His Path of Darkness

DI Rob Marshall #6

by Ed James

A killer hides deep in the darkness…DI Rob Marshall is stuck in Gartcosh, leading the new Behavioural Sciences Unit – a staff of one and a third – where he’s executing a fruitless hunt, profiling every single murder in Scotland just in case they’re serial cases.

But when a young Peebles woman’s body is discovered in Neidpath Tunnel, disused since the sixties, Marshall is called in to consult on a case on his old home turf. Paired up with his replacement, a cop who’s disinterested in the work, Marshall must tread a line between helping and not jumping to conclusions.

As the scope of the case wides, can Marshall find a killer who may have led many down his path of darkness? Or is Marshall on his own road to destruction?His Path of Darkness is the sixth book in the DI Rob Marshall series, starring a haunted detective who masks his trauma with biting humour. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, JD Kirk and LJ Ross.

If you love darkly funny crime fiction, binge the DI Rob Marshall series

The Turning of our BonesWhere the Bodies LieA Lonely Place of DyingA Shadow on the DoorWith Soul So DeadHis Path of DarknessFear of Any Kind (March 2025)False Dawn, the second Sgt Rakesh Siyal novel, is out now!

Genres: Audiobook, Crime, Mystery, Scotland

446 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2024

Reviews

[M R B Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confusing

Got a bit muddled with the three (?) Strands to this story and th Callums. But a good read and Marshall stood his ground and got the truth out in the end.

[heather cammiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting if a little confusing, took me a while to get back on track with the characters but still a good read

[Gill Stollery]

Another great book, number 6 in this series. I am now really invested in the characters!

[Debra Whisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this one rather too full of characters and I’m beginning to actively dislike many of them. I might make this the last if the series that I read.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been counting the days until the release of the latest in the Rob Marshall series, so I was thrilled when an email arrived on Saturday to tell me this book was available a few days ahead of schedule. Needless to say I spent the rest of the weekend immersed in the complex plot and beautiful Borders scenery. A woman's body is found in an old, disused railway tunnel near Peebles and DCS Potter asks DI Rob Marshall to check that it is not related to two other recent cases where bodies were found in tunnels. The team in Galashiels quickly identifies a likely suspect, but Rob is not convinced which puts him in direct conflict with his old nemesis, DCI Ryan Gashkori, who has secrets of his own that are threatening to unravel. Fast-paced, an intricate plot and a setting that spans the width of Scotland, this maybe my favourite in the series to date. I'm glad I have an excuse to travel to the area next week to hopefully see some of the scenery myself. Highly recommend this series!

[Shirley]

Marshall has moved in with Kirsten and they're trying for a baby. But as she has endometriosis she'll need help to conceive.
Rob still feels isolated at Gartcosh but his assistant, PhD student Hardeep is proving to be very capable.
Andrea Elliott is back at work but seems damaged. Struan is looking to get what her wants in terms of promotion by any means necessary but could come acropper.
Rob is calling his newly found father Dad but isn't sure how he feels. His dad Milne, wants to retire and the new complaints person wants a new broom so Shunty will have to go into uniform.
The mystery of the leaks comes to the end.
In the meantime some seemingly separate cases of deaths near railway tunnels are starting to look like a serial killer. So Marshall is sent in to consult (back to the Borders where her used to work) but soon rubs up against the local detectives.

[Mrs Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Rob Marshall book, 👏 what seems to be a link between two murders ends up leading to others in the past, being paired up with fellow detective callum Taylor they set out to solve the cases, also brushing up against detectives gashkori and straun who have their own agendas, as usual things get explosive at the end ... but the book still leaves us with a cliffhanger, which means waiting for book 7 to find the answer definitely 5⭐️

[Sebastian Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel neatly tidied up loose ends from the previous novels as well as giving another complicated case for Marshall and all the members of the team around him to wade through. As normal, there are many characters along with the plots running alongside each other. Nothing better than cold cases aligning with recent murders.
I have enjoyed this series to date and look forward to the next book which could see Marshall starting a new chapter at Police Scotland.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great being back in the Borders with DI Marshall and really enjoyed how this story tied up a lot of things from previous books and still gave us a brilliant case to come along with in this book!

Was really interesting to read the afterword and learn where inspiration and some characters involved are loosely based on, and I definitely want to go and read that now as well!

Can’t wait to see what Ed James brings in the next Marshall book!

[Liz Krummell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The professor sat behind his desk and pulled off his left shoe and sock...picked up nail clippers and set about attacking his big toenail - Gross and it added nothing to the story
Again I felt the story could have used more editing. I really liked the first couple in the series

[Sandy McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Path of Darkness. Ed James

DI Rob Marshall. This is the best, brilliantly written and well executed book. Ed James, knows the Borders of Scotland well. Many towns are in this book. A very twisted murder case, that becomes much more. A fantastic read.

[Christine Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

good plot

This is one of Ed James better series, some action, and good background descriptions, but not too much love story stuff, with little thriller plots, which appears in the Cullen series.

[Lesley Redpath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed this series so far as I’m familiar with the area in which they are set which I enjoy and love to explore through the books.

This one however wasn’t one of my favourite reads. I found it really confusing to follow. Not to worry hopefully the next will be better.

[David Nicoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me guessing until the end

This was a book I found hard to put down. Quite long but had me wondering who did what. Thoroughly enjoyable and definitely an excellent addition to the series.

[Christina Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant as usual. Great storylines and characters. So many twists and turns, couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this to everyone

[Liz Mistry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another twisty read from Ed James. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Great characters, storylines you can get behind and a fast pace.

[J A Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another great read from Ed James, just love all the characters in these stories, shall look forward to seeing Rob Marshall again

[s m bibby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Great storytelling with lots of twists and turns.
It was hard to work out who the good guys are.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book,keep up the good work

[Gayle Kimber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite one

[sharon cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I love these books and their many characters and plot twists. An excellent read from start to finish, can't wait for more.

[Jan Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder Mystery

It had to much going on and seem to take forever to get things going. It was slow going and in the end it went too fast.

[Douglas Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong 4 to 4.5 for this DI Rob Marshall book 6. Can't wait for book 7. Just love the area & characters.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This is the second book about DI Marshall and enjoyed this as much as the first. Not read in order just when I find them...keep it up.

[Iain Mackintosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a super book

This is very good book with well developed characters which grip your imagination. Read the series you will not be disappointed.

[Joanne Fairbrother · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable and well written series this is!

[Nic Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at the end of this book, wandering what was going to happen next. Lots of corruption and murder with characters developing and becoming more engratiating.

[Linda Woodley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this one hard going too many characters
The truth came out in the end

[Cecily Challis · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Path of Darkness

Very well written crime story. Easy to follow but not easy to solve! Very addictive book and I'll keep reading

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another riveting read with many twists and turns.

[Karen Turton · Rating 5 out of 5]

another good read

Ed James never disappoints. Delving back into the teams of Elliott and Marshall is a bit like coming home after an absence.