Who’d have thought a back alley in the most cutthroat part of damp, dank Glasgow would be a far safer vacation spot than a sun-soaked vista of nature’s greatest wonders? Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Who’d have thought a back alley in the most cutthroat part of damp, dank Glasgow would be a far safer vacation spot than a sun-soaked vista of nature’s greatest wonders? Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Who’d have thought a back alley in the most cutthroat part of damp, dank Glasgow would be a far safer vacation spot than a sun-soaked vista of nature’s greatest wonders? Detective Superintendent Bill Lorimer and his wife Maggie sure know how to pick ‘em. For which we can all be grateful for , 21st in the outstanding series of Alex Gray murder mysteries which remain outrageously under-renowned. Out of Darkness As fans will recall, it’s been several books now since Zimbabwean refugee Daniel Kohi landed in Glasgow, fortuitously met Lorimer in mutual crime-fighting and joined the polis as a rookie constable.
Except, of course, Kohi is nothing of the rookie sort, having been an inspector and a clean cop when the corrupt regime in Harare thought it had killed Kohi along with his wife and child in a house fire. As we pick up our tale, Kohi is sharing a home with Netta, the elderly Scottish widow who befriended him as a refugee. Kindly Netta, she of the magical scones, who keeps in coded touch with Daniel’s elderly mother in Zimbabwe, Netta who hasn’t yet shared much about her late husband.
Hmm. Why would the ubiquitous local villains, vile for sure but not exactly geniuses, be showing such an interest in Netta? What could be hidden in the past of such a genteel soul that links her to such a pack of loathsome scoundrels? As though you’re going to find out here. But.
.. could they be connected in any way to the Zimbabwean ne’er-do-well sitting in a Scottish prison who can’t fathom why bribes have not been offered and accepted so he be put on a plane home? He’s a thug whose father back in Harare is — well, that you’ll need to read for yourself.
Lorimer is a brilliant detective, and one of the most decent cops in crime fiction, treating his officers and witnesses and even suspects with compassion and civility. It would seem he’s been 48 for about the last 20 years, but it turns out he’s just about to turn 50 and Maggie thinks he needs a real vacation — one with sunshine and the exotic birds and other wildlife that have been on his bucket list. Gosh, you know, Bill, Daniel has always talked about how beautiful Zimbabwe is, and foreigners on tour with a major company for sure won’t be in any danger, and we could contact Daniel’s mother, the police won’t be watching her.
.. Yes, we know what you’re thinking — what could possibly go wrong? Let’s just say that the Zimbabwe tourism board may be among the few who aren’t fans of .
Corrupt cops backed by a corrupt government. If they’re not beating up innocent people, they’re taking bribes, they’re robbing tourist buses, they’re possibly murdering people, even foreign visitors. Or maybe one could get torn to pieces by a pack of baboons or trampled to death by a herd of water buffalo.
Not to mention deadly spiders. Idyllically glorious wilderness. Is it an accurate depiction of Zimbabwe? Even if cruel dictator Robert Mugabe is finally dead? Gray emphasizes throughout that the corruption is at the top — there are good people galore, from Daniel Kohi, to a gallant park ranger, to a blind woman thwarting the forces of evil, to a priest risking all.
Just ordinary folk, treating each other as they’d be treated. Much the same as the vast majority of Glaswegians, albeit with better weather. is a superb murder mystery with characters about whom readers will care.
How Alex Gray is not far better known is worthy of investigation by sleuths of the calibre of Bill Lorimer. Retired Free Press reporter Nick Martin has no doubt that Netta and all the people of Glasgow know that scone rhymes with John, and not with Joan. Harrumph, says he.
By Alex Gray Sphere, 432 pages, $35 Advertisement Advertisement.
