When the past is carved into the present, can one detective decipher the truth?DCI McNeill, at the helm of Edinburgh’s Serious Crime Unit, is accustomed to confronting the city's darkest secrets. However, a body discovered in an impoverished tower block, marked with Celtic symbols, propels him into a case that challenges even his seasoned instincts. But the victim's link to the city's treacherous drug scene and a notorious crime lord complicate matters. With diverging leads and mounting pressure, Mac seeks the expertise of Dr. Clio Wray, a scholar in ancient symbology. As another body emerges and unsettling connections to Mac are revealed, the case spirals into uncharted territory. Then Clio unearths a chilling clue hinting at a third victim and Mac has no choice but to follow. Drawn into the labyrinthine depths of a fractured mind, Mac is about to face an explosive challenge that could cost him his life.Scars of the Past is the first DCI McNeill crime thriller.
Jacqueline New is the author of the popular DCI McNeill Scottish crime thrillers. A series featuring #1 books in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.
Born in Yorkshire she worked in the world of art and design after qualifying as an interior designer.
Following ten-years writing historical and contemporary murder mysteries, in 2023 she introduced DCI McNeill of the Edinburgh Serious Crime Unit. Noir thrillers for readers who enjoy dark atmospheric police procedurals.
The series is now published by Vinci Books and both audio and foreign editions are currently in the works.
Having lived and worked in various parts of the UK and abroad, she now resides in her home town in Yorkshire.
Scars of the Past is a crime story that has many twists and turns. DCI McNeill, known as Mac, takes you on a journey with his colleagues, through the streets of Edinburgh. One murder turns into two murders, then turns into three murders. And Mac is on the case!
Mac has different levels of relationships with the people around him and this story captures those well, including how they impact on his day-to-day job of catching the bad guys. The ghost of a girlfriend past continuously haunts him, as well as mafia of the underground. Mac meets Dr Clio Wray, a scholar in ancient symbology who is a breath of fresh air as well as an expert in her field. Each character displays their loyalty to Mac, at times when there may be consequences for that loyalty.
The story showed how even if you keep to yourself, we are still interconnected with others.
This story was very well written and flowed nicely. There was no confusion who the characters were and how they related to each other and the role they played in the story. In all, it is a great crime story and easy to follow. I would highly recommend it as it had me on the edge of my chair right up to the end.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is the first book in a new series from this author, although she has previously published other books under a pen name. It gets off to a great start and certainly has plenty of questions needing answers especially for the enquiring mind !! What I really enjoyed about it was the references to the runes and ogham script ( as a historian, this caught my eye). We have been some personal information about DCI McNeill to make the reader interested however there will be a lot more to come I hope. Definitely worth a read and look forward to book 2.
I did like the main detective, DCI McNeill. He seemed suitably flawed. His fellow officers seemed realistic and the dialogue was spot on. The ending was great, everything was explained except what happened and why to the priest/lawyer. That didn't make sense. Maybe the subtext was too subtle.
Edinburgh! What a beautiful place! I have visited a few times. The author couldn’t have chosen a better place for this novel.
Scars of the Past by Jacqueline New starts off brilliantly. The prologue draws you in. As a reader I was hooked within a few lines. By the end of the prologue I wanted more. I had a feeling this was going to be nitty and gritty — just what I enjoy in these types of stories.
Oh yes, I was right!
Straight away in the Prologue I was impressed. The author’s voice is unique. I love the way she uses figurative language comparing the attack to the sea: ‘Batters Mark the way the waves are battering at the Isle of Skye.’
I found this metaphor very vivid. It describes the act of battering, implying that the waves are hitting the Isle of Skye with great force — the same amount of force of the attack that is going on unseen inland.
Very powerful.
Very memorable.
There are several other clever instances throughout the book like this. High praise on her writing style.
The police jargon feels so real. The way each officer reacts with each other is believable. The conversations throughout are very strong, engaging and drive the story forward. Scars of the Past contains several characters, yet the author manages for each one of them to have their own voice, their own style.
The plot is definitely open for a series. Most of the characters have a past, at the moment they are keeping quiet about it. Especially DCI McNeill, by the end of the book the reader is left wondering about this character, looking forward to what comes next.
The author has used her writing techniques well to write an engaging novel.
The way the victims are horrifically murdered held my interest. Trying to work out who the murderer is was very entertaining. I had guessed it correctly but then I changed my mind as I was led to believe it was someone else. There are a few twists in the story, this helped build up the mystery.
We are introduced to Celtic mythology. Professor Wray helps DCI McNeill with the meaning of the Celtic symbols that relate to his case. I don’t know if the information in the book is correct but the author gives the reader a lot of information based on the history of Celtic symbols etc. This combined into the story keeps the reader at the edge of their seat. I certainly found it very entertaining.
My only niggle with the story is how the author portrays DCI McNeill as a womaniser. Every female he meets he has a remark about their looks or how he needs to stop looking at them a certain way. It did start to grind on me until the character comments on how a woman ‘wanted to think he was some kind of womaniser, then let her.’
DCI McNeill has a past, not much is explored in this book. I’m curious to see how future books unfold, especially DCI McNeill. There’s bound to be a reason why he’s a womaniser. Will he settle down? With the information that’s been revealed in this book this character could develop in several ways.
This is certainly a fast paced detective, mystery, thriller and I believe some history lovers of the Celtic mythology interest may enjoy this book too.
I highly recommend this book, yes that’s even with my niggle. This author knows how to write. I sense a long string of detective novels containing DCI McNeill. I believe we’ve only seen a tiny snippet into his crazy life as a Detective in Edinburgh.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really do need access to the notes that I made while reading, in order to compose a meaningful review. I don't understand why, as in this case, they are sometimes unavailable!
However, apart from the unnecessary blasphemy, there seemed to be a lack of understanding of the Scottish scene. Her info only states that she was born in the UK, so it may be that she is English - not that I have anything against those from south of the border!
"with a name like McNeill he couldn’t be anything other than Scottish."is not a quotation from the book, but from her website - which appears to be little more than an advertising site. However, with a name like McNeill he could equally well be Irish!
There were a number of basic typing errors that any half-decent proof reader would have highlighted. However, the use of such a person seems to be rare these days! There were also a couple of situations left hanging. Do I have to purchase the next volume in the serial (in a series, every volume is complete in itself!) to find out what happened to the journalist, and to confirm who died in the fire?
My biggest "gripe" however, concerns the claim that a church building would be erected fora Church of Scotland minister. Having been one myself, I can assure the author that that particular scenario is not just fictional, but fantasy. She appears to know nothing about the Kirk and its bureaucracy, never mind the involvement of the local Council in such matters. I comment, more fully, in the book.
A very enjoyable start to a series! Solid writing, intriguing characters and plot, and a real sense of place and what I think of as "texture": the way things look, smell, feel and taste. The story has a "Celtic noir" edge that was different and I triguing.
I've only visited Edinburgh once, so I'm not an expert, but I could recognize some of the locations, and the author really captured what I remember, especially of the old parts of the city.
Given the giant Rebus in the room, it takes significant courage to start a new police procedural series with a troubled middle-aged male detective, but the author definitely pulls off the trick of making the character distinct and generally believable. (My only quibble would be that he seems at times to pull off unlikely athletic feats even after getting beaten to a pulp… but that's really picking nits.)
I don't really read mysteries for the puzzle, I read them for the environment and characters. The more the author can immerse me in a different world, the better. "Scars of the Past" was a brisk, exciting read. I'm not sure where the character is headed in future books, but I look forward to reading more in this series.
Full disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily tarily, and all opinions expressed here are my own.
DCI McNeill is investigating a horrific crime in Edinburgh. There appears to be some sort of connection to celtic rituals and there are evident similarities to an earlier suicide. He has to consult with a scholar in ancient symbology in order to understand the significance of the messages at the crime seen.
McNeill has a troubled past, is currently going through a relationship break up and has become linked to an investigation affecting his superior.
I wanted to like this more than I actually did, although it got off to a good start I couldn't get over the fact that I didn't take to McNeill. It seemed to me that there was too much going on and I didn't like his attitude to his colleagues or the women he associated with. Having said that it is still a decent novel and probably better than most.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
An Action-packed Thriller That Grabbed My Attention from the Start. Scars of the Past by Jacqueline New is a new author for me and I am glad I found her book as it is a great crime thriller. This is book 1 and is a fast-paced edge-of-the-seat police procedural murder mystery which is set in Edinburgh and concentrates on some gruesome murders. There appears to be some sort of connection to Celtic rituals which DCI McNeill and his team are desperate to solve before there are more victims. I Really enjoyed this book; the Character are believable, and the book is professionally written with plenty of twists and turns. I did not want to put this book down and ended up reading it over 3 evenings and went straight to book 2. An action-packed novel which is a real page turner. A must read, in my opinion!!! And I Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good crime story. Thanks to BookSirens and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntary.
Scars of the Past is the first DCI McNeill Crime Thriller book, and also the first book I’ve read by Jacqueline New, and I really enjoyed her writing and look forward to reading more by this author.
I really enjoyed this book, I didn’t want to put it down and ended up reading it over 3 evenings. It’s a fast paced murder mystery read set in Edinburgh which concentrates on some rather gruesome murders, which DCI McNeill and his team are desperate to solve. Of course with every murder mystery, whether it’s in a book or on the TV, I try to guess the killer as I read along.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What a great read this book was, it drew me in from the start and kept me engaged. There were enough clues to help me guess who the perpetrator was, but the way the story unfolded still kept me wondering if my inkling would turn out to be right. I will certainly be looking out for more books from this author (as long as they don't major on Celtic mystic symbols - one is enough for me). The author could do with a good editor or readers group to get rid of the little niggles, like discrete vs discreet, of vs off, missing words in sentences. But this is still a good read, great for those who like "Scottish Noir".
i do believe this was thanks to Bookbub telling me it was FREE ...so fun book cover. i am new to JN's books ... i will check to be sure. book 1 - from the DCI McNeill Crime Thriller series. noir crime. Murder. Murder Thriller. sometimes i feel like Amazon makes up words ... meaning i have never heard them before Amazon ...yes i spend a lot of time in the book word ...but "noir" not a normal word to me. i know it is in the dictionary but i think u get me point there? fun read. i will hope to read more from JN soon.
This book was a little confusing at first, but I carried on and it became very interesting. It had an unusual plot, which I liked. I took off one star because of the extra, unnecessary, wordy explanation about the murderer in the end. However, when you get to that part (and you will know what I mean if you read the book), you can just speed-read, and you will still get the gist of the ending. It doesn't spoil the ending; it is just more words than the author needs to say. It is still worth reading.
Wow a brilliant murder mystery loved the characters especially DCI McNeill as he tries to solve horrific crimes in Edinburgh that seem to relate to Celtic rituals. This is a fast paced thriller with many turns which keep you on the edge of your seat to find out the truth. Thoroughly enjoyed and read in one sitting. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a great book, good pacing which made for a fast, enjoyable read and helped me get out of a reading slump.
Being from Edinburgh, it was really nice to be able to see familiar places that I know well too.
I’m looking forward to be able to read more into this series as and when they come out as I really enjoyed the characters we meet throughout, especially Macs team and how they improve and learn over time.
25 October 2024. Finished this book 2 minutes ago and give a 5 star rating. Set in Edinburgh with a great plot, fabulous gritty characters and full of Scottish humour and dialogue. I would recommend this book. A star character in the rising, DCI Callum McNeill, gritty, flawed and damaged character, with a fabulous team to assist him in the Serious Crime Unit. A must read!
Jacqueline New has created a hard-to-put-down mystery that connects past events, Gaelic mythology, and revenge in an engrossing police investigation. There is one place in which Imbolc and Beltane are confused, but this is an otherwise well written and edited book which won’t disappoint a mystery lover.
It was fun to read a book set in Edinburgh but if I wasn't a local I'm not sure I could've pictured the geography - places were mentioned with no context or scene setting! Interesting premise that unfortunately ran ahead of itself and fell quite flat at the end. A really disappointing conclusion, definitely needed a few more chapters for a proper debrief at the end.
DCI McNeill is an interesting, attractive, strong , detective. He has good report with his team. He is not perfect. A ladies man but it appears Clio and her daughter are taming him. The plot was odd. It started with a suicide and ended with four murders. Looking forward to the next case.
This falls into the category (bread and butter) I will always pick up, (specially British versions) of detective/cat chasing the killer/mouse. However, it’s a 4 ⭐️ because I’ve found a couple of this trope that WOWed me and since I read it so much. I will forget this book because it didn’t stand out, but during the read, I loved it.
I thought I had previously read books 1 and 2 but hadn't, so read 3 first then 2, then 1, but it didn't matter. Loved them all, great stories, a cop with a strong and disfunctional personal history but a strong work ethic. Hooked, when will there be more?
A new DCI is always worth reading, and this was a very intriguing read. Liked the characters and the storyline . Have not read any of JN's books before, but I will be looking for more.
An interesting book this was! Hard to get a grip as to what was happening at times but a good storyline which kept me reading. I love Mac and the team though and look forward to the second book. I recommend this book!
New Edinburgh crime series for me. Fast paced & gripping read. Although very violent & gruesome in parts it was a compelling read. Great way to pass a cold rainy afternoon! I enjoyed this so I’m on to the second book of the DC McNeill series.
This book is a good start to a new series. I think it will get better after the author gets to know Mac and his team better. I look forward to reading more.
I enjoyed reading this mystery and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Interesting characters, an intriguing mystery and evocative descriptions of time and place.