the challenges reading with the formatting, so the finished book wouldn't have these issues.
Thank you for the review copy but I ended skimming as I couldn't pull myself into the world as I was always thinking about where the sentences ended, where paragraphs should be, the punctuation etc.
I'll check out the finished book as there's certainly intrigue and promise here.
I won't post a review as it wouldn't be fair, but I'll definitely look out for the published version and read/review then.

Apologies again for not being able to battle though it and wish the author every success.
I had to give stars to leave this review, but they are not reflective on the writer's work.

The basic story was different and intriguing but it was made confusing by the erratic use of upper case letters and lack of . spacing so that the switch between characters was sometimes unclear