The Edge by Jim McGhee
DI Barney Mains blames himself for the grotesque murder of a top banker in France.
He's obsessed with the belief that he allowed a near-mythical assassin to escape certain death to kill again.
And when a duplicate murder is reported 1000 miles away in Barney's home town in Scotland, the guilt drives him ever closer to the edge.
How many more must pay the ultimate price for his failure?
But then death comes closer to home. He is left with no choice but to face his demons, before a shocking confrontation which will change everything...
About the author
Jim McGhee is a former award-winning environmental journalist.
Formerly based in East Lothian, near Edinburgh, Scotland, he now resides in the South of France, the main setting for his DI Barney Mains series.
After a full-on career as a campaigning newspaper reporter, he and wife Jean launched their own recruitment company in central Edinburgh and for twelve fun-packed years worked closely together alongside their brilliant team - without spilling a single drop of blood.
The Alpes-Maritimes and Var departments, on the other hand, have provided a host of dramatic locations just perfect as inspiration for the odd spot of fictional gore.
Locals, blessed with scenery ranging from unspoilt mountain villages to the classic palms-and-marinas coast, claim that they can be swimming one moment and ski-ing a little over an hour later. It's a claim not yet put to the test!
Besides, when not writing or travelling, Jim's more likely to be off on a hike in the hills with his ever-ready buddy, Jack the Irish Terrier.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigbarneymains
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigbarneymains
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmcghee7
Review
Barney Mains is back with a bang in ‘The Edge’ and it will keep you on the edge of your seat! This is the fifth book in the series and it was a welcome return to this world. Somehow, I managed to miss reading the fourth book but it was easy enough to pick up the story and it certainly could be read as a standalone story. I will be going back to read the fourth book as it was here that the story for ‘The Edge’ really began.
Barney is a bit out of sorts at the start of the book as he is stressing that his nemesis ‘The Ghost’ has survived the events from the previous book and is obsessing about this to the detriment of his career and personal life. This aspect made me think of the nickname for ‘The Ghost’ as ‘Barney’s Moriarty’ as it reminded me of Sherlock and Moriarty!
This story was a cat-and-mouse chase between Barney and ‘The Ghost’ between two countries - both the south of France and Edinburgh! Barney’s niece Abbey was also involved in her role as a journalist as she was trying to find out more about the murder in Edinburgh and it made for a nice break in the narrative to see it from her side as well as Barney’s.
This was another enjoyable instalment in this entertaining series. Full of twists and turns, misdirections and danger for Barney! I can't wait for the next one.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
