Lead Review (Gallows Wood)

• Book: Gallows Wood
• Location: New Forest, Southampton
• Author: Louisa Scarr

Review Author: tripfiction

Gallows Wood by Louisa Scarr is the fantastic first in a series of police procedural thrillers with a police dog handler as the main character. Lucy Halliday is a former police detective with Hampshire police, whose career was very nearly ended by a grave error of judgement. After an internal investigation, she was demoted but her superior officer pulled strings, and she is now working as a police constable with the dog handler section. Two years ago, Lucy’s husband, Nico, disappeared and she is also trying to move on from this devastating loss. Lucy has little time to reflect on her misfortune as she concentrates on building a relationship with her new partner: her spaniel, Moss.

The book begins with Lucy and Moss exploring the wild countryside of the New Forest, where they make a startling discovery. Moss indicates the presence of a body. Lucy has to call in her colleagues to investigate the unexplained death. Could the body be that of her missing husband? Or is Nico still alive somewhere and if so, why hasn’t he been in touch? The discovery sets in motion a larger enquiry, with enormous ramifications for Lucy and her colleagues.

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As the story unfolds we learn more about Lucy’s past. We encounter her long-term friend, Fran the forensic scientist. We also meet Jack Ellis, the new detective inspector in charge of the major crimes squad. He seems a cold and reserved character. As for her other colleagues, Lucy suspects that they mistrust her, due to the recent scandal. When their investigation seems to have been compromised by one of the team, who can Lucy really trust?

The book is mostly set in the city of Southampton, where the police station is located, and the wild moorland of the New Forest. Both are places that the author knows well. This is evident from the detailed descriptions, especially the creepily atmospheric Gallows Wood, where the body is found. Throughout the novel, Smith is careful to provide enough description for the reader to imagine exactly what’s happening and where.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel approach to the police procedural genre. As a spaniel owner myself, there is little doubt that Moss is the hero of this book, but I’ll concede that the other characters are also well written, and the plot is but original and involving. It is fascinating to learn about the operations of the police dog unit, but this is no text book. The story proceeds like a speeding spaniel and there are plot twists a-plenty; you really can’t be sure who to trust until the last breathtaking pages.

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