A Gripping Scottish Murder Mystery (DCI Ben Fitzpatrick Book 1)
When a software executive is found dead in a hotel room in the shadow of the Wallace Monument, DCI Ben Fitzpatrick is called in to investigate.
Ben has spent his career solving crimes the old way – instinct, experience and relentless determination. But this case is different.
As Ben and his team follow the elusive trail of the killer, they are led into the underbelly of the technology world, a place where Ben’s old-school detective skills leave him feeling remarkably out of his depth. And with the shadow of a former case and serious concerns about his health hanging over him, Ben fears this might be one case he just can’t crack, and maybe his last . . .
As tensions rise, Ben and his team must piece together a puzzle that refuses to reveal itself. Will they find the answers they’re looking for before it’s too late?
In a city steeped in history, the truth is buried deep. Are some secrets really worth killing for?
If you love devouring murder mysteries that keep you guessing until the end, this is a book for you . . .
A Gripping Scottish Murder Mystery (DCI Ben Fitzpatrick Book 1)
When a software executive is found dead in a hotel room in the shadow of the Wallace Monument, DCI Ben Fitzpatrick is called in to investigate.
Ben has spent his career solving crimes the old way – instinct, experience and relentless determination. But this case is different.
As Ben and his team follow the elusive trail of the killer, they are led into the underbelly of the technology world, a place where Ben’s old-school detective skills leave him feeling remarkably out of his depth. And with the shadow of a former case and serious concerns about his health hanging over him, Ben fears this might be one case he just can’t crack, and maybe his last . . .
As tensions rise, Ben and his team must piece together a puzzle that refuses to reveal itself. Will they find the answers they’re looking for before it’s too late?
In a city steeped in history, the truth is buried deep. Are some secrets really worth killing for?
If you love devouring murder mysteries that keep you guessing until the end, this is a book for you . . .
As Amy came out of the service lift, and made her way through the staff door leading to the guest hallway, she heard an unusual noise. It sounded like a ball being thrown against a wall. She turned left to go past the stairs, with the intention of heading along the corridor towards room 202, when—
Thud.
Amy felt herself fall backwards and saw the dinner tray she’d been carrying float weightlessly in front of her, just like in the pictures you see of astronauts in space. She had the sense she was freefalling in slow motion, even though it was happening in a fraction of a second.
Bouncing down the stairs towards the landing between the first and second floor, she caught a glimpse of a man running past her, before her head cracked violently against the floral-wallpapered stone wall and she came to an abrupt halt on the landing.
Then darkness. Silence.
The man stopped momentarily, glancing over at her motionless body.
He wondered. Is she dead?
Without checking, he turned and bounded back up the stairs.
I really enjoyed Pat McTaggart's fiction debut. The central figure of the book is DCI Ben Fitzpatrick, a middle-aged detective with years of experience. He is not your tortured Rebus (although he is Scottish): he has a stable family life and an outlook to match. He's not without his demons though, as there are always cases and the people involved in them, that come back to haunt at times, and one such case acts as a subplot in McTaggart's book.
The main investigation of the book however centres on the death of James Anderson, director of an IT company, who is found in his hotel room, seemingly having tripped and hit his head in just the right spot to permanently knock him out. Never to take things at face value, with a bit more digging, Ben discovers that there are reasons that getting Anderson out of the way might work in the favour of others, from other company directors to irritated colleagues to organised crime bosses.
But that is not the only mystery that is proposed as from the outset we are presented with a confronting scenario where a young girl is pushed down the stairs. What does this have to do with the death of James Anderson? Is it linked and why?
Ben and his team doggedly interview suspects and surmise and theorise their way through the twists and turns of an investigation with the usual pressures from above with superiors needing to get a result without blowing the budget and justice necessary for those who have lost their loved ones.
Set in the world of tech, McTaggart provides insight into the growing world of AI and how it can be used for nefarious purposes, which is timely. He also takes his narrative a different way with another challenge that Ben has to face, that of the prospect of diminishing health and the way that this could impact not only his job but his whole life.
It's well-paced with realistic dialogue between characters and the threats and action are balanced with lighter, humorous moments, grounded in everyday life.
A good debut with more to come, I hope.