First Line: The dreary haar hung around the harbour limits meaning anything beyond the small lighthouse was abandoned to the grey blanket.
Twenty years ago, Detective Inspector Seoras Macleod left the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland due to the tragic death of his wife. Since then, he's made a name for himself as a strong religious conservative who doesn't think women have a place on the police force--but his views are tolerated because he's very good at his job.
A young woman's death on the Isle of Lewis sees Macleod returning home to find her killer, and he's partnered with free-spirited Detective Sergeant Hope McGrath.
Solving this crime means Macleod must face everything he turned his back on all those years ago.
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To be honest, I almost stopped reading this book. The main character's religious conservatism had me grinding my teeth and muttering to myself as I read. The two things that made me keep turning the pages were its location (outside of Arizona, the highlands and islands of Scotland are my favorite place in the world) and the fact that I really did want to find out who killed Sara, a young woman who led a very interesting life.
Fortunately for me, the longer Macleod worked with the comely McGrath, the more his religion took a backseat to his lustful thoughts and glances. I didn't really like this development either, but I considered it an improvement over his religious pronouncements.
For me, the story was a strong one. Finding Sara's killer really kept my interest throughout the book. Although not quite as atmospheric as I'd hoped, the setting on the Outer Hebrides was good as well. As far as I'm concerned, the weakness in Water's Edge is in the characters. Once Macleod's lusty thoughts came down off a rolling boil, I did get used to him and was able to see how his mind worked as he worked the case; however, when I learned exactly how his wife committed suicide, yet another red flag went up. As for McGrath, she was a rather standard up-and-coming female police officer.
I enjoyed the mystery in Water's Edge, but with my penchant for strong, vivid characterization, I don't think this is a series that I will continue with. A shame really, since the author chose a setting I find very difficult to resist.
Water's Edge by G.R. Jordan
eISBN: 9781912153480
Carpetless Publishing © 2019
eBook, 218 pages
Police Procedural, #1 Highlands and Islands Detective mystery
Rating: C+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
