Bad Blood by Aline Templeton

 

 

First Line: She sometimes felt as if her writhing thoughts were a nest of snakes inside her head. From time to time one would raise its ugly head and hiss and spit venom.

 

All Marnie Bruce wants is answers. This young woman has hyperthymesia-- she can remember everything she has ever seen-- and she is completely frustrated that she can't remember a night twenty years ago when she woke up in an isolated cottage with a head injury and a mother who simply vanished into thin air. 

 

Now she has returned to the small town of Galloway in southwestern Scotland demanding an answer to one simple question: What happened to her mother? But Marnie's return sets off a firestorm and looks to tear open painful wounds for many of the locals. Detective Inspector Marjory "Big Marge" Fleming and her team will have to work hard to find the answers Marnie demands before total chaos ensues.

 

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Aline Templeton's DI Marjory Fleming series is one that I've been slowly (almost glacially) savoring since I picked up the first book, Cold in the Earth. Since there's only one more book after Bad Blood, who knows when I'll make myself finish the time I've spent with Big Marge Fleming?

If you're a reader who likes reading mystery series that have strong ensemble casts, you need to make the acquaintance of DI Fleming and her team. Not only do readers become a part of the lives of her fellow police officers, but they also feel a part of Marge's own family. Her husband is a farmer whose livelihood suffered during the outbreak of mad cow disease, but he's rock solid and a salt-of-the-earth type of man who's always supported his wife in her career choice, no matter how often it keeps her away from home. Her son, Cam, wants everyone to get along which can't be said for her very contentious and headstrong daughter. 

Into this already strong mix of characters is added Marnie Bruce, a young woman with whom I totally sympathized. She's tired of being fobbed off by everyone who should care about her mother's disappearance (but doesn't). She's reached the end of her tether and demands answers. DI Fleming wants to help because she was a rookie at the time of the woman's disappearance and feels a sense of responsibility. Watching her learn how to glean clues from Marnie's hyperthymesia is a lesson in patience and determination.

What elevates Marnie's character is her reaction to how all hell breaks loose in that small Scottish town simply because she wants closure. She is one of the best, most nuanced, and memorable characters I've read about in a long time. 

Yes, indeed, if you like compelling mysteries with a strong sense of place and a great cast of characters, you need to pick up Aline Templeton's DI Marjory Fleming mysteries. I highly recommend them. (Yes, it is best if you start at the beginning.)

Bad Blood by Aline Templeton

eISBN: 9780749014025

Allison & Busby Ltd © 2013

eBook, 414 pages

Police Procedural, #8 DI Marjory Fleming mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.