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The Glasgow Investigators #1
A Different Place to Die
Tom Quiss has a new heading up the Civilian Investigation Unit in Glasgow.He meets the unusual investigator, Shona Bally.Then two bodies are found. It looks like a suicide.Can it be that simple?A new Glasgow detective, with a twist.A murder/mystery thriller.
Unknown Binding
First published July 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 1, 2019
Excellent twists and turns with remarkable characters. Engaging mystery
August 2, 2014
The first thing to hook me in R.R. Gall’s mystery/thriller, A Different Place to Die, was the characters. From the start, it is obvious Inspector Tom Quiss is struggling with his work. He thinks of just jacking his job in and taking up lawn bowling with dreams of playing on the Scottish National Team – even though he has never played on a team. The way he seeks escape makes him the type of character a reader can bond with.
The author’s descriptions of the man are fresh and catch the reader’s imagination. “Quiss has become slightly more handsome with age: his features finally gathering together after decades of gawky detachment. They have collected to bring a touch of distinction, a hint of appeal.” There is something so human about Tom Quiss.
Next up is Shona Bally, a civilian investigator for the Glasgow police. The reader meets Shona as she goes through her daily makeup rituals. She is preparing to start a new job that will bring her into conflict with Inspector Quiss. Shona would never want to appear unfashionable and it is a stroke of writer’s genius to introduce the reader to her as she painstakingly deals with her appearance. One of Quiss’ ongoing observations of Shona has to do with her makeup. Whenever she blinks he imagines her eye lids like blinking semaphore flags sending out some mystery message.
The final character who will figure prominently in the mystery is Elspeth, Shona’s civilian investigator partner. We first see Elspeth through Shona’s eyes – a frumpy middle-aged woman dressed like she’s off to Church. Shona can’t help but think some makeup would help.
The novel is off and running and the reader is often given brief asides as to how the three main characters view one another. These asides serve to tell as much about the character in question as the one doing the assessing. Shona sees Quiss as teetering on the edge of casual and unkempt. She thinks, “Straighten up, man.” Those three words set the stage for all the interactions between Quiss and Shona. She pushes him continually to straighten up and do his job.
“He thinks she is too young for the job. She thinks he is too old for the job. She wears too much makeup. He needs to comb his hair.” And so it goes, back and forth in a delightful string of inner dialogue.
Elspeth’s take on Quiss is about the only thing she and Shona have in common. “She noted the crumples in his shirt – a match for his rumpled trousers – and wished he would see to his appearance. An image of him in his underwear came to her; an image of him standing beside her ironing board at the start of the morning, waiting for her to finish pressing his clothes. And she thought of the comb sitting in her handbag right now: wondering how he would react if she handed it to him one morning. A quick pull through would make all the difference.” Again, the author has masterfully foreshadowed just what makes Elspeth tick – she wants to be needed.
The second thing that hooked me was the actual mystery. This book is a page turner with a number of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. When the actual motive for the bizarre string of murders is revealed, I freely admit, I never saw it coming. Enough is held back, and more than a few red herrings are tossed out along the way to make readers feel as though they are involved in the actual investigation.
R.R. Gall has managed to write a mystery/thriller that is both character and plot driven and one aspect never overshadows the other. Through snappy dialogue between the characters much is revealed about each without the author feeling the need to elaborate on their backstories. We see them as they are for the period of time it takes the novel to unwind and are left to speculate about the details of the rest of their lives. On a couple of occasions, I felt I had to speculate too much – Elspeth and her mystery husband’s fate really left me pondering. There were a few too many threads left dangling with the crime resolution for my liking. But hey, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for an author to leave a reader wondering.
Kudos to R.R. Gall for the ability to create characters with broad brush strokes who came alive to the point that the reader craves to know more. Double kudos for placing those characters in a mystery that kept the heat turned up page after page.
The author’s descriptions of the man are fresh and catch the reader’s imagination. “Quiss has become slightly more handsome with age: his features finally gathering together after decades of gawky detachment. They have collected to bring a touch of distinction, a hint of appeal.” There is something so human about Tom Quiss.
Next up is Shona Bally, a civilian investigator for the Glasgow police. The reader meets Shona as she goes through her daily makeup rituals. She is preparing to start a new job that will bring her into conflict with Inspector Quiss. Shona would never want to appear unfashionable and it is a stroke of writer’s genius to introduce the reader to her as she painstakingly deals with her appearance. One of Quiss’ ongoing observations of Shona has to do with her makeup. Whenever she blinks he imagines her eye lids like blinking semaphore flags sending out some mystery message.
The final character who will figure prominently in the mystery is Elspeth, Shona’s civilian investigator partner. We first see Elspeth through Shona’s eyes – a frumpy middle-aged woman dressed like she’s off to Church. Shona can’t help but think some makeup would help.
The novel is off and running and the reader is often given brief asides as to how the three main characters view one another. These asides serve to tell as much about the character in question as the one doing the assessing. Shona sees Quiss as teetering on the edge of casual and unkempt. She thinks, “Straighten up, man.” Those three words set the stage for all the interactions between Quiss and Shona. She pushes him continually to straighten up and do his job.
“He thinks she is too young for the job. She thinks he is too old for the job. She wears too much makeup. He needs to comb his hair.” And so it goes, back and forth in a delightful string of inner dialogue.
Elspeth’s take on Quiss is about the only thing she and Shona have in common. “She noted the crumples in his shirt – a match for his rumpled trousers – and wished he would see to his appearance. An image of him in his underwear came to her; an image of him standing beside her ironing board at the start of the morning, waiting for her to finish pressing his clothes. And she thought of the comb sitting in her handbag right now: wondering how he would react if she handed it to him one morning. A quick pull through would make all the difference.” Again, the author has masterfully foreshadowed just what makes Elspeth tick – she wants to be needed.
The second thing that hooked me was the actual mystery. This book is a page turner with a number of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. When the actual motive for the bizarre string of murders is revealed, I freely admit, I never saw it coming. Enough is held back, and more than a few red herrings are tossed out along the way to make readers feel as though they are involved in the actual investigation.
R.R. Gall has managed to write a mystery/thriller that is both character and plot driven and one aspect never overshadows the other. Through snappy dialogue between the characters much is revealed about each without the author feeling the need to elaborate on their backstories. We see them as they are for the period of time it takes the novel to unwind and are left to speculate about the details of the rest of their lives. On a couple of occasions, I felt I had to speculate too much – Elspeth and her mystery husband’s fate really left me pondering. There were a few too many threads left dangling with the crime resolution for my liking. But hey, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for an author to leave a reader wondering.
Kudos to R.R. Gall for the ability to create characters with broad brush strokes who came alive to the point that the reader craves to know more. Double kudos for placing those characters in a mystery that kept the heat turned up page after page.
August 15, 2014
The book introduces you to Inspector Tom Quiss, 52 years old, obsessed with bowling, who is forced to return to the murder team. Additionally he leads a newly founded civilian support group, consisting of Shona Bally and Elspeth Brown. This team is also drawn into the murder investigation. These very different characters are cleverly elaborated, and very believable due to their flaws and actions. It is easy to relate. It is more than a simple Scottish mystery; it is a story of coping with personal needs and conflicting points of view, cooperating, and solving a series of strange crimes.
With A Different Place to Die, RR Gall has created an intriguing mystery. A Different Place to Die is an entertaining, gripping, and not too fast read – I would love to read more about this team. I was drawn into the story right away. I felt quite close to the protagonists and everything that happened. All characters were believable with all their virtues and flaws. A Different Place to Die is a great story not only for Scottish mystery lovers; it consists great twists – making your inner sleuth rethink.
This is a book to read again.
With A Different Place to Die, RR Gall has created an intriguing mystery. A Different Place to Die is an entertaining, gripping, and not too fast read – I would love to read more about this team. I was drawn into the story right away. I felt quite close to the protagonists and everything that happened. All characters were believable with all their virtues and flaws. A Different Place to Die is a great story not only for Scottish mystery lovers; it consists great twists – making your inner sleuth rethink.
This is a book to read again.
November 29, 2014
Tom Quiss is heading up a civilian investigative unit, he's had enough of gruesome crimes. However, when the bodies of two people are found Quiss is thrust into the investigation due to cuts. This messy double murder is just the start of a terrible plan, which Quiss and Shona Bally his surly civilian underling feel bound to investigate, even after the case is handed over to MIT. If the body count alone is not alarming enough, there may be a leak in the department too.
This novel is full of twists and turns but also good characterisation and the rapport between Shona and Tom makes entertaining reading. Shona is a very quirky character, somewhat the opposite of Tom, who would like to be low key and spend his lunch hours enjoying his lawn bowls, but is rolled over by Shona to investigate things further. I didn't see the conclusion coming. There were a few typos too many in the version I read, but overall it was a good read.
Quick to read because the story flows so well and is unapologetically gripping, this is probably the best thriller I have read from this author.
This novel is full of twists and turns but also good characterisation and the rapport between Shona and Tom makes entertaining reading. Shona is a very quirky character, somewhat the opposite of Tom, who would like to be low key and spend his lunch hours enjoying his lawn bowls, but is rolled over by Shona to investigate things further. I didn't see the conclusion coming. There were a few typos too many in the version I read, but overall it was a good read.
Quick to read because the story flows so well and is unapologetically gripping, this is probably the best thriller I have read from this author.
August 18, 2014
Bit of a mixed bag
Very slow to start, lots about lawn bowls, applying make-up, then long-winded witness who spoke for 3% of the book but said very little.
Suddenly it's all go. Bodies turning up everywhere, investigators rushing here and there, theories abound and everyone seems to have an issue with everyone else. At least it is action.
Characters are well drawn if a bit exaggerated but what they do is not very professional. DI Quiss will end up in jail and on the Sex Offenders Register if his way of helping Audrey becomes known.
Nice cover showing my University but I really did not enjoy this book. Sorry, because the plot is very clever but a terrible way to encourage more people to become organ donors.
Very slow to start, lots about lawn bowls, applying make-up, then long-winded witness who spoke for 3% of the book but said very little.
Suddenly it's all go. Bodies turning up everywhere, investigators rushing here and there, theories abound and everyone seems to have an issue with everyone else. At least it is action.
Characters are well drawn if a bit exaggerated but what they do is not very professional. DI Quiss will end up in jail and on the Sex Offenders Register if his way of helping Audrey becomes known.
Nice cover showing my University but I really did not enjoy this book. Sorry, because the plot is very clever but a terrible way to encourage more people to become organ donors.
June 16, 2015
Classic police procedural with a real Scottish flavor to it. It starts out a bit slow but then things just keep happening and the action is non-stop. Really exciting read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews