The Innocent and the Dead

Robert McNeill

Average Rating 6/10 (1 Review)

The DI Jack Knox mysteries - Book 1

One woman found dead. Another kidnapped. Two cases. Two books. One overworked Scottish detective.

When the body of an attractive young woman is found in woodland on Edinburgh’s iconic Calton Hill, DI Jack Knox quickly establishes that she had worked as a prostitute. For this reason, getting people who knew her to come forward will prove difficult. Knox will have to cut through their lies, establish a motive and collar the killer. This is the detective’s dilemma in Labyrinth, the included prequel to this new series of mysteries set in Scotland’s capital.

In The Innocent and the Dead, the second book in the series, DI Jack Knox is called in to investigate a high-profile case. A local distiller’s daughter has gone missing, and when he receives a ransom note, his fears that it is a kidnapping are confirmed. Knox decides to take a serious risk to capture the abductors, but the stakes could not be higher. The father is wealthy and well-connected. If Knox’s gamble goes wrong, he’ll have hell to pay.

DI Jack Knox is a likeable detective. He likes the odd dram, hankers after his family who are based in Australia, and has a relationship with a colleague he tries to keep under wraps.

Review by Ben Macnair (181026) Rating (6/10)

Review by Ben Macnair
Book Source: Not Known
Rating 6/10
The Innocent and the Dead by Robert McNeill is an enjoyable Scottish police procedural that combines a kidnapping, a murder investigation and the atmospheric backdrop of Edinburgh. It introduces DI Jack Knox as a detective who is experienced, pragmatic and just complicated enough to make him an appealing central character.

The story begins with the disappearance of the daughter of a wealthy whisky distiller. A ransom demand follows, but when the victim’s father decides to take matters into his own hands, the police investigation becomes considerably more difficult. Matters become darker when a young woman is discovered murdered, raising the possibility that the kidnappers have carried out their threat. McNeill handles the police investigation at a brisk pace. There is plenty of the expected detective work - following leads, questioning suspects and attempting to work out who is telling the truth - but the novel also benefits from its sense of place.

Edinburgh is more than simply a convenient location: its streets, landmarks and history give the story a distinctive Scottish character. Jack Knox is perhaps the book’s greatest strength. He is a relatively down-to-earth detective, dealing with the pressures of his job alongside the complications of his personal life. His family are living in Australia, while his relationship with a colleague adds another layer to his character. He is not presented as an infallible super-detective; instead, he feels like somebody trying to make the best decisions he can in difficult circumstances.

The book is also interesting because the edition commonly sold as The Innocent and the Dead includes Labyrinth, an earlier Jack Knox story. That means readers effectively get two cases, rather than one conventional novel. Labyrinth concerns the murder of a young woman whose background makes the investigation particularly difficult, while The Innocent and the Dead concentrates on the kidnapping and its increasingly dangerous consequences.

There are occasions when the plotting feels a little more functional than profound, and the characters could arguably have been developed further. There is also too much emphasis on times about the history of Edinburgh, or minor plot points about something happening a hundred years ago in the streets of Edinburgh that spoil the running of the story.

McNeill’s straightforward approach works well for this kind of crime fiction. The emphasis is on the investigation, the clues and the next development rather than elaborate literary flourishes. Overall, The Innocent and the Dead is a solid and entertaining introduction to DI Jack Knox. It has murder, kidnapping, secrets, police work and plenty of Edinburgh atmosphere, while Knox himself provides a strong reason to continue with the series. A good choice for readers who enjoy accessible, fast-moving Scottish crime fiction and police procedurals with a strong sense of place.
Ben Macnair (18th October 2026)