crime-fiction, criminal-acts, international-crime-and-mystery, law-enforcement, Scotland, abduction, procedural, detective, escaped-prisoner, family, friction, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, office-politics, small-town, suspense, thriller, threats***** It starts with the abduction of the wives of two corrections officers followed by those same officers transporting a prisoner to a family funeral during which said prisoner escapes. Turn the page and a jewelry store employee who had been the very one to ID said prisoner after a robbery at the store is found dead at her home. And a large amount of money is found in the compost. In an area near the dead woman's home there have been thefts of very expensive farm equipment and that wants solving as well. Then DI Clare Mackay is told that she will be working under a different DCI for this operation, and he turns out to be a closed mouthed, secretive sort who has his own agenda. AND THEN comes an enormous plot twist! This blessed book kept my nose to the page far into the night! I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Canelo via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is the 6th instalment in Marion Todd's Detective Inspector Clare Mackay series, set in St Andrews, Scotland. It's a Saturday night and Alan Carter and Gavin, both prison officers, along with their wives, Kim and Debbie, are having a takeaway. DI Clare Mackay is at her cottage home with DCI Alastair Gibson and their English bull terrier, Benjy. When police receive reports of a missing prison van and Paul Devine, a jewellery robber prisoner, as well as two guards, Clare is put in charge. Once again, I was completely and thoroughly hooked by this compelling story right from the start. I think Old Bones Lie would be fine as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first ones in the series as you'd be missing out if you didn't! I fell right into this well-crafted and absorbing tale and I felt as though I was shadowing Clare as she worked with a new team member, DS Max Evans, chasing her leads and following her instincts. Marion Todd's writing style continues to be impressive and noteworthy. Clare is a more than competent DI who normally strives to look after her team and cares about getting justice. This is a Scottish crime series that I have found highly appealing and engaging, and I look forward to reading the next instalment. I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Canelo via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

“DI Clare Mackay is about to face a test of her loyalty…” They say that diamonds are a girls best friend, Has the temptation for jewels and perhaps enough riches to start a new life tempted two prison officers to do the unthinkable, or are they and their wives victims in a much bigger plot? Just when I couldn’t love this series anymore, along comes another belter of a read! Old Bones Lie is the perfect example of what I love in a police procedural and showcases Todd’s amazing talent as an author. This is one gripping and addictive read that kicks off the action right from the outset. Completely hooked and glued to the pages, I was taken down a twisty path and had a great time alongside DI Clare Mackay trying to solve the crime that keeps you on your toes until its thrilling conclusion.

This is #6 in the DI Clare Mackay series, but can easily be read as a standalone. I’ve read the previous five books and really enjoyed them so was looking forward to the next instalment. It didn’t disappoint and I was gripped right the way through. Two prison officers are taking a convicted robber to his uncle’s funeral but during the return journey, all three of them – and the van – go missing. It seems that both of the prison officers’ wives are missing as well. Have the prison officers gone rogue, or have they been forced into this? DI Clare Mackay’s sergeant, Chris, can’t work with the team on this because one of the prison officers is his cousin, and a DCI is drafted in to head up the search, so Clare is a bit out of sorts. Then a body is discovered… If the author is reading this – I hope there’s going to be a book 7! Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for this review copy, and also apologies for it taking about a year to reach my hands and be read. But the good news is I LOVED IT! This is I think about book 6 in a series - I will most certainly be looking into the backlist, however, it read brilliantly as a standalone read. I would most definitely like to recommend this book on to all crime thriller fans. Loved the pace, tension, plotting and characters.