Cold Open

DCI Lomond #4

by Andrew Raymond

Some cases should never be reopened…When a body is discovered during the building of the new Govan-Partick Bridge, it forces the reopening of a case that DCI Lomond would rather forget.

Genres: Audiobook, Crime, Fiction, Procedural, Contemporary, Mystery

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2024

About the author

I've been a fan of thrillers ever since watching All the President's Men when I was far too young to understand what was going on. Now every day I get to indulge in my passion for fast-paced stories, characters you really care about, and to bring you behind the scenes of the intelligence agencies and the most secretive parts of the political world (the parts they don't want you to know about).

It's often said that I write cinematically, which isn't a coincidence, as my influences are as much in cinema as literature: Daniel Craig's Bond films, Glengarry Glen Ross, Spartan. TV has also been a major factor in my writing. From the original BBC miniseries State of Play, David Simon's The Wire, and Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing; and the US version of House of Cards.

I have worked in the book industry since I was 21.

Reviews

[Lavins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

Average at best. Very rushed ending. One could say there wasn't a real ending to this book.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My latest obsessions this series. Andrew Raymond delivers a gripping and complex story seamlessly moving between past and present and delivers a chilling and engaging crime story laced with dark humour. So good!

[S Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halfhearted.

This was going quite well until I realised it was shutting down, so that the storyline could be revived for another book (about halfway).

[SkyeWake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending seemed very rushed, spoiled a good story. Lots of threads left hanging and unresolved situations. I appreciate there may be a book to follow this up but it was unsatisfactory as a reader

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

great Scottish noir

[Nici · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I felt this one was a little rushed and the story reminded me a little of Vera episode but I still enjoyed the book and will certainly look out for the next DCI Lomond Installment.

[Sinead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable fast paced thriller, well read on audiobook. The last parts left me a bit confused though, a lot of interwoven strings that the author had spent a long time laying out were tied up way too quickly without a satisfying resolution, felt like it needed to be another 50-100 pages longer to really resolve the story

[angela degnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another gripping read

No end to this authors talents. DCI Lomond and the team are on the case again. Be prepared for a mixture of laughter and also complete heartbreak. Can't wait for the next installment.

[J LEA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories

I have really enjoyed this series of books, great stories and interesting characters. Definitely recommend to all as a very good read.

[Zoe Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: a shorter DCI kimono murder novel. Easy to listen to and better than no3 in the series. Characters straightforward and so enjoyed this easy listen.

[Dee (readaholic_dee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read from Andrew Raymond, this book has it all, fantastic characters and a plot that is emotionally charged.

A cold case from 20 years ago opens up a Pandora's box and DCI Lomond is faced with such a horrific case for him and his team to solve.

Cannot recommend highly enough, this is a must-read series.

[Becky Plankenhorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rating
Five stars on the first three in the series but this one was somewhat of a disappointment.

[Dougie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The general storyline has potential but this is a very poorly, and clumsily, written book with weak characters. I won’t be reading any more in the series

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you have to?

Andrew Raymond is a fantastic writer.I
His DCI Lomond books are particular favourites of mine as they are set in places I know well. I can't help but wonder how most of his readers pronounce Polmadie and Rutherglen amongst many other spots.
As he rounded the rectangular roundabout underneath the Kingston Bridge I was going the other way to head home from college in my mk3 Cortina.
So many memories; but what a horrific subject. What makes his books so good is how he makes them so horribly bad. At times I think I should go back to reading boring books with no scary things in them. And the reality that oozes out of his pages does scare me.
No spoilers about my title but expect the unexpected. Get ready to swear and, if you are anything like me, weep.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first and third books in this series. I started this series this week and have whipped through all four. I guess I’ll try the other series he has. My main takeaway is that I was burned out on detective books. So violent and dislikable characters. I was so happy to read The Bonnie Dead because it was quick reading with no terrible unnecessary violence or sex scenes. Just a good mystery. Thank you Mr Raymond! The only reason this last was three stars is because it seemed a little rushed. I couldn’t believe when I could tell it was going to end. One of the other books in this series was about 60 chapters and this last one was 40. All in all I’ve been recommending this series in our FB mystery book group.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so good and this latest book continues the trend. The discovery of bones on a construction side brings John back to a case he worked on many years before which remained unsolved - the disappearance of a young woman.

I enjoyed the dual timelines between horrific events twenty years ago and the present day. There are plenty of twists and links to high-level cover-ups and an ending to make you emotional. I found this a total page-turner as usual and look forward to many more to come.

[Mr Mark Hawksford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Open -

This is the 4th book in the series, all of them really good book. I enjoy all the books written by Andrew Raymond. This one is another good police procedural book, which will have you trying to guess who the guilty party is. My only slightly negative comment about the book is that I did have a few unanswered questions at the end. On saying that, there is a conclusion to the story, it’s not one of those that leaves you frustrated at the end. I would go for 4.75 out of 5.

[angela kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

As with the other books in this series, it's left me wanting more.
This is the fifth book in this series and hasn't failed to draw me in.
You have to keep in mind that these characters are Scottish and their way of speech is different to the english.
From the first book, once I'd found the rhythm , my brain could easily get into the Glasgow venacular.
Really good characters and storylines, if you love a great leading man with strong support then these books are for you

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold Open by Andrew Raymond is the latest addition to the DCI John Lomond series and what a great addition. A cold case from 20 years ago rears its head and opens up a can of worms. Such a sad story in some ways but brings out the best in some and the worst in others. Fabulous characters and I hope there are more books to come in this series.

[Glyn Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth and last book in the dci lomond series and a very good read it is. It all starts with a body being found on a building site(no spoilers). We dead bodies , corrupt police murders and of course lomond and the team. So hoping that this is not the last in the series go out and BUY this book and enjoy.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Brilliant Read,Not To Be Missed

Another exceptional excellent read from this Author,I read this in a couple of days,excellent read,ending was so very,very sad,never saw it coming,I really hope we have another Logan book soon,don’t miss out on this book or his others

[Lori Stricherz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. It left unanswered about some of the characters, and seemed to be a bit rushed for the rest. I hope there is another book coming soon that will answer the questions.

[margaret biggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Another brilliant book I couldn't put it down . The story was different from a normal murder story and Andrew Raymond makes DCI Lomond and his team so real. I hope there is another in this series as I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a while since I read one of these so lost the thread a little. Not a pleasant storyline with a sad/poignant ending. Felt the end came rather quickly and don't feel I understood who was responsible for what as there were many characters. Even so, I look forward to #5.

[siempre leyendo · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. It was not quite as well written as the previous books in this series. I agree with the comments in the reviews that the ending felt felt far too rushed. Just the same, I hope there will other books in this Glasgow-based series.

[Love2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I’d give this book 4.5🌟 if that was possible. I enjoyed it, it kept my attention. I love the characters and the storyline was dealt with compassionately. But … the ending was revealed and wrapped up super fast, I actually thought I’d skipped a chapter!! What a strange way to wrap up a book.

[Charlie Wilkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is good, but it feels like they wrapped it up quickly to keep it separate from the obvious next book's storyline. It seems like the author wrote them together, and then someone not the author wanted it split in two separate books and needed to hit the publish date for this one

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry to see this series end, there seems to be room for a continuation of the DCI Lomond story. I didn't see the ending coming on this one and yet it seemed incomplete somehow. I was very engaged while reading and was surprised when I came to the end, wasn't expected that sort of wrap up.

[Chester Studzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal

Quite a brutal story and, at times, quite hard to keep track of who was who. Quite a surprise and shocking ending and possibly a nicer new beginning

[Christina Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written great storyline couldn’t put it down. Loved the way the characters worked together to solve the crime. Was really sad ending.