An unusual thriller, this novel takes place in an imaginary Edinburgh where a volcanic island, the Inch, has materialised in the sea off the coast. Surtsey, our narrator, gets involved in a series of deaths, some of which are murders. The story is well-told and is quite gripping. Characters are well-developed and interesting as well as being diverse. If the reader is sensitive to stories involving alcohol, drugs, sex etc .., then this is not for you. The book is not long at 215 pages and it makes for a worthwhile holiday read if nothing else. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In an Edinburgh, slightly different to the one we know today, a volcano sits in the Firth of Forth and earth tremors are a part of daily life. Volcanologist, Surtsey, named after an Icelandic volcanic island, is among the team of scientists who study and make regular trips out to The Inch. It’s a place of escape and comfort for her, but a horrifying discovery turns her world completely upside down. And so begins a fantastic tale of dark obsession. At just over 200 pages this was a quick read for me, it’s also completely and utterly gripping so I didn’t want to put it down and managed to read it in pretty much one sitting. The opening pages set up the story as one that will leave you feeling as unsteady as a city sitting on a faultline! We are thrown head first into the drama and Doug Johnstone keeps you enthralled right until the earth shattering conclusion. Whilst I didn’t particularly like Surtsey, I felt she was a victim of her own making. I still felt an enormous amount of sympathy for her at times. There is an emotional sub-plot to the book with her mother, it’s touching and adds a lot of heart to the overall story. Lots of twists are thrown our way and I must admit that I did guess most of them. However, despite that and despite not overly liking our main character, I did still enjoy the book. This is an intense, clever and beautifully written crime thriller. Some of the lines are like poetry which added to my enjoyment. I loved the almost dystopian setting, it gave a very thought-provoking, intriguing element to the book. I will be interested to see what Doug Johnstone gives us next.

I thought this book started off really well and it drew me in but in my opinion it plateaued and lost some of its suspense and interest. I knew that 'Inch' was a work of fiction but thought that the story surrounding it was a bit far fetched which spoiled it for me. This was not a bad book but it did not hold my attention and I thought the ending was quite disappointing. Not for me.