No Time To Grieve

DI Sam Winter #2

by Ed James

Two children. A politician with secrets. A kidnapper with nothing left to lose.

A mother is knocked out on her own doorstep in Edinburgh. Her two young children are gone, sedated and photographed in the boot of a car nobody recognises. The message to their father is clear: no police, or only one comes home.

DI Sam Winter is pulled into the abduction of Barnaby and Marina Harkness, taken while their father — MSP Chris Harkness — sat in a Holyrood committee room, doing his best to shield a billionaire from a financial scandal that could bring them both down. Harkness wants the police kept close enough to look cooperative and far enough away to be useless. The press want access. And the powerful men circling the family want the whole thing to disappear quietly.

The abductor has been watching, planning, and waiting for months. He's not after money. He's after something that people with serious money have worked very hard to keep buried.

As Winter unpicks the Harkness family, the case opens up a world of political corruption, charitable fraud and a grief so old it's calcified into something dangerous. And with two children in the hands of a man who knows exactly what he's doing, the clock is running from the moment it starts.

No Time to Grieve is a propulsive Scottish crime thriller packed with tension, dark humour, and razor-edged emotion, and is the second book in the DI Sam Winter series: sharp, darkly funny Scottish crime thrillers set in Edinburgh and wider Scotland. Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and LJ Ross.

Genres: Crime

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2026

Reviews

[Tracy Wood]

When DI Sam Winter receives a call from her boss about a child abduction she has no idea just what her new case will stir up. With a distraught mother and  well known father the race is on to find the 3 and 4 year olds before the unthinkable happens. Chris Harkness, an MSP, is vice chair of a new Public Audit Committee and seems to be working to a completely different agenda than his wife and Police Scotland. When tragedy strikes Sam and her information obsessed partner, DS Hugo Lennox, find themselves navigating a political landscape they're unfamiliar with and a father who himself keeps disappearing, all while seemingly being almost always a step behind the kidnapper. With failure not an option, the discovery of some vital information begins to give them some hope that maybe things aren't quite as bleak as they seem!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to the author and Grey Dog Books, but the  opinions expressed are my own. This is the second in the Sam Winter series which was originally released with Max Carter as the main protagonist. I enjoyed the original offerings but had no hesitation in reading this and it is, I imagine, all the author hoped it would be. It's a tighter storyline, in no way formulaic, is tense throughout, and overall a much better telling of a world shattering crime. I like Sam and Hugo, and their partnership works so well but sometimes Hugo really needs to read the room! Book three was my favourite first time round because of the revelations in Max's life so I'm really looking forward to discovering what is next for Sam. Highly recommended.

[Mary B]

I found this quite different to Ed's usual style. As a second DI Sam Winter book, I felt it had way more to do with the other Characters rather than her and her team.
The actual storyline is good, and certainly kept me guessing as to the ending. I'll be interested to see how the third book will pan out

[J L NICOL]

Skulduggerry In Scotland

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, it has been lovely to see Sam Winter grow. Her sidekick Hugo needs to tone down the miscellaneous on auld reekie, it can get a bit boring especially when higher ranks are around.
Looking forward to the next book which hopefully will not be the last cause this series could run if given half the chance.

[Carolien]

A politician's two small children are abducted and DI Sam Winter must not only find them, but also unravel the motivation of the abductors. It soon turns out that the situation is much more complicated than it appears and a race is on the find the children. I enjoyed this instalment more than the first in the series, fast-paced and complex.

[Blake Borate]

I have loved every story by Ed James. This one started a little slowly for me but picked up a short way into it. After that I couldn’t put it down. Every time I thought it was solved a new twist arose.

[Sarah]

Not as keen as the first one but that might be more me than the book. Will read the next one and see what I think

[Little Smurf]

I prefer the Rob Marshall series