The Last Witness - Denzil Meyrick

The Last Witness by Denzil Meyrick is the second book in his Detective Daley series. Now, I haven't read the first book, but didn't feel lost at all in The Last Witness. (although the first one sounds cracking good) The Last Witness is the first book in the series to be published in North America.

The series is set in Scotland. James Machie was a criminal kingpin in Glasgow. Five years ago he was assinated in the back of a transport vehicle. Then how in the world is on camera today killing those who testified against him? His former right hand man Frank MacDougall, has been in the witness protection program for the last five years. Jim Daley is stunned to find out that Frank has been living on his patch for the entire time. And that he now responsible for the safety of Frank and his family.

I liked Jim as a character, but I have to say that my favourite is his Sergeant, Brian Scott. His irreverent attitude is great fun and the perfect foil against their Superintendent, John Scott. (who's a piece of work) Daley plays peacemaker between the two.

Meyrick's dialogue is written as it would be spoken - Scottish brogue and all. I found it easy after a few pages, but some may not. There's also a fair amount of swearing and lots of drinking. Again, it fits the tone of the book, the characters and the setting. But some may be offended.

Meyrick has penned an imaginative plot, filled it with lots of action and created characters I would revisit again. He also has a dark sense of humour that mixes well with the noir feeling of The Last Witness.

Meyrick is writing what he knows, in settings, characters and plotting. "Denzil Meyrick was educated in Argyll, then after studying politics, joined the Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow. After being injured and developing back problems, he now works as a freelance journalist in both print and on radio. Denzil lives in Scotland." His prose absolutely have the ring of authenticity and accuracy.

And although the ending tied up things nicely, there's one or two questions about Daley's personal life that will hopefully be answered in the next book - one I'll be reading. Fans of Stuart MacBride would enjoy Meyrick's writing.  Read an excerpt of The Last Witness.

Call Me Princess- Sara Blaedel

The hot list of crime writers right now includes many from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Here's another author from Denmark to add to your list.

Call Me Princess marks Sara Blaedel's North American debut.

Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen P.D. is called in on the case of Susanne Hansson - a woman who has been brutally sexually assaulted. As Rick delves into the case, she discovers that Susanne met her attacker through an online dating site. Susanne's not the only victim of this online Lothario. He know how to hide though - he's left virtually no clues.

I enjoyed the character of Detective Rick and her interactions with her fellow officers. Blaedel has filled the department with an overbearing superior, a quiet family man partner and a publicity seeking chief. They were all comfortable if not original characters. The foray into Louise's personal life was a solid secondary story line. I did not like the best friend, newspaper reporter Camilla at all. She came across as a user of people. The interactions between her and Louse just never rang true as a best friend situation.

Blaedel has peppered her story with lots of red herrings. Many of the male characters seemed they could be the perpetrator at one time or another - the ending provided a good twist.

All in all, a solid police procedural utilizing current events as a effective plot device. It was an easy read -  one that I was happy to pick up. For me, enjoyable but not outstanding.

Blaedel has an interesting background. She founded the first publishing house dedicated to crime fiction in Denmark. She was then inspired to write her own detective novels which have landed on the Danish bestseller lists. She has been voted the most popular novelist in Denmark in 2007, 2010 and 2011. You can find Blaedel on Facebook and on Twitter.

Read an excerpt of Call Me Princess.