The author sent me a copy of this book (mobi format) in exchange for an honest review (member of Rosie’s Book Review Team).
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Plot
(by Amazon)
Shona Bally is a Civilian Investigator for the Glasgow police.
Inspector Tom Quiss has made a necessary move from serious crime.
But when two bodies are discovered, they are pulled into a sparky and unique partnership.
Is it a suicide? Can it be that simple?
A new Glasgow detective, with a twist.
A murder/mystery thriller.
Contains some swearing.
Genre: Mystery
Teaser
8.51 am.
Shona watches the man shuffle into the lonely room in the police headquarters. His eyes are on the floor. She watches Inspector Tom Quiss make his way to the large desk at the front. She sees him for the first time in this new job. He walks as though his shoes are tied together with rubber bands. He walks as if his shoes are made from lead.
He wears a dark blue, slightly faded jacket, no tie, and black trousers. He teeters on the cusp of casual and unkempt. Her eyebrows arch in disbelief. She had not been expecting much, but, still, she is disappointed.
My Opinion
The book introduces you to Inspector Tom Quiss, 52 years old, obsessed with bowling, who is forced to return to the murder team. Additionally he leads a newly founded civilian support group, consisting of Shona Bally and Elspeth Brown. This team is also drawn into the murder investigation. These very different characters are cleverly elaborated, and very believable due to their flaws and actions. It is easy to relate. It is more than a simple Scottish mystery; it is a story of coping with personal needs and conflicting points of view, cooperating, and solving a series of strange crimes. I will not tell you more about the story than shown in the Amazon plot description. This would spoil the fun of reading this book yourself.
With A Different Place to Die, RR Gall has created an intriguing mystery. A Different Place to Die is an entertaining, gripping, and not too fast read – I would love to read more about this team. I was drawn into the story right away. I felt quite close to the protagonists and everything that happened. All characters were believable with all their virtues and flaws. A Different Place to Die is a great story not only for Scottish mystery lovers; it consists great twists – making your inner sleuth rethink.
This is a book to read again.
About the author
Writer of The Dumfries Detective Trilogy, The Wrath Inside, and Another Place To Die.
Connect with the Author:
Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂
My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about A Different Place to Die? Or – if you did not yet read A Different Place to Die – are you now interested in reading it yourself?
My question for you cinephiles:
If A Different Place to Die was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?
I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂
My train of thoughts on... 
A great review Karen, I like the idea that the characters in the team are varied and therefore the need for co-operation, all too often in crime fiction one person lays down their viewpoints and everyone else falls in line. I’m intrigued by this 🙂
Thank you very much, Cleo. Among all the great mysteries out there, we often ‘meet’ teams. Either everything is hunkydory – or issues are neglected. In this case, the issues within the team are important without drowning the case. This is memorable. 🙂
There’s something about Scottish murder mysteries that make them popular reads, well done for another great review.
Thank you very much, Rosie. This is a very enjoyable read, especially with these believable characters. I hope that the team will be featured again by RR Gall.
I adore Scottish Mystery…. will have to add this to my list. When I was there for a visit I found that the people, the area, the towns and countryside, all made me want to stay forever!
Good to know, Leiah. I’ll keep my eyes open for further Scottish mysteries. Western Europe has a certain magnetism, indeed. And they also know how to write great stories.
Absolutely! A cab driver actually took me out into the country, and we picked up big chunks of fleece that the sheep had scraped off on fences! How cool is that? It was a lot of fun.