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Crime thriller set mainly on SKYE

1st June 2022

Time for the Dead by Lin Anderson, crime thriller set mainly on Skye (Glasgow and Afghanistan).

Crime thriller set mainly on Skye

Time for the Dead is number 14 in the Rhona McLeod series of detective novels set in Scotland. In this book, Dr McLeod, a forensic pathologist, battles her own demons as well as attempting to understand a series of deaths on the Scottish Isle of Skye.

Rhona has taken herself to Skye, away from her job, in order to recover from the personal trauma associated to a previous case. The author describes the vast, forbidding landscapes of the island in winter, though Rhona is at home here and finds the familiarity comforting. Before long, she finds herself caught up in investigating what she thinks is a crime scene and this leads to a full-scale investigation. Rhona must decide whether she is capable of putting her feelings to one side and resuming her professional role, maybe eventually returning to Glasgow.

The investigation on the island is interspersed with short accounts of an army medic’s experiences as a prisoner in Afghanistan and we learn of the trauma she has suffered. It is not immediately apparent how this is connected to the main story. On Skye, a group of army medics on leave from Afghanistan disappear, telling locals that they are practising survival training in the remoter parts of the island. When a body is discovered at the foot of a cliff, Rhona believes there’s a link to the crime scene she has previously identified. While at first it seems that the dead man was one of the army personnel, there are suggestions that the death might be linked to organised crime and Rhona calls in her team from Glasgow to investigate.

The geography of Skye is so critical to the plot of Time for the Dead that it is almost another character, and it is brilliantly described. The contrast between the hot sands of Afghanistan and the freezing sea and landscapes on Skye are marked. In both cases, the novel’s characters pit themselves against the extremes of their surroundings in a bid to survive. We learn about the remote mountains and hillsides that form Skye’s interior, as well as the plunging cliffs and the crofts abandoned during the clearances. It is interesting to learn about the island’s history and customs as well as some explanation of the Gaelic placenames.

Rhona McLeod and the other characters are engaging, and we learn about their relationships, their flaws and the strengths that they can draw on. It does as though many of the main characters have some kind of romantic attachment to each other, either in the past or present, but that doesn’t detract from the story.

Some of the action takes place in Glasgow, and we see the contrast between the island the city. Skye still suffers from poor communication; the winter weather means helicopters can’t fly and the resources on the island are not up to city standards. There’s a nod to modern developments, however; the relatively new bridge to the mainland means that Skye is effectively no longer an island and people – including suspects – can come and go as they please.

Time for the Dead is dedicated to a Border Collie dog called Blaze and his character in the book plays a key role in the investigation, a plot devise that will be particularly appealing to dog lovers. The book will also appeal to dedicated Rhona McLeod fans, lovers of Scottish scenery and anyone who enjoys suspense and forensic details. This is the sort of book you carry around with you until you’ve finished it; highly recommend.

It is possible to read this book as a standalone, without having read about Rhona’s previous adventures, though one case in particular is frequently referred to, and for full enjoyment it might be better to read the books in sequence.

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