Scottish Noir isn’t as well defined in the public consciousness as Nordic Noir but most people will know when they see it, especially when they read this book. Someone once wrote in The Guardian (it must have been Nancy Banks-Smith) apropos of a BBC wildlife documentary, that a Scottish Wildcat was a Tabby with knuckledusters. G.R. Halliday is sort of John Fowles with knuckledusters, even though no actual knuckleduster is referenced in the text. The author is properly Scottish and there would be Hell to pay if an English author wrote Scottish characters quite like this.

Everyone is flawed and taboos of all sorts are broken, though not trivial ones. A Scottish biker-gang leader widely believed to be responsible for a Manson-family type double murder proves to be one of the more helpful characters which the heroine, Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy, encounters. Tension is maintained throughout and the police find that the available leads do not build a case so much as a nightmare. Even once the heroine knows what is actually going on, she is consigned to helplessness by the situation she uncovers. And some matters remain unresolved. Perhaps for future novels, perhaps forever.

This is a good and compelling read, but it is unlikely that Tourism Scotland are going to happily endorse it for sale in souvenir shops and there are shocks as well as mysteries, and some very disturbing ideas and images are conveyed by the text. Spike Milligan couldn’t think of a fate worse than death: G.R. Halliday has a brave and bold try at inventing one.

This is a very dark and engrossing book. At times I found it almost unbearable to read as it is quite unpleasant in parts, but the great storyline had me completely hooked, and I really couldn't put it down. The Highland setting is unusual and works well with the dark, forbidding character of the book, although I probably won't be booking a holiday there any time soon! Monica is a very appealing character and I look forward to reading more books about her.

This was a super read although I am not sure that it does much for the tourism trade in the Scottish Highlands.
The setting for the book was clearly explained and one could easily visualise the scenes. The residents were reminiscent of those in
The writer conjured up a wide range of characters in the book, many of whom were quite unsavoury but nevertheless gave some idea of what can happen to ???? communities when the only source of work closes. Also, it shows what can happen where there is a total lack of safety for workers in major construction projects.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the interesting lead character. I will buy others in the series.

I hadn't ever thought a crime thriller would be too gory for me but this book (in my eyes) strays into the horror genre a little to graphically and there were big sections of the book I found extremely hard to read as the subject matter is one of nightmares.
That said it is an excellent detective novel with that extremely dark plot and plenty of tension built in- it would not put me off reading future novels - I will just be better prepared and only read during daylight hours!

This was such a great plot to follow. I swam through each page and the plot was intriguing and kept me turning the page. I loved the setting of the book and the way it added to the atmosphere of the overall plot.

I really enjoyed my second go with author G R Halliday much more than the first, in this book we meet up with our gentle giant Monica and her team of police officers. Up in the highlands a couple of body’s have turned up with limbs missing, a girl disappears and Monica is working her socks off to try and figure out what links The bodies and the disappearance together or if they are even linked at all. We meet a strange, well a very strange family with Doc at the helm and granny in the background though I think it’s granny who really rules the roost. The book is well written and I really enjoyed the storyline eager to understand and find out what would happen next. My only niggle would be that the authors style of writing flits very quickly between different sections of the story but once I got my head around this I managed to get on and enjoy the book and it turned out to be a very good read indeed.

DI Monica Kennedy has been working in the traffic section after asking for a transfer when her last murder case nearly ended in tragedy for her and daughter Lucy.
When Det. Supt. Fred Hately calls asking her to come back to MIT after a man's body is found in the river with some of his limbs missing.
Monica once again teams up with DC Connor Crawford and DC Ben Fisher to investigate.When another body is found a few days later dismembered in a similar way Monica knows it is the same killer but with their enquiries taking them to a remote Scottish highland village where superstition and rumour are the truth and the law doesn't appear to matter the team seem to be hitting brick walls.
Meanwhile a young woman has crashed her car on a remote highland road and wakes to find herself in an underground cell where a mysterious “Doctor” is looking after her but is the Doctor really helping her or is he keeping her alive for a far more sinister reason.
I really enjoyed this and thought it was better than the first one in the series. I liked that I learned more about Monica and her background, which was only hinted at in the first book

Gruesome and gripping an excellent dose of Scottish noir !!
I hadn’t read the the first of of this the Monica Kennedy series but in no way spoilt this book for me but I will go back and read the first book at some point as this is proving to be a brilliant series. Monica is brought back to work to deal with a dismembered body and as then another body is found also dismembered and it becomes quite obvious that Monica has one hell of a gruesome case on her hands. At the same time we have the story of Annabelle who was driving on a private road when a young child appears of nowhere, swerving to miss her Annabelle hits a tree and later wakes to find herself in a truly horrifying situation.
Well this one heck of a dark and terrifying read and I flew through it in a day, the story was grim and exceptionally well crafted with well rounded characters that I really liked. A book I can highly recommend and I look forward to reading more in the series in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage Publishing, Harvill Secker for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

A dark, atmospheric read. I found it to be a solid read and enjoyed the setting. Full if tension and intrigue.

Brilliant story set in Scotland. Beautifully written in a stunning setting. A great pice procedure story. Fantastic. Kept me guessing throughout x

When I first requested this and was subsequently approved for this book, I wasn't aware that this was actually the second in a series of books by this author.
The blurb had stood out to me as something of interest straight away but I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to pick it up from where the first book had obviously left off.
Whilst there are many references to that first book, it didn't negatively impact my reading of this book.
There were lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I found myself counting down the time until I could read more of this.
It's atmospheric, tense at times and well written.
I'll definitely be going back to read the first book in the series and would like to read more from this author in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3* thriller, with some very scary, dark moments.

This is the second book in a series, but, not having read the first didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story or characters. But, be aware, there are many references to book 1.

The entire story is dark, soulful and creepy and there’s no respite, so, unless that’s your bag, this isn’t a book for you. However, if you enjoy spooky, dark tales with a claustrophobic edge, you’re in for a treat.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview.

A well named title, this dark and gritty thriller had me wanting to read more and more. The writing style took a little for me to get into as it was chopping and changing from Annabelle’s perspective to the DI Monika Kennedy.
If you like a gory at times thriller then this is definitely for you. The Scottish setting is beautiful written and has a great feel about it.
This is the 2nd book in this promising series

second in the series and better than the first one. It doesn't feel gimmicky and it's nice to be back with the characters and the setting.

This is the 2nd book in the Monica Kemnefy series and I admit a book I started to read with comprehension as I struggled with the style of the 1st book in the series.

However from the outset I was drawn into this storyline and found the style a little bit more suited to my preference.

Returning back to work after a 6 month hiatus, Kennedy has a dismembered body on her hands and a fractured team to put back together after the daunting events of book 1.

Then there is Annabelle, a young woman, who awakes in a strange place, after a car accident to find herself being cared for by a Doctor...

Kennedy is a character that feels like there is more to come and in this 2nd book, Halliday definitely shapes her more, whilst still letting us know how very tall she is...

Gritty, Atmospheric Dark, macabre and brutal stuff, G.R. Halliday writes brutality very well, and this thriller cross horror thriller is a haunting and tense read that will chill you deeply.

4🔥🔥🔥🔥

I found this a real page turner. It was, however, a bit dark in places and rather gruesome. Nevertheless, that aside I found it difficult to put down. It got more exciting as it went on and Annabelle's attempts at communication with the outside world and frustrations at her situation made it even more of a page turner. It was well planned in the way we alternated between Annabelle and the police, who were trying to solve a number of gruesome murders and did not even know about her plight at the beginning.. Altogether a good read, but maybe not for the squeamish!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dark Waters. I would highly recommend this to anyone, even if crime thrillers weren’t normally their choice of reading. This book certainly could be situated within the genre of horror as it definitely has horrific undertones. This is Scottish noir at its finest! If you’re a fan of thrillers and crime, you will enjoy this book!

*5 stars*

There is something going on in the Scottish Glens and its not nice.
Annabelle is forced to swerve on an isolated road to avoid a young girl and wakes up in a dark damp room.
Scott is camping in the glen when he hears screaming. When he gets up in he morning he sees something he wishes he hadn't - he is never seen again.
DI Monica Kennedy is called to investigate a dismembered body found in a dam and then another one is discovered.
What is the connection and what is DI Kennedy running from?

A dark gritty and gripping read. Some parts of this story were gruesome. Set in the amazing highlands this is a compelling read that sent shivers down my spine. This is a memorable story about a family you would never want to meet.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.