Inverness, Scotland. An unexpected tip off from a convicted female serial killer leads Monica and her team out to the tidal salt marshes, where a body may, or not, be buried. Excavations in the difficult terrain prove the convict correct, a body that has lain hidden for over ten years. Pathology reports that the lapse is more likely twenty years and the investigation team turn their attention to cold cases. But the convict cannot be the murderer, they know where she was at the time of this crime. So how did she know where the body was?
Monica and the team are led through a maze of information, mostly misleading. With their attention being diverted by a deliberate fire at a church and other distracting events, they have to sift through the evidence to try and find the killer, who seems to be hiding in plain sight.

Twists and turns with every page. Good gritty story with a strong feisty main character.
Well written with just the right amount of darkness

This is the third in the DI Monica Kennedy series. I haven't read the first two, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of this as a stand alone book (although I now want to read the others!).
DI Kennedy is contacted by Pauline Tosh, a serial killer caught by Kennedy, and who is locked up in Carselang Prison. Tosh tells her that she has information regarding a burial site. Kennedy arranges for the site to be excavated, and a woman’s body is discovered. The body is identified as Freya Sutherland, who went missing over 20 years ago and Kennedy and her sidekick Crawford, go on to investigate whether this is another of Tosh’s victims.
The investigation moves at a decent pace and retained my interest throughout.
The locations around Inverness are authentic and the atmosphere is good.
I did work out who the killer was, but it didn't make the book any less compelling.

This was the first book of the series that I have read, this didn't stop me enjoying it. I liked the characters and found the chapters flowed. I will definitely be looking out for the other books in the series.

A gritty Scottish novel with strong women characters. The plot keeps you guessing although perhaps not quite to the end which comes as no surprise and is somewhat contrived.

This was a good read with good narrative, good development of characters and a good storyline. There was suspense and mystery but unfortunately I was able to predict several of the twists and so that makes tis a 3 star read for me.

Set in and around Inverness DI Monica Kennedy is contacted by Pauline Tosh, a serial killer, she caught and who is locked up in Carselang Prison. Tosh tells her she has has a map that shows where something is buried.
Monica calls in a forensic archaeologist who discovers a woman’s body .
After the body is identified as Freya Sutherland Monica and her sidekick Crawford investigate whether this is another of Tosh’s victims.
Quite a complicated plot with lots of possible suspects . I liked the backstory of Monica’s team and her daughter.
I enjoyed reading this book though I worked out the culprit half way through and found the ending a little bit contrived.
Overall 3.5 stars, recommended for crime enthusiasts.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this when I started but dear god, picking this book up was something I most definitely do not regret. Its such a breath of fresh air for the genre. I loved that it was a female serial killer up against a strong female lead. And that they are written as deep intelligent characters and aren't just bumbling along and hoping for the best. The book keeps up a good pace without feeling rushed, and there are one or two parts which feel a tiny bit too slow for my liking but that's just me being impatient probably lol. Its a really gripping book whoch will keep you engrossed from beginning to end

I haven't read this series before but I absolutely would read the author again. Clever story which kept me guessing and I liked the gritty realism of the characters and the setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is the second book I’ve read in this series and I thought this was a great read, and one which really hit the mark with me. I really like the main character DI Kennedy, she is feisty, flawed, has a good back history and is very believable and realistically portrayed. She is asked to visit and interview a serial killer in prison who has information regarding a cold case and where a body can be found. Where did the information come from and why has it come to light now? This is a very well written book with a range of good, well developed characters, most I liked and a couple I loathed. I loved the author’s writing style, the book flowed well and the movement from present to past timelines was effortlessly done. The book is wonderfully descriptive of the areas around Inverness and I could picture them in my mind. I love reading of the rapport the DI has with her team and the friendships she has formed, and the glimpses the author gives into his DI’s home and personal life. The story had so many separate threads and twists - at one point I wondered how everything would come together at the end, and felt like I was unwrapping layers of secrets. The last quarter of the book really had me engrossed and the story raced to a final conclusion with all loose ends tied up nicely. Overall, a fab read, and I look forward to the next one. I’d recommend this if you like crime, police procedurals

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an advance copy of Under the Marsh, the third novel to feature DI Monica Kennedy of the Inverness police.

Notorious serial killer Pauline Tosh asks Monica to visit her in the prison Monica put her in. She gives Monica a hand drawn map and assures her there is a body buried there. Monica thinks it might be a game, but she has to check and when they find a body it looks like case closed, until it isn’t.

I thoroughly enjoyed Under the Marsh, where nothing is as it seems and the author does a great job with misdirection. The novel is told from Monica’s point of view, so the reader feels her stress as she deals with not just the case, but other problems like her daughter’s misbehaviour.

The plot held me captivated with its twists and turns and, as I said, misdirection. I was all in on every suggestion as they all made sense, only to be sent in another direction as more facts were uncovered. It is well done and very moreish, so I read it in one sitting. The main plot is a cold case so “I don’t remember” is a go to line and the fascination lies in how Monica and her team get round it. The solution is quite unexpected and finishes in a flurry of realisation and the obligatory action scene. I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I mean, it’s believable enough but a bit humdrum after some of the earlier fireworks.

The subplots revolve around Monica’s young daughter Lucy, who is acting strangely at school and DS Conor Crawford who is acting equally strangely. Lucy is a bit of a storm in a teacup, but the Crawford thing seems out of character.

Under the Marsh is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

DI Monica Cassidy has a cold case brought to life from her nemesis Pauline Tosh who has been in Carselang since her imprisonment 12 years ago. It was Monica who caught this serial killer. Is Tosh attempting to come clean about other victims and thus give closure to their relatives? It's for Monica to find out along with her partner DC Connor Crawford. The two seem to get on very well, socially as well as professionally, until a pass goes wrong. From then things seem to spiral down for Crawford.
I enjoyed this detective thriller, it had pace, interest and some good characters. It seems that Crawford and Kennedy will never be an item but we'll have to see (if there are more novels in the series). I rather liked the almost human side to murder, not quite what we tend to be fed these days.
There were a few niggles with the story. Annie, of the National Archives of Australia seems to have psychic abilities as not only did she find the crew list for a cruise ship but in her submission to DI Monica Kennedy she highlighted the person of interest. Something Monica didn't even let slip in her request! Freya's cat (Butter) must surely be included in the Guinness Book of Records under the category of longest lived cats. The cat found buried in the box may have been a Schrödinger experiment gone wrong because of the inclusion of a lead overcoat, it may have swayed the balance of quantum superposition.
Overall, a good read and it gets a four star review from me.

This is one of those thriller novels that you pick up on a whim and never regret it afterwards. The story moved at a great pace, not too fast, but at no point did I ever feel bored or wishing they would just get on with the ending. I loved the characters, and the fact that again none of them are perfect, though the main character is far from the usual burned out mess of a detective that you get in some books like this. There are plenty of twists and turns, leaving you guessing the whole while, I just hate that I guessed who the killer was early on, but that is more on me than the writer.

A fun, thrilling, disturbing read. A must read.

One of the cases that made a name for her was when DI Monica Kennedy caught the notorious serial killer Pauline Tosh and put her behind bars for life. Locked up in the remote and imposing Highlands Carselang prison, DI Kennedy doesn’t give Tosh much thought, and tries to move on with her life and her career. So when Tosh requests DI Kennedy come to visit her at the prison, she thinks it is another one of her games.

But during the visit Tosh gives Monica a hand drawn map with a cross marking a spot. The area in question is a patch of marshland, remote and grim. Monica and her team working the original murder case always felt that Tosh had more victims, so this simply can't be ignored. They go investigate the location, unsure of what they will encounter. When a body is found it seems like Tosh has admitted to another murder. Then things get very complicated and the pressure is on to find out just who the killer was, and who is still killing now.

This is the third in the series of the DI Kennedy series. I had not read the first two, and I definitely felt I missed out on some back story because of it. I feel I need to read the first two in order to perhaps fully understand DI Kennedy fully and her and her team's situation. Nonetheless, this book was a fantastic read. A very strong female lead detective, but in a positive way. Respectful of her team, and working together to solve a case. I found myself really enjoying the storytelling, how the case was unravelling, and the surprises the investigation kept unearthing along the way. Even though I felt somewhat left out of the picture by not having read the whole series, this was still a fully gripping and engaging read. I will be going back to the start of the series to fill in my own gaps for sure!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are completely my own.

Twists and turns at every page, a great read, kept me guessing until the end but so so good… will be keeping an eye out for this author again ..

So I did enjoy this book. I didn’t realise it was part of a series and I think I would of preferred to read the others first. Thought it was a good solid enjoyable police story that had a good conclusion. Worth a read

I really enjoyed this read. An unconventional plot set in an unexpected location with engaging characters and a good pace to the plot. I also liked that the lead detective didn't become more target and that there was a full conclusion, both make refreshing from to the current trends in crime writing.

This was another solid book in the series but unfortunately was my least favourite of the three. Halliday is a great writer and I found it was a real page turner but the pace did slow at times. The case was intriguing but not overly exciting and it was clear early on who the murderer was. I was also disappointed that Tosh didn’t actually have more involvement than having heard a bit of gossip. The characters are really well written tho and the team is likeable so I’m exited for more from this series.

This is the third book in the series I believe.
I haven't read the first two... and that is my biggest issue with the book.
I'm left wondering what did happen in the past.
The book itself is great, a relatable female main character,with a team that seems to work.
Work together,not just do the work.
A female serial killer,which is what drew me in,that I hope we see more of in the future.
Great pacing. Some creepy moments,and some surprising ones.
I very much enjoyed it.

A compelling murder mystery with an unexpected twist.

DI Monica Kennedy is called to a secure prison facility by a serial killer, who unexpectedly gives her the location of a body buried in the Marsh.

The murder investigation is impeded by distractions and other bizarre crimes. As the body has been buried for over twenty years, the likelihood of finding the killer is low, and the pressure begins to build.

Well worth reading for those interested in police procedurals.