Aline Templeton, The Darkness and the Deep (2006)

This police procedural, set in Galloway, Scotland, is the second DI Marjory Fleming mystery.

The first aspect of this story that captured my interest was the characters:

“Dr Ashley Randall, her striking, pale blue eyes cold, looked with distaste at the fat woman wedged in the patient´s chair to the side of her desk, at her skin which was the colour and texture of oatmeal, at her sly expression and the slack, gossip´s mouth.”

This is Dr Randall´s last chance to despice one of her patients. Soon the haughty doctor and the rest of the team of the Knockhaven lifeboat are summoned on a rescue mission, never to return.

Marjory Fleming has to contend with the outrage of the local community when they realize someone has wrecked their lifeboat on purpose and killed the crew. The motive could be drug-related, or it could be jealousy or revenge. Furthermore, the very human detective inspector must cope with the mutual aversion of Tam MacNee, her best officer, and DC Jonathan Kingsley, the newcomer from England. Besides, her daughter Cat has just switched from the stage of pink bedrooms to tarblack teenage rebellion.

I liked the plot, I loved the remote setting, and the characters made me feel anger, anxiety, pity, sadness, sympathy… you name it. In other words, I was in another world until I had turned the final page.

I bought the book myself, and I need more of this!