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DI Kelso Strang #2
Death in Caithness
Please note this book was previously published as Carrion Comfort.
The Flow Country in Caithness is a place of bleak beauty — endless peat bogs, sudden mists, and a silence broken only by the cry of the ravens. But beneath the surface, the ground is treacherous. And so are the people.
When a man’s body is discovered in an abandoned croft house on the edge of the Caithness moors, half-devoured by birds, it looks like a tragic death from natural causes.
But something doesn’t add up. The victim didn’t die there — he was moved. And the locals are quick to deflect questions.
Edinburgh-based detective Kelso Strang is sent north to investigate. What he finds is a tight-lipped community and a missing man who no one seems to have missed.
As Strang digs deeper, he uncovers a tangled web of long-buried secrets — and a second body. In a land where the past is never truly dead, Strang must tread carefully.
Because someone is watching. And they’re ready to kill again.
MEET THE DETECTIVE
DI Kelso Strang, once an army sniper and now a senior officer with the Edinburgh police force, is still reeling from the sudden death of his wife. It left him hollow, short-tempered, and increasingly difficult to reach. His job is the only thing that keeps him going. He now lives alone in a harbour cottage, where silence suits him better than small talk and black coffee keeps him steady. He reads old poetry, owns far too many maps and has a scar down one side of his face that people don’t ask about twice.
The Flow Country in Caithness is a place of bleak beauty — endless peat bogs, sudden mists, and a silence broken only by the cry of the ravens. But beneath the surface, the ground is treacherous. And so are the people.
When a man’s body is discovered in an abandoned croft house on the edge of the Caithness moors, half-devoured by birds, it looks like a tragic death from natural causes.
But something doesn’t add up. The victim didn’t die there — he was moved. And the locals are quick to deflect questions.
Edinburgh-based detective Kelso Strang is sent north to investigate. What he finds is a tight-lipped community and a missing man who no one seems to have missed.
As Strang digs deeper, he uncovers a tangled web of long-buried secrets — and a second body. In a land where the past is never truly dead, Strang must tread carefully.
Because someone is watching. And they’re ready to kill again.
MEET THE DETECTIVE
DI Kelso Strang, once an army sniper and now a senior officer with the Edinburgh police force, is still reeling from the sudden death of his wife. It left him hollow, short-tempered, and increasingly difficult to reach. His job is the only thing that keeps him going. He now lives alone in a harbour cottage, where silence suits him better than small talk and black coffee keeps him steady. He reads old poetry, owns far too many maps and has a scar down one side of his face that people don’t ask about twice.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2018
450 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Aline Templeton
33 books124 followersAline Templeton grew up in the East Neuk of Fife and was educated at St Leonards School, St Andrews and Cambridge University. She has worked in education and broadcasting and has written numerous stories and articles for national newspapers and magazines. Templeton was a bench Justice of the Peace for ten years and is a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, now living in Edinburgh. She is married with a grown up family.
She has written nine crime novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton in Britain, and has also been published in the United States and several European countries. After writing seven stand-alone books, she started a series set in Galloway and featuring DI Marjory Fleming, the first of which – Cold In The Earth – was an Ottakar's Crime Novel of the Month and an Independent Best Summer Read. The second, The Darkness and the Deep, was published in July 2006, and there are now six books in the DI Fleming series.
She has written nine crime novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton in Britain, and has also been published in the United States and several European countries. After writing seven stand-alone books, she started a series set in Galloway and featuring DI Marjory Fleming, the first of which – Cold In The Earth – was an Ottakar's Crime Novel of the Month and an Independent Best Summer Read. The second, The Darkness and the Deep, was published in July 2006, and there are now six books in the DI Fleming series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 13, 2023
Excellent! I have missed DI Fleming, so I'm very happy to meet Templeton's new sleuth and his impulsive apprentice. Very nicely plotted with a twist at the end that I certainly didn't see coming!
September 30, 2025
A body of a male has been discovered in an abandoned croft near to the Mowat farm. DCI Kelso Strang is sent to Forsich, with now a DC Livvy Murray (still an annoying character) and DS Taylor. But why was he killed and why was he moved to the croft.
An entertaining and well-written modern mystery
An entertaining and well-written modern mystery
September 15, 2020
3.5 stars. Wanted to give this 4 stars as I really like the series, set in the remoter parts of Scotland which I visited last summer. However, the book changed in style from a detective mystery into a crime thriller about 60 pages from the end, with the killer(s) fully revealed in advance. Not that it was a surprise, as I already had my suspicions about one of the villains but I didn't like having those suspicions confirmed so far from the end of the book. Love the growing professional relationship between DCI Strang and Constable Murray though, much improved over the Human Face, where Murray apparently couldn't do anything right, to a point where she is hoping at the end of the book to work with him again. Also, a nice surprise on the last page of the book which may bode well for Templeton's next book in this series, which I will be looking for.
January 3, 2024
Really enjoying this series
This is the second book in the DI Kelso Strang series that takes place in rural Scotland. I really enjoyed the first in the series and went straight into this one. It started off a bit slow for me but it picked up and the end was well crafted. I love the characters - they are all so well written and interesting. PC Murray is a great character. She's impulsive and smart but inmpulsive and makes some bad decisions that still make sense. Strang is compelling and smart. The mystery seems straightforward but is not what it seems and the twisty ending isn't completely out of left field like some. Overall, I truly enjoy this series and the recurring characters and would definitely recommend it to mystery fans.
This is the second book in the DI Kelso Strang series that takes place in rural Scotland. I really enjoyed the first in the series and went straight into this one. It started off a bit slow for me but it picked up and the end was well crafted. I love the characters - they are all so well written and interesting. PC Murray is a great character. She's impulsive and smart but inmpulsive and makes some bad decisions that still make sense. Strang is compelling and smart. The mystery seems straightforward but is not what it seems and the twisty ending isn't completely out of left field like some. Overall, I truly enjoy this series and the recurring characters and would definitely recommend it to mystery fans.
October 29, 2024
The events in this book take place about a year after the events in the first book so Strang has now been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector and Police Constable Murray is now a Detective Constable based in Edinburgh.
Most of the story is set in Caithness where Strang, as part of the Serious Rural Crime Squad, has been sent to investigate a murder. There's quite a lot going on and I did figure out early on part of what had happened (well, I have been reading crime fiction for over sixty years!) though I was surprised by the enormity of what had happened by the end.
The author knows how to tell a story and her main characters are interesting and believable. All in all a great read and I look forward to finding all the author's other books.
Most of the story is set in Caithness where Strang, as part of the Serious Rural Crime Squad, has been sent to investigate a murder. There's quite a lot going on and I did figure out early on part of what had happened (well, I have been reading crime fiction for over sixty years!) though I was surprised by the enormity of what had happened by the end.
The author knows how to tell a story and her main characters are interesting and believable. All in all a great read and I look forward to finding all the author's other books.
December 30, 2018
Such an enjoyable series. I love the Marjory Flemimg series. Now this new one is just as satisfying. Set this time in Caithness, alternatively interesting and rather ghastly with a village set against the main characters. Kelso Strang as fly in fly out DCI to solve crimes in the remote parts of Scotland solves a very strange and horrifying crime with the help of the young female offsider from the first book. A very compelling read.
January 3, 2026
I stopped reading a third of the way through to read a another book out of border. I came back to finish the book and was pleased when about fifty percent in it started to read like a murder mystery instead of a boring in depth tale of misery of all the mane caricatures. I enjoyed the first book and looked forward to reading this one but felt let down. I have the rest of the serious and after I have read something else I will read the next book I the serious hoping is better than this one
April 7, 2019
Seriously good Author is Aline Templeton. I’ve been reading her books for many years. This one is hell creepy, such a sense of Deja Vu?
Has Aline re published this under a different title?
I could swear I have read this book. I knew this book, even the end was clear to me.
Maybe I wrote it in my sleep?
Cannot wait for the next DCI Kelso Strang of the SRCS Squad Book.
Has Aline re published this under a different title?
I could swear I have read this book. I knew this book, even the end was clear to me.
Maybe I wrote it in my sleep?
Cannot wait for the next DCI Kelso Strang of the SRCS Squad Book.
September 12, 2025
Not bad, but is a re-name
This is quite a decent tale,well wrote !
However, I have only given it 3 stars because it is a re-named book that I had read before. It is not strong enough to remember easily, so I got to halfway before I was certain. I have no objection to re-reading books, But, I like to be the one that chooses !! I hate this !
This is quite a decent tale,well wrote !
However, I have only given it 3 stars because it is a re-named book that I had read before. It is not strong enough to remember easily, so I got to halfway before I was certain. I have no objection to re-reading books, But, I like to be the one that chooses !! I hate this !
September 23, 2025
Great!
Another great book on this series. I do hope it will continue. There is one more coming out next week, I hope after that one they will keep coming. DCI Strang is a complex and interesting character and DC Murray has the potencial to be very good. I want to see more of this pair. And the plots are very well thought and surprising.
Another great book on this series. I do hope it will continue. There is one more coming out next week, I hope after that one they will keep coming. DCI Strang is a complex and interesting character and DC Murray has the potencial to be very good. I want to see more of this pair. And the plots are very well thought and surprising.
October 23, 2025
Most satisfying murder mystery
This story takes place in rural Scotland with lots of parts for our Detective Strang to pull together. He does it well and the reader is along for an enjoyable adventure. This book is well written, with a great plot, characters and descriptive sense of place. It is highly recommended.
This story takes place in rural Scotland with lots of parts for our Detective Strang to pull together. He does it well and the reader is along for an enjoyable adventure. This book is well written, with a great plot, characters and descriptive sense of place. It is highly recommended.
November 7, 2025
The bog, the birds and the betrayal- a really great read
This one really kept me guessing. The way people were betrayed & were manipulating each other was disgusting but perfectly plausible.
The characters are VERY well drawn & believable.
I'm so glad I found this series when I can go right to the next book!
This one really kept me guessing. The way people were betrayed & were manipulating each other was disgusting but perfectly plausible.
The characters are VERY well drawn & believable.
I'm so glad I found this series when I can go right to the next book!
August 8, 2019
When Aline Templeton began her Kelso Strang police procedural series with Human Face, I thought the concept was brilliant. Strang is the head of the Serious Rural Crimes Squad, which means this series will take readers into small towns and villages all over Scotland. Most of my favorite locations in Scotland are remote, so having a series like this created by one of my favorite writers makes my heart sing.
The area (not far from Thurso, which is way up on the north coast) and the locals come to life, and I was thrilled to hear that the creation of the North Coast 500 scenic route (touted as Scotland's Route 66) is bringing in needed tourism dollars. The setting and the mystery are tightly woven, atmospheric, and lend themselves to keeping the characters and readers off-balance.
Templeton's always good with setting and mystery, but it's her characters that are the shining stars in any of her books. Carrion Comfort is no exception. The quiet, almost secretive, Strang has his own domestic drama concerning his sister, and I'm looking forward to how that pans out in the next book. Readers also get to experience the on-going training of bright and pushy Livvy Murray, a young woman who must learn not to start forming theories before she's gathered the facts.
One fact that's brought home throughout the book is how thoroughly one man can affect the lives of so many others, even after his death. I was reminded time and again of an old Ingrid Bergman film as I read, but that's all I'm going to say about that in case there are other old movie buffs reading this. It may not be everyone else's cup of tea, but I absolutely love Templeton's characterizations because readers are allowed inside each person's mind. We see what they see, we hear their voices, we learn how they think. The way I see it, this is a gift for all armchair sleuths when it's in the hands of someone as talented as Templeton.
Carrion Comfort is another extremely enjoyable mystery from Templeton. I highly recommend both this Kelso Strang series and her previous Marjory Fleming police procedural series set in the southwest of Scotland. Both are wonderful.
The area (not far from Thurso, which is way up on the north coast) and the locals come to life, and I was thrilled to hear that the creation of the North Coast 500 scenic route (touted as Scotland's Route 66) is bringing in needed tourism dollars. The setting and the mystery are tightly woven, atmospheric, and lend themselves to keeping the characters and readers off-balance.
Templeton's always good with setting and mystery, but it's her characters that are the shining stars in any of her books. Carrion Comfort is no exception. The quiet, almost secretive, Strang has his own domestic drama concerning his sister, and I'm looking forward to how that pans out in the next book. Readers also get to experience the on-going training of bright and pushy Livvy Murray, a young woman who must learn not to start forming theories before she's gathered the facts.
One fact that's brought home throughout the book is how thoroughly one man can affect the lives of so many others, even after his death. I was reminded time and again of an old Ingrid Bergman film as I read, but that's all I'm going to say about that in case there are other old movie buffs reading this. It may not be everyone else's cup of tea, but I absolutely love Templeton's characterizations because readers are allowed inside each person's mind. We see what they see, we hear their voices, we learn how they think. The way I see it, this is a gift for all armchair sleuths when it's in the hands of someone as talented as Templeton.
Carrion Comfort is another extremely enjoyable mystery from Templeton. I highly recommend both this Kelso Strang series and her previous Marjory Fleming police procedural series set in the southwest of Scotland. Both are wonderful.
March 3, 2021
Maybe 4.5. More and more this series reminds me of Elizabeth George books. Excellent writing and setting, slowly revealed main characters. This one set in an area of Scotland I had never heard of. Really eerie but a multi-faceted unrolling of an excellent story.
March 5, 2021
I gave it two stars but it was oh so predictable. I'm finding the Strang series to be inferior to the Fleming series, and certainly not as enjoyable. Characters with IQ's less than their shoe sizes tend to be de rigueur in this series.
April 11, 2023
The second outing for the very likeable Kelso Strang and his sidekick Livvy. Wonderfully descriptive again that gives you a great impression of remote Scotland. Very good twist in this one and a compelling read that builds up nicely. Thoroughly enjoying this series 4.5⭐️
September 27, 2025
Really enjoyed this number 2 in the series. The characters are great and the plot and narrative were really good. The setting was perfect for the story and when I was there I felt like Livvy! Hope there's a next one .
December 31, 2025
Good fun read, lots of little red herrings. Some really good characters, not all of them pleasant. The "baddies" were obvious long before the ending which is my only gripe, but I shall move to the next in series this evening.
February 4, 2026
I love this series!
Strange and Murray go to the far northeast of Scotland due to a body found in an abandoned Croft house.
Gabrielle, Francesca, Niall (the dead guy) David Ross, Lillian. Curran enterprises.
Dysfunctional family to the max.
Strange and Murray go to the far northeast of Scotland due to a body found in an abandoned Croft house.
Gabrielle, Francesca, Niall (the dead guy) David Ross, Lillian. Curran enterprises.
Dysfunctional family to the max.
October 19, 2019
Interesting police characters, fantastic location. Plot a little contrived.
December 7, 2019
Really good book kept you guessing till the end.
August 11, 2020
The second in the DI Kelso Strang series is a well-executed and complex thriller set in the Flow Country of northern Scotland.
August 28, 2023
Only four stars as I figured out who was behind most of the dark deeds, although I didn't figure out the "moving" bit.
Still a great book.
Still a great book.
November 8, 2024
Enjoyed reading it, again like that I know the areas. Had worked it out early on nevertheless enjoyed this her first book I've read.
October 27, 2025
Death in Caithness
Another excellent murder mystery with plenty of suspects and twists! Can’t wait to read the next one. I’d recommend this book.
Another excellent murder mystery with plenty of suspects and twists! Can’t wait to read the next one. I’d recommend this book.
November 11, 2025
Blooming excellent.
Cracking story full of twists. Great. Don't need any more words to say how God the read was.Thank you again
Cracking story full of twists. Great. Don't need any more words to say how God the read was.Thank you again
December 7, 2025
A good story
A good read. Not quite as straightforward as you initially think. A good and unexpected twist at the end. Kelso Strang is a developing character and interesting.
A good read. Not quite as straightforward as you initially think. A good and unexpected twist at the end. Kelso Strang is a developing character and interesting.
December 9, 2025
Great,love this Author,
January 9, 2026
Good read
Really enjoying the Aline Templeton books. Detective Kelso Strang is fast becoming a favourite. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Really enjoying the Aline Templeton books. Detective Kelso Strang is fast becoming a favourite. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
January 14, 2026
So much better than book 1, glad I persevered now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews