T.G. Reid’s *Dark is the Grave* is a gripping Scottish crime thriller and the first book in the DCI Duncan Bone series. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Scotland’s Campsie Fells, the novel follows Bone, a psychologically damaged detective forced back into action when a copycat killer begins mimicking the notorious Peek-a-boo murders. As Bone races against time to stop another killing, his past resurfaces, pushing him to the brink. With its dark humor, intense suspense, and compelling characters, *Dark is the Grave* is perfect for fans of JD Kirk and Alex Smith.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a well developed storyline with well developed characters. It’s had an interesting storyline that keeps you in suspense. I really liked the characters especially DCI Bone and his team. It moves at a steady pace and the narrator is engaging. Would definitely read more of this series as I liked the authors style of writing and how the story unfolded.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quest from W.F. Howes Ltd for the opportunity to listen and review #DarkIsTheGrave

A new series, DCI Bone is on sick leave after he is almost blown up by a cop killer. Now a body of a police officer is found has the peek a boo killer returned? An excellent start to this series. Bone is struggling with PTSD and is separated from his wife and son. Full of twists and well realised characters. The narrator is excellent and his voice acting is superb. Thanks to Quest W F Howes and Netgalley fro this review audiobook.

A good book by an author new to me, plot moves well and the characters are well written and the reader becomes immersed in their world, narration was ok

Dark is the Grave follows DCI Duncan Bone, a detective who is psychologically scarred from a previous case involving the Peek-a-boo cop killer. Bone returns to work to investigate a copycat murder. The character development of DCI Bone was much better than that of other characters, but as the first in a series of novels, this is to be expected. I particularly enjoyed the injection of humour arising from the relationship between Mullens and his father and I hope to encounter them again in the next books. The toilet scene had me in stitches! Despite a somewhat rushed and abrupt ending, a good thriller.

Really enjoyed this audio book , lots of twists and turns and I liked the characters this has the making of a good detective series

Fabulous introduction to the character of DCI Bone, who has a backstory I am as keen to delve into, as I was to the story being told here. The impactful beggining draws you in straight away, and refuses to let you go until the end.

T G Reid is a new author for me, but I p’ve really enjoyed Dark is the Grave, first in a new police procedural crime series set in Scotland. The narration is outstanding. I’ve heard the narrator before and his delivery is perfect for these Scottish noir stories. This features a troubled officer. Nearly killed at work and problems at home aren’t making for a happy life. He’s drawn into an investigation of the death of another officer, with similarity to his own near death escape. What’s going on? The strength of these stories, apart from the plotting, lies in the character development and relationship between lead characters. Dark is the grave delivers all round with strong dialogue and a lot of black humour that gives substance to the characters. They feel like real people the reader or listener can invest in. There’s strong Scottish setting and I like this ‘noir’ genre which is going from strength to strength with some notable authors and memorable characters. T G Reid is a worthwhile member of that cadre and is on my list of authors to follow. I particularly enjoyed the author interview at the end which gives even more substance to the storytelling and writing. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

"Dark is the Grave" (DCI Bone, #1), a Scottish crime thriller by TG Reid, is the first book in what has become a popular crime series with the eight book due for publication this summer (2025). And I am delighted to hear that the audiobook version, is narrated by Steve Worsley, one of my favourite narrators who also narrates the hugely popular Logan McRae series by Stuart MacBride. So, in short this review is off to a good start.
And I can happily say that having finished the book, "Dark Is The Grave" is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the crime/mystery noir catalogue from Scotland. And I'm now reading the second book in the series.
It's good to see the development of the characters and their relationship as a functional team throughout the books and there is an overall story arc from this first novel that will be picked up throughout the series but each book would work effectively as a standalone due to the "case by case" nature of the storylines and Reid provides sufficient background that a new reader will be able to catch up, though prehaps missing out on some of the nuances between characters.
As is becoming increasingly typical of Scottish noir, there is a vein of humour, often Dark humour and embedded in sarcasm that runs through the novel and this works effectively to lift the narrative from the potential gloom of the subject.

Dark is the Grave, is the first book in the DCI Bone series by TG Reid. It is a series that has been on my radar for a while.

DCI Duncan Bone is not in a great place in either his work or home life. A recent case came to a dramatic conclusion, leaving Bone seriously injured, and no suspect to try in court. His family life is deeply troubled too. He is thrown back in at the deep end, when a new case bears a startling resemblance, to the one that nearly took his life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dark is the Grave, picking it up at every opportunity. I enjoyed the characters, and the dark humour between the colleagues, that they use to help keep them all somewhere near sane. Bone is an interesting, flawed character, and has an eclectic team to back him up.

The backstory of Bone is extremely strong, and is front and central to the story. I hope this will carry on through the series, as I look forward to learning more, and hopefully seeing him work through his demons.

Steve Worsley provided excellent narration, bringing life, nuance and humour to all the characters. The gritty writing benefiting from the light touches.

It was lovely to be able to listen to the interview of TG Reid, by Steve, at the end of the book. I always find it really interesting to hear from the author, in their own voice and words. Hearing of their tortuous writing process.

Police procedurals are one of my favourite genres, and I seem to be leaning more and more to those set in Scotland. I love the rich language and accents. There are some fabulous Scottish narrators, that I will always seek out. Steve has now been added to that list, as well as the rest of TG Reid’s books to my towering tbr.

Dark is the Grave is the first book featuring DCI Duncan Bone series from TG Reid this is an older book which has obviously been remastered/ rereleased, the narrator Steve Worsley does an excellent job with the narration, his pace and Scottish brogue really brought the characters to life. The Story is good and gripping but my only gripe is that the back story is dropped in throughout the story and it feels like I missed a book, so my question would be why didn't the author just write that story first. I look forward to seeing where these books go in the future.

I devoured this audio book overnight. As an insomniac I often play things for an hour or two but couldn't stop listening to this.

The narration is excellent and the storyline had me gripped. The descriptive account of PTSD was also very well handled.

This is the first book featuring DCI Bone and as such the back story is dripped throughout the first part of the book. I enjoyed the pace and felt it was just right. The dark humour also had me chuckling out loud ( emergency services humour).

The writing style and excellent characterisation reminded me a little of Denzil Meyrick's in his DCI Daley series (which I love) so if you are a fan of his writing style this is not to be missed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC 🎧 which was very much appreciated.

‘Dark is the Grave’ is the first book in the DCI Bone series from TG Reid. I listened to the audiobook and loved Steve Worsley’s spirited narration. He really brought each character to life, in a way that only a highly skilled voice actor can do. I enjoyed the book and especially appreciated the authenticity, in terms of the realistic Scottish speech and use of common Scots terms. The interview between author and narrator was an unexpected surprise at the end! I look forward to more from this writer, narrator and series.

I’m assuming this title is undergoing. a change of publisher. Or there’s a new instalment afoot. As I note there are several years old reviews. No matter, it introduced me to this series and I’m grateful for that.


The first in a Scottish detective series. Dark Is The Grave opens with a missing cop, a case that rings alarm bells of a copy cat killer sounding in the station and sees a semi disgraced DCI Bone, who is currently on sick leave recovering from physical and psychological injuries from his last case, whipped back to work. Initially I felt a bit confused by the references to the past and kept checking that this was the first in the series, when details of the last case were revealed and new characters introduced I felt like I’d missed a book, rather than hearing a backstory play out, but it didn’t take long for me to get to grips with the writing style, and i ended up really enjoying the story. The plot was smart, not entirely original and a little bit predictable in points, but enjoyable all the same. The title is packed with slightly dark humour that I really appreciated.

I’d definitely read more in the series.

I enjoyed Steve Worsley’s narration 🎧

Huge thanks to Quest from W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to reviews this ELC 🎧