A Call For Help

by Oliver Davies

DCI James Glover fled London for the remote Scottish Highlands after his partner's murder, desperate to uncover why she was investigating the quaint town of Beauly before her death.

But the peaceful retreat he sought shatters when eleven-year-old Isla Campbell is kidnapped on her way to school. The case bears haunting similarities to one from Glover's past - the infamous London Butcher, a sadistic killer who targeted young girls. The raspy voice, the distinct smell of blood... details only a survivor could have known.

Forced to become Beauly's temporary DCI, Glover must push aside his obsession with solving his partner's murder to find Isla before she becomes another victim. Working with a reluctant local team, he races against time, chasing dead-end leads and uncovering long-buried grudges while confronting his own painful past.

As the clock ticks down, Glover faces an impossible Did he arrest the wrong man years ago, or is someone playing a deadly game, using an innocent child as bait?

In the picturesque Scottish Highlands, darkness lurks beneath the surface, and the only call for help might come too late.

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2025

About the author

Oliver Davies was born in Sussex and raised in London, but never felt at home until he settled in the soggy but beautiful Yorkshire dales. Brought up on crime novels borrowed second-hand from his dad, he's always wished his life involved less laundry and more car chases, though writing is probably safer. Between tussling with his several dogs and rambling the moors, Oliver finds time for writing moody police detectives, playing the guitar, and occasionally even communicates with the outside world.

Reviews

[Penny O'Hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow reading. And how wonderful that the team became best friends at the end but the one thing that grated on my nerves was the constant ken, kent, dinnae. aboot and so on.

Not to mention DCI Glover’s love affair with himself. Arrogant doesn’t cover it. A modern Sherlock Holmes? I don think so

I have read a number of detective stories set in Scotland and none of them have used the colloquialisms this book did. Fortunately I am married to a Glaswegian and could understand what was written. A glossary for the next instalment perhaps?

[davidallan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The scots accents were ridiculous and scots police NEVER CARRY GUNS perhaps the intention was to poke fun at the scots
this spoiled the read

[Samuel Staight · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dialogue irritated me throughout, poorly written..almost gave up on the first chapter

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story, felt frustrated by some of the dialogue and the fact that DSI occasionally changed to DCI through the story.

[Christine Haughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excruciatingly bad attempt to force some sort of wierd dialect into his Scottish characters. NOBODY in Beauly, or indeed anywhere else in Scotland speaks like this. All the more annoying when highlanders are thought to speak English beautifully, probably because older generations learned it as a second language and were taught to speak it correctly. There isn't even any consistency within the so-called dialect and certain words are used in completely the wrong context and with basic grammatical errors (even dialects follow rules). At the very least, the author should have run it by a native highlander first. The headmaster and senior officers would never use casual patois at work, not if they wanted to be treated with respect. There is no police station in Beauly (nearest is in Dingwall or Inverness, and even if there was one in Beauly it certainly would not have the vast numbers of officers suggested here). Only trained Firearms Officers carry guns, not your common or garden Detective Sergeant, and a PC would never be promoted to DC on the whim of another officer - they'd have to undergo intensive training and then pass the NIE. All in all, a hugely irritating read for both Scots speakers and everyone else who'll wonder what the hell the characters are saying, and what drugs the author was on when he spewed it all out.

[Rosanne Nutland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought I’d give this a whirl. It was free on kindle. I don’t usually like “colloquial dialogue “ in novels but from reading the reviews, thought it would irritate me. However, because the main detective in the plot is English, his dialogue was written as such. The rest of the team were Scottish and was written in that dialogue. Which helped me differentiate the characters.

James glover is the new detective having been transferred to Scotland after a tragic event happened on his “watch “ in London. He is determined to seek the person who murdered his partner and friend. On arriving in Scotland he is met with a small team of detectives who are trying to locate a missing girl. His approach to the job is highly unusual in the local force and soon feathers are ruffled with his unorthodox methods. He is also convinced the incident is a copycat kidnapping in which the perpetrator is in prison.

However, it seems he has a way of including all his colleagues to assist in the investigation and their views are soon changed.

The novel was quite long and slow. The fact they kept arresting the wrong people was to add to the drama, however it was anything but dramatic and quite boring.

Not sure I’ll read anymore from this author unless it’s free again!

[Frances Wilkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm…

I’ve not read this author’s work before, but thought the synopsis looked interesting, Isla was impressive, as was her ability to keep cool in trying circumstances.
DI Glover moved from London to get away from the situation surrounding the death of a colleague. But the kidnapping of a child meant that he was called in to work early and had to hit the ground running to get used to his new team and be able work together successfully. Some of his new colleagues resented him, but others were helpful prepared to work together to find the missing child.
Like others I was irritated by the dialect used, I’m not why the author decided to make them sound like ill-educated country folk but it added nothing to the story. Also Senior Officers wouldn’t make the grade unless they spoke properly, it is possible to do that and still have a regional accent. For me the dialect spoiled the story, I kept stopping to translate and I’m Scottish.

[Anita Dent · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Glover relocates to Scotland after what he believes is the suspicious death of his colleague. His first case, the disappearance of a young girl bears a close resemblance to a case he had solved in London, the similarities make him question the validity of his arrest and consequential sentence. Or does he have a copycat killer? He is in a race against time to locate and rescue the girl however he encounters many dead ends. He finds strength and depth of support in his new team and a shared determination to rescue the girl.

[David Maidstone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. This is one of those thankfully rare books that starts badly and uses twists to try and make a story from nothing.
Unfortunately the twists get successively worse, more unbelievable and then eventually in a rush to finish the book consistency and simple facts are sacrificed.
Being an author is an honour with a responsibility to deliver the resemblance of a good story to entertain the reader, alas not everyone tries!!

[John A Broughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first in a new series

Enough twists and turns to keep me interested. Some people may struggle of they aren't used to Scottish dialect. The obvious clue was ignored by what otherwise were depicted as an excellent team of detectives but still worth the read.

[Pheadra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly this failed to deliver on all fronts. No consistency. Difficulty reading the supposed Scottish accent. Poor grammar. Inaccurate information regarding hierarchy in the Police. Deeply disappointing. 1 star

[Claire Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story which was well crafted and I really enjoyed the setting as I know the area well. However I found myself wondering where exactly all the Police team came from as I lived in the area for over thirty years and never heard anyone speak in such accents.

[Pete Ffrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

I struggled with all the Scottish words which made it hard to read and there were a lot of words just completely missed out which changed the meaning of some sentences but the story was quite good and the end result due to the incompetence of the kidnapper was fitting.

[Terry McKiterick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wink wink


Far too much winking throughout.




Far too much winking throughout. Not something I expect from senior polis. But not even one nudge. One will let story is.more than enough.

[Mike Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brillant read

I started this book expecting another tired, beaten detective story but it was anything but, you really got to know the characters. Suspensefull, sad, joyfull all in one book. Loved it.

[Miss N L Search, K N Search · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Nice to 'meet' a new detective and team and to be set in the beautiful scenery of Scotland was a bonus !
This novel soon became hard to put down with many twists and turns keeping the reader wanting to.know more !
I can't wait to begin book 2 !

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good p eve turner.

An exciting and gripping Scottish detective story. It kept me interested to the end. . . . . . .

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book enjoyed it from beginning to end so many twists and turns

[Caitlin]

Didn’t get past the second chapter, reads like AI. Completely unbelievable interactions between characters. Don’t get me started on the ridiculous Scottish dialect that the author conjured up either.

[Trevor Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

Good story, good read apart that there was to many , Ken’s, da ya ken, I got sick of them.

[Abigail Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new crime series that focuses on DCI James Glover, a London detective who has been pushed to move to Scotland and became part of Beauly’s team.

This novel shows Glover trying to deal with the death of his colleague, DI Arnold. She was killed in a brutal fire and only he seems to see the suspicious side of this. Although he is now in Scotland, he refuses to give up on his friend and is doing all he can to find out what caused her death. However, his focus into her death is pushed to the side when he is pulled into his new job early when Isla Campbell, an innocent child, has been kidnapped. The case is made even more complex when he realises her disappearance holds scary similarities to a case he worked years ago where a serial killer known as the Butcher kidnapped young girls and brutally killed them. Can Glover navigate working in a new environment and with a new team in order to find the girl? Or will she end up suffering the same fate as the children from his past?

I always enjoy Oliver Davies’ novels and this one was more exciting than ever! I really loved meeting a whole new team, being in a completely new setting, and watching it all mould together. DCI Glover was a very likeable character and a stark contrast to Ellis, Davies’ grumpy detective from one of his other series. Glover is kind, open, and very easy to like. He has a charming way about him and I can’t wait to see his character develop further.

The plot itself was very gripping and had a lot of twists and other cases weaved into it. I liked the focus on the Butcher and the chapter where we see him for the first time was truly harrowing.

Overall, an excellent first novel for the series which has left me eager to find out more about Davies’ DCI!