The Detective Wakes by Jim McGhee
Detective Inspector Barney Mains knows he's only in the South of France to fly the flag.
That he should leave it to French officers to find the missing British celebrity.
But after years behind a desk in Edinburgh Police HQ he just can't resist the urge to investigate a real live case again. Especially when it lands him in the middle of an intriguing mystery.
Though it's one that will lead to murder and put Barney and those around him in deadly danger. Then present him with the biggest dilemma of his life.
He'll be forced to question twenty years of training and a lifetime of doing the right thing. For he must choose between justice and the law. And only one of these options comes with a very attractive bonus.
It might just keep him alive…
This is Book One of the series featuring Scots DI Barney Mains and Capitaine Jean-Luc Verten.
Look out for Book Two: The Major Minor Murders.
Author Bio
Jim McGhee is a former award-winning journalist and company director. He's based near Edinburgh, Scotland, but spends much of each year in the South of France, the main setting for his three-book series featuring Scots DI Barney Mains. When not writing, he gets taken on hikes by his Irish Terrier, Jack.
Review
’The Detective Wakes’ is the first in a series that is centred round DI Barney Mains, who is a detective whose career has stalled and is coasting by on life. When he is suddenly paired up with high flyer DC Ffiona McLuskey they are asked to look at the case of a missing Scots woman in the South of France. Shona Gladstone is a multi-millionaire tech business owner and its soon clear there are rather deep motives to why she has gone missing!
This is a book of two halves, the first being straight police procedural and the second delving into politics and more thriller suspense. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as I enjoyed both sections but to some, I know it has been off-putting. For myself it the narrative did follow through the two parts as someone that rich isn't going to have been kidnapped for a bog-standard reason! Have you seen ‘Riveria’?! Due to watching that show recently it did allow me to form distinct visual images when it came to this book though, hot sun, huge houses, artists on the promenade. I definitely can see this book working as a programme! It’s clear the author knows the south of France well, lucky him!
I really enjoyed reading this one and flew through it! It just had an air of warmth and entertainment permeating from the pages. You couldn't help but like all the characters, especially Barney and Ffiona. Barney is a humble man but says what he thinks and doesn’t really care for the chain of command! I enjoyed the progression of his real character coming out by letting himself do what he wants to in life. I think we all need to do more of that!
I can't wait for the next one to see what Barney and his chums get up to next.
