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Title/Author

Dark Suits and Sad Songs

Denzil Meyrick

Average Review Rating Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Polygon

Published : 2015

Copyright : Denzil Meyrick 2015

ISBN-10 : PB 1-84697-315-5
ISBN-13 : PB 978-1-84697-315-4

Publisher's Write-Up

The third instalment in the bestselling DCI Daley series, packed with accurate police procedure and gritty, dark humour. The best of Scottish crime.

When a senior Edinburgh civil servant spectacularly takes his own life in Kinloch harbour, DCI Jim Daley comes face to face with the murky world of politics. To add to his woes, two local drug dealers lie dead, ritually assassinated. It's clear that dark forces are at work in the town. With his boss under investigation, his marriage hanging on by a thread, and his sidekick DS Scott wrestling with his own demons, Daley's world is in meltdown. When strange lights appear in the sky over Kinloch, it becomes clear that the townsfolk are not the only people at risk. The fate of nations is at stake. Jim Daley must face his worst fears as tragedy strikes. This is not just about a successful investigation, it's about survival.

About the Author:
Denzil Meyrick was educated in Argyll, then after studying politics, joined Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow. After being injured and developing back problems, he entered the business world, and has operated in many diverse roles, including director of a large engineering company and distillery manager, as well as owning a number of his own companies, such as a public bar and sales and marketing company. Denzil has also worked as a freelance journalist in both print and on radio.

'Touches of dark humour, multi-layered and compelling.'

Daily Record

'Has the ability to give even the least important person in the plot character and the skill to tell a good tale.'

Scots Magazine

'The right amount of authenticity ... gritty writing ... most memorable.'

Herald
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Reader Reviews

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Review by Ben Macnair (310815) Rating (7/10)

Review by Ben Macnair
Rating 7/10
Dark Suits and Sad Songs is the third in Denzil Meyrick’s DCI Daley series, and it is a gritty look at crime. To say that DCI Daley is troubled would be to put it very mildly. A senior Edinburgh civil servant has seemingly taken his own life in Kinloch Harbour, whilst to add to Daley’s woes, two low level drug dealers are also dead. It is up to Daley to solve the crime, but his marriage and young child leave him pre-occupied, and his assistant DC Scott is less than his usual helpful self.

Meyrick’s writing style is gritty, but he writes in the vernacular of Scotland, with the language used being as tough and uncompromising as the criminals that Daley hunts down. The novel rockets along at a fair pace, with the 378 pages of the story being devoted to stylistically excellent writing, with forensic research that is both to the point, but also helps to add an extra punch to the narrative. The dialogue is also rich in description, but it may put of some readers who are not used to Scottish language used in this fashion.

I would say that the bad guys are caught, and there is full resolution. Of course, there isn’t. A glib ending would spoil the pacing and the realism of a book of this nature, but after the last page, we leave Daley in a better place than the one we found him in, although only the author will know how long that will last for.
Ben Macnair (31st August 2015)

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