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Still My Soul
Superintendent Mike Braeden has been on a bender since being “asked to retire” from Police Scotland.
Retired. Divorced. Drunk. He’s content to waste his days with expensive whisky and quiet regrets — until a stranger knocks on his door, dragging up a case that’s older than Mike’s career and darker than he’s ready to face.
An orphanage in the Stirlingshire countryside. A brother who vanished without a trace. And a Church more interested in silence than salvation.
Now Mike is back on the hunt — chasing shadows, fighting old enemies, and getting too close to truths that have been buried for decades. As the former detective digs deeper, he finds himself unravelling a tangle of abuse, silence, and institutional failure — and confronting the parts of himself he’s tried hardest to forget.
Still My Soul is a razor-edged Scottish noir — gripping, grim, and gut-wrenching to the final page.
This book contains themes of child abuse, suicide, murder, and addiction.
Retired. Divorced. Drunk. He’s content to waste his days with expensive whisky and quiet regrets — until a stranger knocks on his door, dragging up a case that’s older than Mike’s career and darker than he’s ready to face.
An orphanage in the Stirlingshire countryside. A brother who vanished without a trace. And a Church more interested in silence than salvation.
Now Mike is back on the hunt — chasing shadows, fighting old enemies, and getting too close to truths that have been buried for decades. As the former detective digs deeper, he finds himself unravelling a tangle of abuse, silence, and institutional failure — and confronting the parts of himself he’s tried hardest to forget.
Still My Soul is a razor-edged Scottish noir — gripping, grim, and gut-wrenching to the final page.
This book contains themes of child abuse, suicide, murder, and addiction.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2025
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 30, 2025
I loved this book!
The story was gripping, the characters were totally believable, it was harrowing and hilarious and I had no idea where the mystery was going to go. If you like a good crime novel that draws you in and keeps you guessing the whole was through this is it. Fans of Christopher Brookmyre, Peter May, Denise Mina and Ian Rankin would love it. Twists, turns, humour and a bit of shock.
I enjoyed reading about the places in Stirling I recognised.. the descriptions were spot on and I could imagine being right there. Paints the place in an honest and sometimes amusing light. Sometimes I knew where he was talking about before he actually said it. It’s a great advertisement for the town, so would appeal to both people who live there, tourists who want to get a good feel for the place or anyone who wants to advertise it as a place to visit. Anyone owning a hotel/b&b, cafe, bar or touristy business - especially those mentioned in the book- would be missing an opportunity if they didn’t use it to their advantage and promote it!
I enjoyed reading about the different whiskys mentioned throughout. After a few chapters it felt like the author was trying to mention as many as he could and every time I came across another it started to make me laugh. It was like a running joke and I was in on it. A good way to make readers feel included and like they are part of the book. Being a whisky drinker myself it really tickled me, and he obviously knows his malts. I could almost taste them.
The story was fantastic. Well up there with some of the best tartan Noir authors. It would definitely stand up amongst Scotland’s finest crime novels, and about time someone wrote one in Stirling, especially as Bloody Scotland crime novel festival is actually held there.
For a first book this was outstanding, there was nothing amateur about it and could easily have been reading a well published authors latest.
Fingers crossed this is going to be a series.. Im desperate to ready the next instalment of “Mikey and Malkie’s Mental Mysteries”.
The story was gripping, the characters were totally believable, it was harrowing and hilarious and I had no idea where the mystery was going to go. If you like a good crime novel that draws you in and keeps you guessing the whole was through this is it. Fans of Christopher Brookmyre, Peter May, Denise Mina and Ian Rankin would love it. Twists, turns, humour and a bit of shock.
I enjoyed reading about the places in Stirling I recognised.. the descriptions were spot on and I could imagine being right there. Paints the place in an honest and sometimes amusing light. Sometimes I knew where he was talking about before he actually said it. It’s a great advertisement for the town, so would appeal to both people who live there, tourists who want to get a good feel for the place or anyone who wants to advertise it as a place to visit. Anyone owning a hotel/b&b, cafe, bar or touristy business - especially those mentioned in the book- would be missing an opportunity if they didn’t use it to their advantage and promote it!
I enjoyed reading about the different whiskys mentioned throughout. After a few chapters it felt like the author was trying to mention as many as he could and every time I came across another it started to make me laugh. It was like a running joke and I was in on it. A good way to make readers feel included and like they are part of the book. Being a whisky drinker myself it really tickled me, and he obviously knows his malts. I could almost taste them.
The story was fantastic. Well up there with some of the best tartan Noir authors. It would definitely stand up amongst Scotland’s finest crime novels, and about time someone wrote one in Stirling, especially as Bloody Scotland crime novel festival is actually held there.
For a first book this was outstanding, there was nothing amateur about it and could easily have been reading a well published authors latest.
Fingers crossed this is going to be a series.. Im desperate to ready the next instalment of “Mikey and Malkie’s Mental Mysteries”.
June 25, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Great story throughout. You could really feel the hurt these kids had to deal with. Look for more with this author. Well done for your first book
June 27, 2025
A dark, intense debut set in Stirling. The story of a detective battling his demons is both gritty and heartfelt. Definitely one to check out if you love crime stories with real emotional depth.”
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews