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audlacroix's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! I have read this book 5 times now and each time I love it more. The plot is so intricate en well written out. I guessed who the killer was at like the last 100 pages, but I didn’t expect it. Everything is so well thought out in this book!
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
4.0
Witness The Dead is the fourth book in the DS Rachel Narey and Tony Winter crime series. It reads well as a stand alone so no need to worry if you haven't had the pleasure of reading the previous books first.
I really enjoyed the story line in this book. Flicking between past and present with murders that are seemingly linked. We also have the evil Atto who seriously makes a chilling killer.
Danny Neilson was a character that I really enjoyed in the story. Never having forgotten about the series of murders and wanting to do the best for the victims families, he does everything in his power to resolve it all. I loved that he is now a taxi driver, ensuring that people, especially the more vulnerable on a night out, get home safely. He also has some personal issues going on of which I was interested in finding out more.
This is certainly a story with an outcome I didn't expect. The author takes his readers on a dark and gritty journey without letting on where he is taking us, making it a thrilling and surprising read.
Witness The Dead will have you hooked from the off. It is dark and twisted with a gritty edge to it. Another edge of your seat read in this thrilling Scottish crime series. If you haven't read in the series yet, then I highly recommend them.
I really enjoyed the story line in this book. Flicking between past and present with murders that are seemingly linked. We also have the evil Atto who seriously makes a chilling killer.
Danny Neilson was a character that I really enjoyed in the story. Never having forgotten about the series of murders and wanting to do the best for the victims families, he does everything in his power to resolve it all. I loved that he is now a taxi driver, ensuring that people, especially the more vulnerable on a night out, get home safely. He also has some personal issues going on of which I was interested in finding out more.
This is certainly a story with an outcome I didn't expect. The author takes his readers on a dark and gritty journey without letting on where he is taking us, making it a thrilling and surprising read.
Witness The Dead will have you hooked from the off. It is dark and twisted with a gritty edge to it. Another edge of your seat read in this thrilling Scottish crime series. If you haven't read in the series yet, then I highly recommend them.
raven88's review
5.0
As I said in my review for the last book Cold Grave, Craig Robertson is a brilliant author recommend both as a bookseller and a reader, perfectly capturing the unique nature of Glasgow in both location and character, as well as proving himself the equal of Rankin and MacBride in the realm of Scottish crime fiction. Despite my huge praise for the last one, I think he has outdone himself here, as once again he shifts the focus of his characterisation using the ruse of a dual timeline (venturing further back than the previous book) and with a nice little nod to the intellectual interplay of another extremely famous crime read. Quid pro quo Mr Robertson.
Witness The Dead is the third of Robertson’s series featuring Tony Winter, a scene of crime photographer who possesses a unique eye, and at times a slightly disturbing type of empathy with the victims that he photographs, but unlike Snapshot, the first, and its follow up Cold Grave, this book not only includes the usual characters, but puts into sharp focus Tony’s uncle Danny Neilson, a former policeman, and a case that has always haunted him personally. As Robertson skilfully integrates the rich detail of the 1970′s crimes and subsequent investigation, Winter and his police cohorts, find themselves at the centre of a series of murders that bear a striking resemblance to the Red Silk Murders. I really enjoyed Robertson’s careful and well-realised depiction of 70′s Glasgow, capturing the atmosphere and period detail perfectly, and Danny Neilson’s closeness to the original investigation is central to the emotional punch of these scenes in particular, as he becomes completely consumed by the case.
Likewise, the contemporary investigation, not only gives Robertson his usual latitude with his always entertaining and slightly troubled band of regular characters, but also leads the reader to an interesting mental tussle between Tony, Danny and the intriguing but evil Archibald Atto, the man convicted of the Red Silk Murders. The interplay between Winter and Atto is wonderfully disturbing, as both men recognise in each other, the seed of certain behaviours that each exhibit and deal with in contrasting ways- but how different are they really? As the pressure builds to track the modern day killer, Winter and the police team, although infused with the normal gallows humour that Robertson so wickedly carries off, find the body count growing in direct correlation to the original Red Silk case, leading to a tense and gripping investigation that keeps the reader thoroughly hooked throughout. With the undercurrent of tension between Winter and DS Rachel Narey with the ending of their formerly top secret romance, the tension between Narey and a new doppy DC who infuriates the hell out of her, and the normal blustering of her boss DI Addison being forced into a joint investigation with the equally blustering DCI Kelbie and the antipathy between them, Robertson has produced not only a cracking police procedural packed full of murder, but a brilliantly realised study of the professional and personal relationships of those who seek justice for the victims, whilst trying to keep a grip on their own sanity. A great read.
Witness The Dead is the third of Robertson’s series featuring Tony Winter, a scene of crime photographer who possesses a unique eye, and at times a slightly disturbing type of empathy with the victims that he photographs, but unlike Snapshot, the first, and its follow up Cold Grave, this book not only includes the usual characters, but puts into sharp focus Tony’s uncle Danny Neilson, a former policeman, and a case that has always haunted him personally. As Robertson skilfully integrates the rich detail of the 1970′s crimes and subsequent investigation, Winter and his police cohorts, find themselves at the centre of a series of murders that bear a striking resemblance to the Red Silk Murders. I really enjoyed Robertson’s careful and well-realised depiction of 70′s Glasgow, capturing the atmosphere and period detail perfectly, and Danny Neilson’s closeness to the original investigation is central to the emotional punch of these scenes in particular, as he becomes completely consumed by the case.
Likewise, the contemporary investigation, not only gives Robertson his usual latitude with his always entertaining and slightly troubled band of regular characters, but also leads the reader to an interesting mental tussle between Tony, Danny and the intriguing but evil Archibald Atto, the man convicted of the Red Silk Murders. The interplay between Winter and Atto is wonderfully disturbing, as both men recognise in each other, the seed of certain behaviours that each exhibit and deal with in contrasting ways- but how different are they really? As the pressure builds to track the modern day killer, Winter and the police team, although infused with the normal gallows humour that Robertson so wickedly carries off, find the body count growing in direct correlation to the original Red Silk case, leading to a tense and gripping investigation that keeps the reader thoroughly hooked throughout. With the undercurrent of tension between Winter and DS Rachel Narey with the ending of their formerly top secret romance, the tension between Narey and a new doppy DC who infuriates the hell out of her, and the normal blustering of her boss DI Addison being forced into a joint investigation with the equally blustering DCI Kelbie and the antipathy between them, Robertson has produced not only a cracking police procedural packed full of murder, but a brilliantly realised study of the professional and personal relationships of those who seek justice for the victims, whilst trying to keep a grip on their own sanity. A great read.
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