2.75 stars. I can’t quite put my finger on why this book didn’t really grab me. I like Scotland and murder mysteries… but the characters weren’t really vivid enough for me, I spotted pretty much every twist and whodunnit coming, and the writing style didn’t quite grab me. This is the first by the author I’ve read, and I’d have assumed it was an early novel from the tone of writing, but it’s the 19th book in the series… I’ve got 4 or 5 others to try, at some point. I don’t feel I missed out by jumping into this as my first encounter (earlier events are mentioned, but doesn’t impede understanding if you’ve not read the previous books).

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.

I love cozy mysteries like the Midsomer Murders, and the picture of that series, I projected onto this book, and I wasn't disappointed! Two on holiday police members find a body, but leaves the investigation to the local police. Soon another body is found, and these two police members are requested to assist. This set the tone for a thrilling read, and I will definitely read more in future!

Another great Lorimer thriller. I have read all of the books in the series and there was only one I didn't feel grabbed me from the start but as I can't remember which one it is, shows the quality of the rest of them. As a Scot who has been away from my country for a long time, the vivid and detail thar Alex Gray gives to her Lorimer books, transports me back. Bring on the next one.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for ARC.

DCI Lorimer and his friend Daniel Kohl have set off for the Highlands to do some hillwalking and wind down.
Kohl finds a body in the hills, and the discovery of another soon after makes it hard to believe that this was just misadventure. The pair extend their stay in Glencoe village and the major Incident team arrives from Glasgow to investigate under Lorimer's lead..
Gray's strength for me is her empathy for her characters, even the ones with dark hearts, and she shows this deftly again here. Another terrific instalment in a long-running series. I'd love to see Maggie Lorimer in her own spin off series.

Away from Glasgow holidaying in the Highlands Detective William Lorimer still manages to stumble on a body Another murder to solve,his team soon joins him. Great characters,good story, plenty of twists.

Another in the D.S.I William Lorimer series
Another brilliant read
Love this series
Will keep you hooked and you won’t want to put it down
Thanks NetGalley

This is another entertaining outing for DSI Lorimer and whilst this is the 19th in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Echo of the Dead if set in the Scottish Highlands and Alex Gray does an excellent job of 'selling' the area to the reader despite the darkness of the story.

Lorimer is on a break with his friend, Daniel, when they stumble upon a body. A short time later, another body is found and Lorimer returns with his Team to investigate. Are these connected and could they be related to an historical massacre?

With a great cast of characters, this is an intriguing mystery with twists and is a great edition to the series and one that I would recommend to lovers of this genre.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

While out climbing a Munro near Glencoe Detective Superintendent Bill Lorimer and his friend Daniel Kohai discover the body of a climber. When another body is discovered a few weeks late Lorimer and his MIT colleagues head to Glencoe to investigate. With the discovery of another body and the disappearance of the young girl who found the first body Lorimer and his team have their work cut out trying to find the perpetrator. Meanwhile Daniel is still haunted by the discover of the climber's body and is convinced that something was taken from the body before it was removed from the mountain.

Great read from start to finish - plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group and Alex Gray for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is the best I read in this series: a ride that kept me on the edge and turning pages as fast as I could.
It's a gripping and riveting thriller featuring a great cast of characters and a plus which is the setting.
The descriptions of flora, fauna and mounting are great and they made me wish I could be visiting the places.
The mystery is twisty and kept me guessing till the end.
Loved every moment of this story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Echo of the Dead is a murder mystery set in the the highlands of Scotland, more specifically in Glencoe, scene of the the 17thC massacre of over 30 MacDonald clansmen by members of the Campbell clan who, at the time, were enjoying the hospitality of their victims. This history forms a dark background to current events which commences with the discovery of a body near the top of a mountain by DSI Lorimer and his friend, former Zimbabwean Police detective, Daniel Kohl who just happen to be on a weekend break at the time. While foul play is not suspected this becomes questionable when another body is discovered, undoubtedly a victim of murder.
For me the most enjoyable aspect of this book is the vivid descriptions of the surrounding mountain scenery. They will certainly encourage people to visit this part of the highlands and they also create a wonderful atmosphere in which this mystery unfolds. The author has also created some strong characters who are well developed but if there is a criticism it is that they are all too nice. I found it impossible to put anyone on the suspect list!
I would not call this a page turner I think because the pace is rather slow and pondering especially in the beginning but the relationships between the characters holds the interest. On the whole reading it was enjoyable and I am encouraged enough to try another of Alex Grays books from the same series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing access to this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Echo of the Dead, by Alex Gray the nineteenth novel to feature Detective Superintendent William Lorimer of Police Scotland.
I have never read any of this series of books (how have I missed them) but I found it very easy to read as a stand-alone.
Centring around William Lorimer a Detective Superintendent with the MIT Police Scotland, he and a friend discover a body while climbing one of the Munro. Returning to the area a few weeks later when another body is found he leads the investigation into the cases.
A really good police procedural that holds the attention.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is plenty to keep the reader entertained in this murder mystery set in the Highlands of Scotland. Do the murders here have some connection to the horrific clan killings in Glencoe hundreds of years ago? Or is there a serial killer on the loose somewhere in this majestic landscape. I had not read any of the previous books in the William Lorimer series, but this one stands very well on its own, and it kept me engaged from beginning to end. It even has an absorbing side story, of a young Dutch climber found dead on the mountain, but it seems unlikely that he was a victim of the murderer too - that separate investigation is undertaken by Lorimer’s friend Daniel, an ex Inspector in the Zimbabwean police. All the strands tied together well - both from the investigation, and from the personal relationships of the main protagonists, but I kept sensing echoes of the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny - not a bad thing, but perhaps a little derivative at times. Overall, a good read, and I will be happy to consume the earlier books in the series.

A very enjoyable book to read - good characters and a good storyline with some nice twists and turns. I had not read any about this character before, this being the 19th book, it didn't stop me getting into it/enjoying it.

Alex Gray's latest addition to her DSI William Lorimer shifts from its Glasgow location to the grandeur and magnificence of the Scottish Highlands and Glencoe with its gruesome history of the massacre which Zimbabwean Daniel Kohi learns of from Lorimer on a hiking break to the region. However, there is drama when they come across a dead man, Dutchman Hans Van Der Bilt, from what looks like a fall. His grieving wife, Juliet, suffering from a broken leg, is pregnant, as she arrives to find out as much as possible as to what had happened to her husband. Prior to this incident, Dwyer, a young American, a climbing enthusiast had gone missing, leaving locals worried. A teenager, Tilly MacFarlane is walking her dog, Fly, when she discovers Dwyer's body, and the PM establishes that he was murdered.

This sees Lorimer and his Major Incident Team coming to Glencoe to investigate, joined by Maggie, Lorimer's teacher and writer wife, there for a Easter break. Daniel is invited too, to keep Maggie company, although he can't help being drawn to the case and has niggling concerns over the Dutchman's fall which he is tasked to look into. He goes on to make a grisly discovery in a bothy, the body of a unidentifiable man who had been dead for some time, with his boots taken, and nothing to point to his identity. The police team struggle to find any leads or connections, and there are concerns that they might have a serial killer on their hands, their worries and fears heightened when a local teenage girl goes missing, triggering numerous search parties involving locals.

This was an engaging crime read with characters I have become invested in and I particularly appreciated the shift in location, the stunning landscape, the flora and fauna, the echoes of its dark macabre history, the close knit, supportive and helpful local community, and the courageous mountain rescue team. This is a terrific and enjoyable read that I became completely immersed in, with plenty of suspense and tension, which I recommend to those who love their Scottish crime fiction. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

A favourite author and a favourite part of the country, so this book could do no wrong.
In Lorimer, Alex has created a detective to rival any other out there and one that I hope has a few more books in him.
With any of Alex Gray’s books, they are hard to put down and this one is no different, although I have to confess I did make up my mind “who did it” a good few pages before the end. It did not however, spoil the rest of the book, as that little doubt always crept back.
This one will be eagerly received by those who know the author and for those who don’t, you are missing out.
Recommend, with the five stars for both book and author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Echo of the Dead, the nineteenth novel to feature Detective Superintendent William Lorimer of Police Scotland.

Lorimer and his friend Daniel Kohi are hill climbing in Glencoe when they find a body in a ravine, the victim of an accident. When the body of a missing American is also found in Glencoe Lorimer and his team head there to investigate with the first death niggling at the back of his mind. When Daniel finds a third body the pressure is on.

I enjoyed Echo of the Dead, which offers readers a fascinating glimpse of Scottish history alongside the more traditional police procedural. In Scotland the word Glencoe is often attached to the word massacre, and the author nods to this with her opening and ending chapters. In between she offers a murder investigation.

I have been reading this series for years so the characters are like old friends. I like the familiarity of the language used and, normally, the setting, although in this case I don’t know it. I don’t know if it was this lack of recognition but I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as it’s predecessors. There is still an interesting plot with plenty of twists, misdirection and a well concealed perpetrator but it seems to lack clarity and clear sightedness. Perhaps the author tried to fit too much in. I did, however, like the resolution which offers a surprise and a hint of the famed Scottish Presbyterianism which is fitting for the location.

Echo of the Dead is a good read that I can recommend.

A slow burner with well developed characters complete with back stories. The 19th in the series, but my first encounter with the author, I did not find this a disadvantage at all. The author effectively welcomes you into the sphere of Superintendent Lorimer and his Glasgow team. Although this time the setting is Glencoe and Lorimer discovers a body on a climbing holiday. Soon another two bodies are discovered and the Glasgow MIT team are called out to solve the crimes. The history and the beauty of the setting as well as the gentle highlanders who reside there are an integral part of the story. Lorimer is no Taggart, you’ll not find excesses of language, violence or sex. Safe to recommend to all ages.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

DSI William Lorimer has travelled to historic Glencoe in the western Scottish highlands with his friend Daniel Kohi. Daniel, a police inspector in his native Zimbabwe, has fled violence in his native country and hopes to join Lorimer in the Glasgow force. However, they are in Glencoe for the hiking. But when, after a difficult (for Daniel) first climb, they discover the dead body of a hiker who has fallen from the summit to a ledge below. Another body is soon found and Lorimer is now in charge of the complicated investigation since Glencoe is served by a lone policeman.

Although Echo of the Dead is the 19th is the series, it is as fresh as the first. The plot is complicated, the characters are multi-faceted but Glencoe and the highlands are the stars here. Scottish clan history, legends, flora and fauna and even the weather make Echo of the Dead one of the best in this compelling series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Alex Gray for this ARC.

Lorimer and his friend Daniel are on a walking trip to Glencoe when Daniel spots the body of a fallen climber. Predictably, it's another disrupted trip for Lorimer, because things don't add up. There's a missing American tourist, for one....

And a teenager goes missing...

This small, close-knit community is not prepared for what Lorimer discovers....

Another brilliant instalment in this excellent series

This is another excellent read from the author. Set in Glencoe, I was transported right to this beautiful part of Scotland reading the descriptive passages. This book finds DSI Lorimer on a hillwalking trip when Daniel, his friend, discovers a body near to Glencoe. This unravels a tale with a potential serial killer on the loose and a hunt to find a missing teenager. It's well written, has excellent character development and a very interesting plot. I highly recommend this 5* read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.