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Dundee Crime Series #2
Dead Wood
Dundee International Book Prize winner 2009
Award winning crime novel set in Dundee, Scotland, A mystery and detective story which is a combination of police procedural, and woman in jeopardy. Book 2 of The Dundee Crime Series, with the popular DS Bill Murphy.
Kara owes money to Dundee gangster Tony and takes to the streets to earn the cash. She narrowly escapes the clutches of a killer on the prowl, but stumbles across the bodies of his other victims. Hunted by the serial killer and the gangsters, Kara goes on the run.
DS Bill Murphy teams up with newcomer, DC Louise Walker in the murder investigation. But Murphy is heading for a breakdown and it is up to Louise to catch the killer.
One of the murder victims is the daughter of Dundee gangster, Tony, and he vows revenge. He is determined to mete out his own kind of justice to the killer.
Who will find the killer first? Tony or the police. And what will happen to Kara?
In the end what kind of justice will prevail?
Chris Longmuir is an award winning novelist. Her previous crime novels have won the Pitlochry Award, and the Dundee International Book Prize.
Award winning crime novel set in Dundee, Scotland, A mystery and detective story which is a combination of police procedural, and woman in jeopardy. Book 2 of The Dundee Crime Series, with the popular DS Bill Murphy.
Kara owes money to Dundee gangster Tony and takes to the streets to earn the cash. She narrowly escapes the clutches of a killer on the prowl, but stumbles across the bodies of his other victims. Hunted by the serial killer and the gangsters, Kara goes on the run.
DS Bill Murphy teams up with newcomer, DC Louise Walker in the murder investigation. But Murphy is heading for a breakdown and it is up to Louise to catch the killer.
One of the murder victims is the daughter of Dundee gangster, Tony, and he vows revenge. He is determined to mete out his own kind of justice to the killer.
Who will find the killer first? Tony or the police. And what will happen to Kara?
In the end what kind of justice will prevail?
Chris Longmuir is an award winning novelist. Her previous crime novels have won the Pitlochry Award, and the Dundee International Book Prize.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2009
4 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 21, 2016
4.5, rounded up to 5. Dead Wood was a fast-paced murder mystery that kept me guessing throughout the story. The main characters were well-drawn, with histories, personal ambitions, likes, dislikes, and all operating in the gray ethical areas that make characters interesting. I like the way the murderer was handled throughout the story, and the crimes themselves were different from typical mysteries. All around, a fun read that I would recommend to people who enjoy mysteries.
A minor quibble was the number of point-of-view characters. There were too many for my personal tastes. But it is just a quibble. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
I received this book free from Awesome Indies Books in return for an honest review.
A minor quibble was the number of point-of-view characters. There were too many for my personal tastes. But it is just a quibble. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
I received this book free from Awesome Indies Books in return for an honest review.
December 3, 2012
When I met Chris Longmuir in Tetbury, UK last summer, she wrote an inscription in my copy of Dead Wood. It read: "Not to be read in the woods in the dead of night." Wow, did she ever get that right. This book is creepy from the word go. Longmuir does an excellent job of getting the reader to sympathize with less than moral characters, a feat that presents a challenge for any writer. If you are into crime novels, you're in for a real treat. Dead Wood is a must read!
July 1, 2014
Really loved this thriller. The writer creates a vivid picture of the seedier side of Dundee, with believable characters which kept me turning the page. The twists at the end were unexpected - just the kind of gritty thriller I enjoy.
March 25, 2020
I bought Chris Longmuir’s three book collection and this is the middle one. I enjoyed the first of these as a separate book, and started the second one ages ago. Various circumstances led to me not making any progress with it after the first few pages, but I went back to it recently and was amazed to be able to slot back into what was happening straightaway, a sign of a good writer, I think. I wasn’t quite sure till the end who the perpetrator was, but I found the characters really compelling and wanted them to find the right paths eventually.
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September 15, 2016Dead Wood is the second in Chris Longmuir’s Dundee Crime series, and a winner of the Dundee International Book Prize.
Kara thinks it’s bad enough that two thugs are after her because her waster of a boyfriend owes their boss money. That is, until she escapes their clutches in the hands of the man who drags her into Templeton woods in the middle of the night.
What she finds there has strange echoes of a murder case from the 1970s. And for some of the police and social workers caught up in the case, it will drag them back into boyhood nightmares.
Inspired by a real life case from 1979, Dead Wood is a smart, scary and fast-paced police procedural. The novel makes effective use of multiple points of view to ramp up the drama. We see Kara, the young mother at the heart of the story, running scared from the thugs, from the killer, from the authorities. The drugs boss, who now has more than one reason to track Kara down. The police who, as past collides with present, may have reason to suspect one of their own. And peppered throughout, glimpses of the killer, whose warped mind serves as the will of Templeton Wood itself.
With so many characters at play, it would be easy for them to become two dimensional. But Longmuir creates strong individuals with their own quirks. Just when, like one of the young female coppers, we dare to feel sorry for the drugs boss Palmer, she finds a way to remind us how unpleasant he really is. The working girl Kara turns to for help is kind, but no ‘whore with a heart of gold.’
As all the best crime novels should be, Dead Wood is deeply rooted in its location. Even if we have never been to Dundee, we walk its streets along with the characters, explore its dark alleys, climb its hills, crawl through the dense undergrowth of Templeton Wood (and possibly feel the need for a good wash afterwards).
And excellent read for all lovers of Tartan Noir.
Kara thinks it’s bad enough that two thugs are after her because her waster of a boyfriend owes their boss money. That is, until she escapes their clutches in the hands of the man who drags her into Templeton woods in the middle of the night.
What she finds there has strange echoes of a murder case from the 1970s. And for some of the police and social workers caught up in the case, it will drag them back into boyhood nightmares.
Inspired by a real life case from 1979, Dead Wood is a smart, scary and fast-paced police procedural. The novel makes effective use of multiple points of view to ramp up the drama. We see Kara, the young mother at the heart of the story, running scared from the thugs, from the killer, from the authorities. The drugs boss, who now has more than one reason to track Kara down. The police who, as past collides with present, may have reason to suspect one of their own. And peppered throughout, glimpses of the killer, whose warped mind serves as the will of Templeton Wood itself.
With so many characters at play, it would be easy for them to become two dimensional. But Longmuir creates strong individuals with their own quirks. Just when, like one of the young female coppers, we dare to feel sorry for the drugs boss Palmer, she finds a way to remind us how unpleasant he really is. The working girl Kara turns to for help is kind, but no ‘whore with a heart of gold.’
As all the best crime novels should be, Dead Wood is deeply rooted in its location. Even if we have never been to Dundee, we walk its streets along with the characters, explore its dark alleys, climb its hills, crawl through the dense undergrowth of Templeton Wood (and possibly feel the need for a good wash afterwards).
And excellent read for all lovers of Tartan Noir.
August 26, 2012
“Dead Wood” is the best book I have read for some time. Thrillers are supposed to grab you from the outset and keep you enthralled right to the end and “Dead Wood” most certainly did that for me. I think the main reason I enjoyed this book so much more than other thrillers I have read recently is because I really cared about Kara, the central character, it mattered to me what happened to her and that kept me rooting for her all the way through the book! Add to that the fact that the book is beautifully written and flows easily, which allows you to concentrate on the story rather than the process of reading and you have a brilliant book At no point did I sense the writer behind the story trying to lead me along a certain path - rather, I felt I was reading a true story, one so real that it couldn’t have just been invented, one where I felt I was actually there, observing the events as they happened. It is a great book and I can, without the slightest hesitation, heartily recommend “Dead Wood” to anyone who likes an engaging thriller that will keep you hooked to the very end. I absolutely loved it!
June 8, 2013
As I myself am from Dundee I and love crime novels I was really looking forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed. The plot moves along at a cracking pace and the highs and lows, and twists and turns leave you breathless. The characterisation is superb. These are real people with real lives and most of them are deliberately loathsome. You are left in no doubt as to their foibles and fears. With regards to Dundee, Chris Longmuir has it spot on and I found myself nodding in agreement with her descriptions. I love Kara as a character. She has many faults but at heart is the type of person who would fight to survive. She wants to do the right thing. If you like gritty tartan noir then you would do well to read this book. I would highly recommend it.
My latest blog is an interview with the writer of this book Chris Longmuir. Well worth dropping by and finding out more about Chris and her books. http://tinyurl.com/o24fzwy
My latest blog is an interview with the writer of this book Chris Longmuir. Well worth dropping by and finding out more about Chris and her books. http://tinyurl.com/o24fzwy
Want to read
December 12, 2009Winner of the 2009 Dundee International Book Prize. The prize is one of the highest in the UK for an unpublished writer (first time). The story revolves around a boy who becomes psychologically damaged as a result of discovering one of the bodies of the two girls in the real-life Templeton Woods, Dundee, murder case in 1978–1979.
July 11, 2022
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include DEAD WOOD (Dundee Crime Series #2) by CHRIS LONGMUIR in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
AIBA Book of the Week: 11 July, 2022: 149/41909
AIBA Book of the Day: 14 June, 2021: 149/41909
AIBA Book of the Week: 11 July, 2022: 149/41909
AIBA Book of the Day: 14 June, 2021: 149/41909
December 9, 2015
This was creepy what with the murdering but kind of cool as I could picture myself on the streets, being local to Dundee.
January 20, 2016
a very interesting books filled with a lot of imagery. the characters were interesting and felt real
April 19, 2017
Hmmm it was ok. It was a bit slow but I never connected with any of the characters. I guessed who the killer was when Kara walked into the meeting. I still don't know who the main character was. I'm assuming it was Louise? The policeman, who's name I've already forgotten? Not a gripping story and a bit of a let down for me as I was expecting great things. I enjoyed reading about places I knew so a wee bit disappointed in the characters hence the 3 stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews