Denzil Merick was born 28 November in Glasgow Scotland. So he knows of the location of where he speaks. He also served as a police officer with Strathclyde Police.
Strathclyde Police had the largest numbers of staff and served the largest population and the second largest area of the eight former Scottish police forces, after the Northern Constabulary.
Merick wrote his first book. In the book our main character, D. Far away from urban resources, he finds himself a stranger in a close-knit community. The head of the local police, who now must become subservient to Daley, immediately becomes an obstacle to the investigation.
Oh my, not police corruption? Overall the book is a competent read and a window into another region of the world that the reader may not be acquainted with, and seems like the type of series that the BBC will spawn off as a television show some day. I enjoyed the book more than 3 stars would normally indicate. Inspector Jim Daley is a very relatable character and a good, solid copper. He is sent from Glasgow to the small town of Kinloch to lead the investigation into the murder of a young woman found washed up on a beach.
His philandering wife ends up crashing the party and complicates life for the hapless Inspector. This is not a fast-paced thriller, it is more character driven, and the characters are certainly a motely bunch. The plot was fairly predictable as was the ending. It was still, somehow, a rather satisfying read and, being the first of a series, I expect some refinement to develop in the later books.
I am certainly planning to continue with this series. This is the first in a series of books featuring D. I Jim Daley. Daley and his team, including Detective Sergeant Brian Scott, are called in to help with the case and discover a seemingly placid and close knit community, but one which has an undercurrent of hidden problems — from family secrets to drugs. Although this is, obviously, a mystery; much of the storyline stems from the characters and setting of the novel.
Daley himself has a troubled marriage and, having previously caught his wife in an act of infidelity, now wavers between obsessive love and jealousy. The small community of Kinloch is filled with interesting characters and the local police also add colour; especially the aggressive, bullying Inspector MacLeod and the young Detective Constable, Archie Fraser. I found this an interesting start to this series and look forward to reading further books featuring Jim Daley. Rachel Hall. Indeed, this first novel is largely vibrant, with some great tongue in cheek humour and is centred around a rather macabre and ever expanding investigation.
Combining a compelling and brutal crime with characters who feel like everyday folk rather than the usual dysfunctional detectives that litter crime fiction means Whisky from Small Glasses feels blissfully down to earth. The fictional village of Kinloch is located in the back end of beyond, one hundred and fifty miles from Glasgow and has recently been subsumed under the umbrella authority of Strathclyde Police.
Before I realised it I was half-way through the novel and wrapped up in both the marital woes of DCI Jim Daley and realising that there was something distinctly rotten below the surface of the remote and close-knit community of Kinloch. Protagonist, DCI Jim Daley, is an amiable lead character to follow, with a quick wit, an ever expanding waistline and monumental marriage concerns with unfaithful and highly flirtatious wife, Liz.
His partnership with number two, DS Brian Scott, is a genuine friendship and the easy rapport between the pair is a pleasure to sit back and watch unfold. Indeed the repartee between the team and their shared view of life in the village as they oversee yet another farcical occurrence is rather amusing.
The investigation of the initial murder is followed in no short order by the discovery of two other brutally despatched victims with wider links to prostitution and an international drug-trafficking ring. However it is a disappointment to see the investigation into the murders turn into a rather tedious drug stake out, that is more or less an irrelevance to the initial murder. For me, it felt like the later investigation was an afterthought, tacked onto the gruesome murders in order to pad the novel out.
Frustratingly, after starting with a bang, the novel tails off enormously and ends with something of a whimper and whilst I found the beginning great fun, a drawn out and convoluted denouement was a disappointment. The downward descent into the close was also noticeable in the narrative which seems to lose much of its punchy and engaging wit.
In short, Whisky for Small Glasses left a pretty middling impression and whilst I liked the characters, a tired plot and laboured finish made this a disappointment after such early promise.
Although the dialogue is written in broad Scottish dialect and may be a little awkward for those readers alien to the United Kingdom, I found this easily decipherable after reading just a few pages. I will certainly be continuing the journey with DCI Jim Daley but will look for an overall improvement in the next novel. It is great to discover a new police series set in a fresh and enjoyable location.
For Kinloch, fictional place , look up Kintyre and you'll have a perfect understanding of where this crime thriller is set. The sense of place is beautifully captured in the writing of Meyrick. From the characters he draws and the authentic language he gives to them. A little challenging at first and distracting but having made it to the end of the book I feel it is much the better for this original dialect.
A love the idea of a closed knit community that seems to know everyone's business but where the darkest secrets are hidden. Newly promoted to a DCI Daley struggles with the complexity of the case as he finds corruption and betrayal close to hand. A murder investigation seems to be escalating out of control after a further killing that appears to be drug related.
Daley's shortcomings seem to be his unfaithful wife and quick temper and this case doesn't help either as he is forced to work long into the night. More Scandi Noir than city based detective fiction, drawing on the landscape, weather and hostile environment. Crime is crime though, and Daley has seen alot of violent death. Have a card? Add it now to start borrowing from the collection. The library card you previously added can't be used to complete this action.
Please add your card again, or add a different card. If you receive an error message, please contact your library for help. Error loading page. Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading. Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help. Moreton Bay Libraries.
Search Search Search Browse menu. Sign in. Feedback Help. Whisky from Small Glasses. Description Details DCI Jim Daley is sent from the city to investigate a murder after the body of a woman is washed up on an idyllic beach on the West Coast of Scotland.
Languages English. Denzil Meyrick - Author. Why is availability limited?
0コメント