In Dark Water by Lynne McEwan is set in the Solway Firth just over the Scottish border with England. It’s a police procedural featuring Detective Inspector Shona Oliver who is Scottish but has recently moved back to the country following her early career in London. In addition to her police role Shona also volunteers with the RNLI and it is when she is out with the lifeboat crew that they find a body in the water which she, in her official capacity, investigates as a case of murder. The investigation will involve both the local police and those across the border in Cumbria and the lifeboat will also play a part in its resolution..
This is a pretty straightforward crime novel. The author does include aspects of thefts from shops and people trafficking as well as the murder and deftly weaves the different strands together. The ending is satisfactory but I did see it coming – as I read a lot of crime fiction this isn’t unusual. Shona is an engaging heroine, tough and no nonsense, but she is also a wife and a mother and her different roles don’t always align well causing tension within her family. It also seems that this investigation will come closer to home than she would like and risks ending her career. The descriptions of the glorious scenery in this part of the world are well done and enhance the story.
Although I enjoyed this book it didn’t stand out for me among a raft of similar stories with feisty women detectives with difficult home lives. It’s the start of a series and I might well pick up others if I saw them but I wouldn’t feel compelled to read more or to seek them out particularly.
Anne Is Reading 