Police thriller set in and around Glasgow. I like catching up with these characters in a fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns. A good read.

Alex Gray’s Lorimer Series reaches book 17 with When Shadows Fall and it is showing no signs of fatigue.

A 20 year old skeleton is found in a garden and then retired police officers start being shot but are they connected.

The book is very engaging and definitely a page turner as the story moves along at a pace.

All the main characters return along with a few new ones although not all are “goodies”.

This is a very good series of books and When Shadows Fall is definitely recommended

I was new to the DSI William Lorimer series and also to the author, but I’m so glad I’ve discovered them as this book was great and had everything you could ask for in a crime thriller.

When a gardener discovers a body when preparing a new flower bed, DSI Lorimer is called. The body seems to have been there a while and it appears that the person was shot. But why are they buried in a garden, and more importantly, who are they?

Then retired police officers start getting shot in their homes DSI William Lorimer head of the MIT for Police Scotland leaves the investigating to the local SIO’s in the different areas the officers were killed. But after more deaths and a ballistics link showing that the same gun is being used in each attack, he has no option but to take on the case before there is a public outcry.

At the same time a serving police officer is shot on her doorstep changing the pattern of murders, is this the same gunman or is it an entirely different crime committed by someone else?

Who is behind the attacks? Why can’t they find any connection between the murders? How can they stop them? Who will be next?

I really enjoyed this book, its well written and its great how all the different parts of the story connect for the ending. I will definitely be looking out for more Alex Gray books in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC of the latest in the DSI Lorimer series and oh my goodness what a welcome addition to the series this book is.
This series just gets better and better and is fast becoming one of my favourite series of books. I have read all of the previous books and Alex Gray certainly knows how to draw her readers in. All of the characters are entirely relatable and are not "perfect" the way some characters in other author's books are. Although this is the 17th in the series, everything still feels fresh. It is gritty without being too grim and is fast paced and I could not put it down. I was honoured to get this advanced copy as I love these books. I have no hesitation in recommending this book or the series. 5 stars all the way.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of When Shadows Fall, the seventeenth novel to feature DSI William Lorimer, the Glasgow based head of Police Scotland’s MIT.

Lorimer is devastated when his former boss, George Phillips, is shot dead in his garden in what looks like a professional hit. Unfortunately he is not the last former police officer to be shot. With no forensics and no clear motive Lorimer and his team are facing one of the toughest cases of their careers.

I thoroughly enjoyed When Shadows Fall, which is an engrossing read with multiple twists and turns. It is told from multiple points of view so it is a real puzzle for the reader to work out how the various characters fit into the narrative and where the author will take them. I found some of the switches in point of view quicker than I expected so took a second or too to re-adjust but, on the whole, they whetted my appetite for more information rather than being a distraction. The plotting is clever and intricate, rather fiendish in fact, as the reader is aware of “the Big Man” manipulating events with no idea of who he is or how he is doing it. In fact, with all these mysteries to solve it seems as if there is never a dull moment.

I have dipped in and out of this series over the years and still have a few of the earlier novels to read but this is not a problem as this, like the others, will work well as a stand-alone. I had forgotten how much comfort is to be derived from the familiar. I was brought up on the South Side of Glasgow so I know many of the locations well and can picture them. It adds a certain something to the read, as does the language. There are a few Scottish terms that may be unfamiliar to readers from further afield, even some I haven’t heard in years but the meaning is clear and they won’t present problems.

I like the fact that the main characters are fairly normal in that they have few personal problems and are mostly content with themselves, apart from job stress. It makes a pleasant and welcome change to be able to concentrate on the investigation rather than a stream of neuroses.

When Shadows Fall is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.