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DCI Lorimer #20
Questions for a Dead Man: DSI William Lorimer, Book 20
HOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER, WHEN ALL YOU HAVE ARE QUESTIONS?
___________
When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.
Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.
Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow's criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.
___________
When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.
Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.
Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow's criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.
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Published February 23, 2023
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About the author
Alex Gray
88 books346 followersAlex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. She worked as a folk singer, a visiting officer in the DSS and an English teacher. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 9, 2025
This sublime Scottish police procedural novel is the 20th volume of the brilliant and realistic "DSI Lorimer" series.
At the beginning of the book you'll find three quotes, all very appropriate concerning this crime story.
This book has been very well researched by the author, a fact which you can take notice of within the Acknowledgements.
Storytelling is amazing, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about deception, manipulation, drug cartels and murder, while the atmosphere of Glasgow and its drugs problem and subsequent victims come very much to the forefront also.
The book starts off when a prominent MSP goes missing, a man called Robert Truesdale, also a man who wants to legalise drugs in Scotland, and if that's true when then now hide and disappear from his new home, while in the meantime an innocent hired Irish man is killed supposedly acting as Truesdale near that new home, and that Irishman's young Romanian girlfriend is found dead, overdosed and with her baby in her arms, until PC Daniel Kohi will find her and the investigations will start in earnest.
Thee actions will be the beginning for DSI Lorimer and his team at MIT to start their investigations, and with PC Kohi acting eventually undercover, and slowly but steadily, accompanied with some twists and turns, and ending with a superbly executed plot, until Lorimer and his team, with PC Kohi included, will be able to apprehend the leaders behind the drug killings as well as their henchmen, and all this is brought to us in a most realistic and remarkable fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this another tremendous addition to this fabulous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Classic Lorimer Sequel"!
At the beginning of the book you'll find three quotes, all very appropriate concerning this crime story.
This book has been very well researched by the author, a fact which you can take notice of within the Acknowledgements.
Storytelling is amazing, all characters come vividly to life in this tale about deception, manipulation, drug cartels and murder, while the atmosphere of Glasgow and its drugs problem and subsequent victims come very much to the forefront also.
The book starts off when a prominent MSP goes missing, a man called Robert Truesdale, also a man who wants to legalise drugs in Scotland, and if that's true when then now hide and disappear from his new home, while in the meantime an innocent hired Irish man is killed supposedly acting as Truesdale near that new home, and that Irishman's young Romanian girlfriend is found dead, overdosed and with her baby in her arms, until PC Daniel Kohi will find her and the investigations will start in earnest.
Thee actions will be the beginning for DSI Lorimer and his team at MIT to start their investigations, and with PC Kohi acting eventually undercover, and slowly but steadily, accompanied with some twists and turns, and ending with a superbly executed plot, until Lorimer and his team, with PC Kohi included, will be able to apprehend the leaders behind the drug killings as well as their henchmen, and all this is brought to us in a most realistic and remarkable fashion by the author.
Very much recommended, for this another tremendous addition to this fabulous series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Classic Lorimer Sequel"!
January 13, 2024
Really enjoyed it - set in Scotland, police, drama, murder, drugs and characters you really cared about - what more do you need . I enjoy a book I don't want to put down, want to know what happens but don't want it to end.
August 21, 2023
⭐️ 5 ⭐️
Questions for a Dead Man is the 20th addition to the DSI William Lorimer series — it can easily be read as a standalone, but I’d highly recommend reading a few of the others first — if you don’t want to start at the beginning, then I’d start with Before the Storm (number 18) as this is when a key character is introduced.
This is only the fourth book I’ve read in the series, but I’ve loved them all. I always get Taggart vibes from the books, and can’t believe Gray’s series has never been snapped up for TV.
Alex Gray is a fabulous storyteller — her attention to detail really allows you to visualise the characters and the setting of Glasgow. The characters are well-crafted and have great depth; I particularly love the heartwarming relationship between PC Daniel Kohi and his elderly neighbour, Netta. The dialogue and banter between the characters is always fluid, natural, and believable. Being with DSI Lorimer, his wife Maggie, Daniel, Netta and the rest of the familiar cast again was like visiting old friends.
I find that some crime thrillers/police procedurals can be over-littered with characters, but Alex Gray’s never are, the plot and the characters in this one are easy to follow without having to remember/digest too much information.
Questions for a Dead Man is a well-written, tense, atmospheric crime thriller with a gripping storyline. I loved it — can’t wait for number 21!
Huge thanks to Alex Gray and the publisher for my finished copy, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Questions for a Dead Man is the 20th addition to the DSI William Lorimer series — it can easily be read as a standalone, but I’d highly recommend reading a few of the others first — if you don’t want to start at the beginning, then I’d start with Before the Storm (number 18) as this is when a key character is introduced.
This is only the fourth book I’ve read in the series, but I’ve loved them all. I always get Taggart vibes from the books, and can’t believe Gray’s series has never been snapped up for TV.
Alex Gray is a fabulous storyteller — her attention to detail really allows you to visualise the characters and the setting of Glasgow. The characters are well-crafted and have great depth; I particularly love the heartwarming relationship between PC Daniel Kohi and his elderly neighbour, Netta. The dialogue and banter between the characters is always fluid, natural, and believable. Being with DSI Lorimer, his wife Maggie, Daniel, Netta and the rest of the familiar cast again was like visiting old friends.
I find that some crime thrillers/police procedurals can be over-littered with characters, but Alex Gray’s never are, the plot and the characters in this one are easy to follow without having to remember/digest too much information.
Questions for a Dead Man is a well-written, tense, atmospheric crime thriller with a gripping storyline. I loved it — can’t wait for number 21!
Huge thanks to Alex Gray and the publisher for my finished copy, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
June 21, 2023
Lots of Glaswegian atmosphere and characters.
Political intrigue involving drugs.
Familiar characters’ lives develop.
The ending was a bit of a damp squib.
I’ll definitely read more of Alex Gray’s novels.
Political intrigue involving drugs.
Familiar characters’ lives develop.
The ending was a bit of a damp squib.
I’ll definitely read more of Alex Gray’s novels.
June 23, 2024
4 stars - really good book. The writing throughout was engaging and kept me wanting to find out more. The ending for me was a little disappointing as there wasn’t really a ‘twist’, but the storytelling made up for it.
August 24, 2023
The disappearance of a prominent MSP who was promoting a campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland is referred to Detective Superintendent William Lorimer, head of the Major Incident Team in Glasgow with a high priority tag.
Lorimer’s relatively new friend PC Daniel Kohi is graduating from Police College. This sounds as though he is a new raw recruit, but Daniel, who was an Inspector in the Zimbabwe Police, escaped from a fire in his home which was meant to kill him. Daniel has now settled well in Scotland, following the death of his wife and son, and become friends with his elderly neighbour Netta Gordon, who is a pen friend of Daniel’s mother Janette, who is still lives in Zimbabwe.
Indulging in a fish supper from the local chippie, as Daniel steps out of the chippie his attention is caught by the sound of a crying baby, and investigating he discovers a baby lying in an alley beside his dead mother.
As the search for the missing MSP intensifies. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be that of the missing MSP Robert Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up, and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim is Robert Truesdale. So, if this isn’t Robert Truesdale where is he?
As the investigation progresses more anomalies surface. For Daniel concerned with the death of the baby’s mother from drugs, and the infiltration of Columbian drug dealers intend on taking control of the drug criminal underworld in Glasgow, and for Lorimer seeking the truth behind the missing MSP.
As far apart as these events may appear to be, could there be a connection?
The characters are well-fleshed out and jumping off the page to tell their story.
Then Daniel went undercover, and it was heart in the mouth, as he became embroiled in a situation, I couldn’t see him surviving.
This is the 20th book in this highly acclaimed series, and it is good to meet up again with the Lorimers. Maggie Lorimer is still teaching as well as continuing to write children’s books. Although Maggie is secretly hoping that Bill will retire, so that they can take some time off together walking up the hills while he is still fit enough to do it. We also catch up with their friends the psychological profiler Solly Brightman and his wife Rosie.
Cleverly constructed, and intensly exciting with a nail biting ending this tightly plotted story is a gripping read and keeps the reader guessing to the end, and is highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
Lorimer’s relatively new friend PC Daniel Kohi is graduating from Police College. This sounds as though he is a new raw recruit, but Daniel, who was an Inspector in the Zimbabwe Police, escaped from a fire in his home which was meant to kill him. Daniel has now settled well in Scotland, following the death of his wife and son, and become friends with his elderly neighbour Netta Gordon, who is a pen friend of Daniel’s mother Janette, who is still lives in Zimbabwe.
Indulging in a fish supper from the local chippie, as Daniel steps out of the chippie his attention is caught by the sound of a crying baby, and investigating he discovers a baby lying in an alley beside his dead mother.
As the search for the missing MSP intensifies. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be that of the missing MSP Robert Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up, and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim is Robert Truesdale. So, if this isn’t Robert Truesdale where is he?
As the investigation progresses more anomalies surface. For Daniel concerned with the death of the baby’s mother from drugs, and the infiltration of Columbian drug dealers intend on taking control of the drug criminal underworld in Glasgow, and for Lorimer seeking the truth behind the missing MSP.
As far apart as these events may appear to be, could there be a connection?
The characters are well-fleshed out and jumping off the page to tell their story.
Then Daniel went undercover, and it was heart in the mouth, as he became embroiled in a situation, I couldn’t see him surviving.
This is the 20th book in this highly acclaimed series, and it is good to meet up again with the Lorimers. Maggie Lorimer is still teaching as well as continuing to write children’s books. Although Maggie is secretly hoping that Bill will retire, so that they can take some time off together walking up the hills while he is still fit enough to do it. We also catch up with their friends the psychological profiler Solly Brightman and his wife Rosie.
Cleverly constructed, and intensly exciting with a nail biting ending this tightly plotted story is a gripping read and keeps the reader guessing to the end, and is highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
Read
August 17, 2023HOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER, WHEN ALL YOU HAVE ARE QUESTIONS?
___________
When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.
Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.
Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow's criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.
___________
When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.
Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale's. Yet there are details that don't add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.
Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow's criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2023
As always Alex Gray takes me away with all the great characters from her Lorimer series. As soon as I read page 1 I am always hooked and I'll spend good quality time with another exciting and frightening crime spree with dastardly bad guys who most of the time get caught. I cannot recommend this series highly enough and cannot thank the writer for providing me with good, solid reading entertainment!
January 15, 2024
My first dip into the world of DSI Lorimer was book 20 in the series. Some reference was made to past cases, but the book stood up well in its own right. A decent enough crime thriller set in Glasgow. My only real beef with it was that I kind of worked out what was happening before DSI Lorimer on quite a few occasions, so the tension came from waiting for him to catch up rather than wonder what would happen next. I'll probably dip into a couple more in the seriess
November 1, 2024
Work book club read. I don’t mind crime type books, although they’re not my favourite genre, but this just felt… a bit tired. I did like the characters, but the repetition of ‘questions for a dead man’ did irk me. I didn’t know it was part of a series when I started, but they heavy handed references to previous stories soon made it clear, and I wasn’t that surprised to see it was the 20th… not bad, but not enough to make read more of the series.
July 28, 2023
A web of intrigue
The latest part of this series sees DSupt Lorimer investigate the disappearance of a prominent MSP whilst his friend PC Kohi, graduates from Police college and finds a crying baby beside his dead mother. More questions are asked as the two cases intertwine to a thrilling conclusion.
The latest part of this series sees DSupt Lorimer investigate the disappearance of a prominent MSP whilst his friend PC Kohi, graduates from Police college and finds a crying baby beside his dead mother. More questions are asked as the two cases intertwine to a thrilling conclusion.
August 31, 2023
I enjoyed this! An interesting tale that centres around a MSP, drugs, and the 'other side' of life in Glasgow. This story was well-written, with a few twists and turns, but always plausible. Having followed William Lorimer since the early days, it is hard to believe that this is #20. Does retirement beckon?
June 2, 2024
Another slow burn, but with a literally explosive kick start to the action. You can feel the Glaswegian influence from the local accents in this dark story of drug cartels and their victims. I loved the rays of hope in the form of the orphaned baby, and Daniel Kohi’s resurrection in a new country doing the work he loves. I would definitely read more
November 3, 2024
Quite a good book.
Missed Solly and Rosie as they had very little input.
Daniel is a likeable character although I find his involvement at this stage in his career somewhat strange. Yes, he was an inspector in Zimbabwe, but to be so involved with undercover work at this point seems somewhat unlikely.
Missed Solly and Rosie as they had very little input.
Daniel is a likeable character although I find his involvement at this stage in his career somewhat strange. Yes, he was an inspector in Zimbabwe, but to be so involved with undercover work at this point seems somewhat unlikely.
May 18, 2023
That's it. I've finished the whole Lorimer series to date and hope there will be more. This was the best so far with a twisting plot and the usual cast of familiar characters. The series would transfer well to tv.
July 2, 2023
Never disappoints
Alex Gray has completed another cracking tale with characters who are believable and relatable. Love a series of books and this is a good one. Cannot wait for the next
Alex Gray has completed another cracking tale with characters who are believable and relatable. Love a series of books and this is a good one. Cannot wait for the next
December 3, 2023
All caught up with the latest in the Lorimer series. There’s less involvement from Solly and Rosie, though they still appear, while Daniel’s role seems to be growing. I particularly enjoy his relationship with Nettie, the elderly neighbour.
February 23, 2024
Always enjoy a DSI Lorimer book. They don’t need to be read in the correct order as the stories do stand alone. Fast paced, lots of interesting characters and I’m just never sure what will happen next.
January 11, 2025
Really enjoyed this book, i love Alex Grays writing she is a very talented author. The Lorimer series are great books that keep you turning the page and completely engrossed. This isn’t my favourite of the series but still a great story line
August 12, 2025
Bought as a bargain buy in a three-for-a-fiver discount deal. Good police procedural with an engrossing plot - but wrapped up, case solved, in a rush over the last 20 pages or so. Would have preferred a longer, more satisfying, ending. I’ll make Lorimer’s acquaintance again, though.
March 3, 2023
Such a great series. I love every thing about these books. A great story. Great characters. Excellent plot!
August 20, 2023
Twists and turns in this police procedural. Zimbabwean detective Daniel tries to find missing politician.
September 18, 2023
Brilliant
Brilliant as usual, looking forward to next publication, bring Maggie more into the next book. Keep solly included more in the next books
Brilliant as usual, looking forward to next publication, bring Maggie more into the next book. Keep solly included more in the next books
September 19, 2023
Well it's 415 pages so wasn't finished as soon as I'd hoped...
Anyway, another great Lorimer book from Alex Gray. Daniel Kohi is fast becoming a favourite character of mine for sure.
Anyway, another great Lorimer book from Alex Gray. Daniel Kohi is fast becoming a favourite character of mine for sure.
September 30, 2023
Another great story line. Love the characters and the way they doggedly plough through evidence and try to capture the mystery and thinking of the suspects. Loved all the DSI Lorimer series so far
October 22, 2023
Another engrossing crime novel set in Glasgow and a return of Zambian Daniel. Enjoyed following the character’s development and the plot was complex enough to draw you on.
February 6, 2024
Excellent story as are all of Ms Gray’s Lorimer series. Kept me interested, good plot, well drawn characters and had me guessing till the end.
March 2, 2024
Very good thriller
May 20, 2024
Fabulous book with lots of twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down. Brilliant
May 20, 2024
Another great read love this author's books, have read them all. Lots of twists.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews