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DCI Gilchrist #5
The Meating Room: A DCI Gilchrist Investigation
When Thomas Magner’s business partner is found dead in his car on the outskirts of St. Andrews, all evidence points to suicide. Meanwhile Magner, a wealthy property developer, is under investigation for a series of alleged rapes almost thirty years ago. In total, eleven women are prepared to go to court to testify against him, but one by one they withdraw their complaints until only six remain.
With the Procurator Fiscal now reconsidering her case, one of the remaining accusers is found brutally murdered in her home. Even though Magner’s alibi is rock solid, DCI Andy Gilchrist is convinced he is somehow responsible. But as Gilchrist and his sidekick DS Jessie Janes dig deeper, they begin to expose Magner’s murky past and uncover a horrifying secret that has lain dormant for decades.
Was Magner a serial rapist in his youth? Or was he something much worse?
With the Procurator Fiscal now reconsidering her case, one of the remaining accusers is found brutally murdered in her home. Even though Magner’s alibi is rock solid, DCI Andy Gilchrist is convinced he is somehow responsible. But as Gilchrist and his sidekick DS Jessie Janes dig deeper, they begin to expose Magner’s murky past and uncover a horrifying secret that has lain dormant for decades.
Was Magner a serial rapist in his youth? Or was he something much worse?
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
20 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
About the author
T.F. Muir
19 books68 followersAka Frank Muir and T. Frank Muir
Born in Glasgow, Frank was plagued from a young age with the urge to see more of the world than the rain sodden slopes of the Campsie Fells. By the time he graduated from University with a degree he hated, he’d already had more jobs than the River Clyde has bends. Short stints as a lumberjack in the Scottish Highlands and a moulder’s labourer in the local foundry convinced Frank that his degree was not such a bad idea after all. Twenty-five years of working overseas helped him appreciate the raw beauty of his home country. Now a dual US/UK citizen, Frank divides his time between Richmond, Virginia, and Glasgow, Scotland, carrying out research in the local pubs and restaurants. Frank is currently doing some serious book research in St Andrews' local pubs, and working on his next novel, another crime story suffused with dark alleyways and cobbled streets and some things gruesome.
Born in Glasgow, Frank was plagued from a young age with the urge to see more of the world than the rain sodden slopes of the Campsie Fells. By the time he graduated from University with a degree he hated, he’d already had more jobs than the River Clyde has bends. Short stints as a lumberjack in the Scottish Highlands and a moulder’s labourer in the local foundry convinced Frank that his degree was not such a bad idea after all. Twenty-five years of working overseas helped him appreciate the raw beauty of his home country. Now a dual US/UK citizen, Frank divides his time between Richmond, Virginia, and Glasgow, Scotland, carrying out research in the local pubs and restaurants. Frank is currently doing some serious book research in St Andrews' local pubs, and working on his next novel, another crime story suffused with dark alleyways and cobbled streets and some things gruesome.
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March 13, 2017
For all my reviews, check out Clues and Reviews
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
The Meating Room by T.F Muir, is the fifth book in the series that follows DCI Andy Gilchrist.
The novel surrounds a group of detectives, led by Gilchrist as they try and solve, what they initially deem to be a murder-suicide, by a business partner of the wealthy Thomas Magner. As the team investigates, they uncover that Magner is under investigation for a series of rapes thirty years prior and that he is set to go on trial for them. As Gilchrist digs to see how these cases are related, he finds himself closer to uncovering a horrifying secret that has lain dormant for decades.
This is the fifth in a series; some novels can be read alone even when they are part in a series. I feel like this novel cannot. I know that this one was previously published in the UK, but I believe this is the first that will be published in North America. I really struggled to connect with the characters and their backstories. I was able to piece some of it together but had to make a lot of assumptions and inferences on my own. This is at no fault to the author, it is not his fault I dived right into the fifth book!
The novel opens with a bang; a man is found, an apparent suicide, and when the police arrive at his home to question his family, they find them all brutally murdered. I mean BRUTALLY murdered. This will not be for the faint of heart; even I, the lover of all disgusting and brutally described things, found my stomach turning.
After this initial shock, I found the pace to be quite slow but typical for a police procedural type novel. However, the last 30% of this one was like a roller coaster; up and down and as the pace quickened, this one felt like I was racing to the finish line. I was on the edge of my seat as the final bits unfolded.
Overall, I would be open to reading earlier novels in this series and trying to really get to know these characters.
www.cluesandreviews.wordpress.com
The Meating Room by T.F Muir, is the fifth book in the series that follows DCI Andy Gilchrist.
The novel surrounds a group of detectives, led by Gilchrist as they try and solve, what they initially deem to be a murder-suicide, by a business partner of the wealthy Thomas Magner. As the team investigates, they uncover that Magner is under investigation for a series of rapes thirty years prior and that he is set to go on trial for them. As Gilchrist digs to see how these cases are related, he finds himself closer to uncovering a horrifying secret that has lain dormant for decades.
This is the fifth in a series; some novels can be read alone even when they are part in a series. I feel like this novel cannot. I know that this one was previously published in the UK, but I believe this is the first that will be published in North America. I really struggled to connect with the characters and their backstories. I was able to piece some of it together but had to make a lot of assumptions and inferences on my own. This is at no fault to the author, it is not his fault I dived right into the fifth book!
The novel opens with a bang; a man is found, an apparent suicide, and when the police arrive at his home to question his family, they find them all brutally murdered. I mean BRUTALLY murdered. This will not be for the faint of heart; even I, the lover of all disgusting and brutally described things, found my stomach turning.
After this initial shock, I found the pace to be quite slow but typical for a police procedural type novel. However, the last 30% of this one was like a roller coaster; up and down and as the pace quickened, this one felt like I was racing to the finish line. I was on the edge of my seat as the final bits unfolded.
Overall, I would be open to reading earlier novels in this series and trying to really get to know these characters.
April 24, 2017
The Meating Room is the fifth novel to feature DCI Andy Gilchrist of the St Andrews police. When the team go to notify Amy McCulloch of her husband's possible suicide they find her and her daughters murdered, body badly mutilated and parts stolen. Andy immediately suspects Thomas Magner, Brian McCulloch's business partner and a man under investigation for 15 historical rapes but he has a strong alibi so the case stalls until events take a shocking turn.
The Meating Room is a visceral novel and some of the descriptions are stomach churning so it's not for the faint hearted. If you can get past that it is a cleverly plotted novel with some very good twists. I was glued to the pages and read it in one sitting. I liked the layers involved and the way patient investigation and dogged determination uncover all sorts of unsuspected links and secrets although I was a bit disappointed that the motive behind it all was not clearly explained.
The characterisation is good. Andy Gilchrist is a good man who worries about those close to him but it doesn't stop him having a "maverick" (his boss's word) approach to policing and this is extremely evident in this novel where an off the books operation puts the team in danger. It is, however, DS Jessica Janes, who steals the show. She has a sharp tongue, doesn't suffer fools gladly and gets stuck in whenever possible. Her interviewing skills are a joy to behold.
I have no hesitation in recommending The Meating Room as a good read.
The Meating Room is a visceral novel and some of the descriptions are stomach churning so it's not for the faint hearted. If you can get past that it is a cleverly plotted novel with some very good twists. I was glued to the pages and read it in one sitting. I liked the layers involved and the way patient investigation and dogged determination uncover all sorts of unsuspected links and secrets although I was a bit disappointed that the motive behind it all was not clearly explained.
The characterisation is good. Andy Gilchrist is a good man who worries about those close to him but it doesn't stop him having a "maverick" (his boss's word) approach to policing and this is extremely evident in this novel where an off the books operation puts the team in danger. It is, however, DS Jessica Janes, who steals the show. She has a sharp tongue, doesn't suffer fools gladly and gets stuck in whenever possible. Her interviewing skills are a joy to behold.
I have no hesitation in recommending The Meating Room as a good read.
April 23, 2017
The Meating Room: A DCI Gilchrist Investigation by T. Frank Muir (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2017, 366 pages, $10.39/9.87) is the fifth in a series of police procedurals set in St. Andrews, Scotland, featuring Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Andy Gilchrist. These stories always seem to take place on the dark, cold, winter heaths surrounding the ancient city of St. Andrews, where the fabled Old Course, the most hallowed place in golf, is merely a part of the map while the gritty nature of Scottish criminal existence if foregrounded. The crimes are gruesome, the police officials and on-the-ground grunts are working people with their own problems, flaws, and strengths, the plots complex, and the story-telling superb.
On a chilly morning along the seaside, Maggie Ferguson, out walking her dog, discovers a car sitting on the heath with its motor running and a hose running from the exhaust pipe through the driver's side window. A second look reveals a neatly dressed man in the front seat, apparently dead. In due course, DCI Gilchrist, accompanied by fellow officer, DS Jessie Strange, arrives. After a cursory inspection, awaiting further detailed inspection by the SOCO's, they begin to suspect the death is not a result of a simple suicide. (One of the problems raised by British police procedurals is the abundance of acronyms involved in police rankings. For those interested in decoding them, here's a link. Be warned – there are 271 of them: https://www.allacronyms.com/uk_police...
As the somewhat convoluted plot emerges, it appears that the body is one Brian McCormack, who, along with his partner Thomas Magner, owns an apparently prosperous holding company. In the early stages of the investigation, McCormack's wife and children are found at home, dead in their beds, with the wife gruesomely dissected. Instinct points towards Magner,but he is well covered with a seemingly unbreakable alibi. Nevertheless, as the police look further, more suspicious deaths are uncovered and unusual relationships emerge.
Muir's novels operate on three levels. The crime is at the forefront, but vying for attention are the complex personal lives of Andy Gilchrist, Jessie Strange, and other members of the St. Andrews investigative team. They all spend significant amounts of time in local pubs, where they consume a good deal of alcohol and interact. Andy's secret lover is the police pathologist, while Jessie tries to avoid the advances of a former boss in a different jurisdiction. Political and bureaucratic issues form the third leg of Muir's stories. The personal costs of a career in police work are always present, and well represented as issues confounding the investigations. Meanwhile, Andy Gilchrist emerges as a canny, insightful, and often impulsively action oriented officer whose instincts often overcome his good sense. As the solution to the crime approaches, the situation becomes more dangerous, tense, and driving. Muir is a master at building tension with the three strands running parallel to each other, wherein lies much of the intense interest and delight in reading his novels.
Born in Glasgow, Frank Muir was plagued from a young age with the urge to see more of the world than the rain sodden slopes of the Campsie Fells. Thirty-plus years of living and working overseas helped him appreciate the raw beauty of his home country. Now a dual US/UK citizen, Frank makes his home in the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland, from where he visits St. Andrews regularly to research in the town’s many pubs and restaurants. (From Soho Press Web site)
With The Meating Room: A DCI Gilchrist Investigation (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2017, 366 pages, $10.39/9.87). T. Frank Muir has produced the most persuasive and thought provoking of his DCI Gilchrist books. Gilchrist has become deeper and more human, always struggling with his own problems with women, his children, and alcohol while providing nurture and instruction to his subordinates. I received the book as an Advanced Readers Copy through Edelweiss: Above the Treeline. I read it on my Kindle app.
On a chilly morning along the seaside, Maggie Ferguson, out walking her dog, discovers a car sitting on the heath with its motor running and a hose running from the exhaust pipe through the driver's side window. A second look reveals a neatly dressed man in the front seat, apparently dead. In due course, DCI Gilchrist, accompanied by fellow officer, DS Jessie Strange, arrives. After a cursory inspection, awaiting further detailed inspection by the SOCO's, they begin to suspect the death is not a result of a simple suicide. (One of the problems raised by British police procedurals is the abundance of acronyms involved in police rankings. For those interested in decoding them, here's a link. Be warned – there are 271 of them: https://www.allacronyms.com/uk_police...
As the somewhat convoluted plot emerges, it appears that the body is one Brian McCormack, who, along with his partner Thomas Magner, owns an apparently prosperous holding company. In the early stages of the investigation, McCormack's wife and children are found at home, dead in their beds, with the wife gruesomely dissected. Instinct points towards Magner,but he is well covered with a seemingly unbreakable alibi. Nevertheless, as the police look further, more suspicious deaths are uncovered and unusual relationships emerge.
Muir's novels operate on three levels. The crime is at the forefront, but vying for attention are the complex personal lives of Andy Gilchrist, Jessie Strange, and other members of the St. Andrews investigative team. They all spend significant amounts of time in local pubs, where they consume a good deal of alcohol and interact. Andy's secret lover is the police pathologist, while Jessie tries to avoid the advances of a former boss in a different jurisdiction. Political and bureaucratic issues form the third leg of Muir's stories. The personal costs of a career in police work are always present, and well represented as issues confounding the investigations. Meanwhile, Andy Gilchrist emerges as a canny, insightful, and often impulsively action oriented officer whose instincts often overcome his good sense. As the solution to the crime approaches, the situation becomes more dangerous, tense, and driving. Muir is a master at building tension with the three strands running parallel to each other, wherein lies much of the intense interest and delight in reading his novels.
Born in Glasgow, Frank Muir was plagued from a young age with the urge to see more of the world than the rain sodden slopes of the Campsie Fells. Thirty-plus years of living and working overseas helped him appreciate the raw beauty of his home country. Now a dual US/UK citizen, Frank makes his home in the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland, from where he visits St. Andrews regularly to research in the town’s many pubs and restaurants. (From Soho Press Web site)
With The Meating Room: A DCI Gilchrist Investigation (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2017, 366 pages, $10.39/9.87). T. Frank Muir has produced the most persuasive and thought provoking of his DCI Gilchrist books. Gilchrist has become deeper and more human, always struggling with his own problems with women, his children, and alcohol while providing nurture and instruction to his subordinates. I received the book as an Advanced Readers Copy through Edelweiss: Above the Treeline. I read it on my Kindle app.
December 10, 2015
...gripping... a marvellous read...
...this book did something to me that hasn’t happened for a long, long time... it kept me reading until 5 am so that I could finish it... a terrific crime plot with great characterisations, the goodies, and the baddies... the visuals kept jumping into my head as chapter after chapter unfolded... cold-blooded murders and intrigue go well together in good detective procedurals, and author Frank Muir has excelled with The Meating Room... the clever interweaving of the main players’ personal issues as well as the professional police investigative passages was masterfully handled... no spoilers from me, but if you are into gripping crime stories, The Meating Room is for you... a great read...
...this book did something to me that hasn’t happened for a long, long time... it kept me reading until 5 am so that I could finish it... a terrific crime plot with great characterisations, the goodies, and the baddies... the visuals kept jumping into my head as chapter after chapter unfolded... cold-blooded murders and intrigue go well together in good detective procedurals, and author Frank Muir has excelled with The Meating Room... the clever interweaving of the main players’ personal issues as well as the professional police investigative passages was masterfully handled... no spoilers from me, but if you are into gripping crime stories, The Meating Room is for you... a great read...
January 3, 2016
Print version, not the kindle.
If anyone needs a lesson in ensuring the reader stays hooked from start to finish, each chapter tugging inexorably on from the preceding one, this is it. The character of Andy Gilchrist much more solid than the previous one I read, and the superhuman powers of recovery less in evidence, although the finale involved a helluva lot of battering.
I know nowt about police procedure but this rang true and the several relationships were satisfying indeed. A thoroughly involving tale.
If anyone needs a lesson in ensuring the reader stays hooked from start to finish, each chapter tugging inexorably on from the preceding one, this is it. The character of Andy Gilchrist much more solid than the previous one I read, and the superhuman powers of recovery less in evidence, although the finale involved a helluva lot of battering.
I know nowt about police procedure but this rang true and the several relationships were satisfying indeed. A thoroughly involving tale.
May 28, 2015
Excellent
July 19, 2020
SPOILER ALERT
This is a particularly gory and depraved story, starting with the seeming suicide of a man whose family has been massacred, his wife skinned, decapitated and her organs removed, the children drugged and smothered. DCI Andy Gilchrist and Rebecca Cooper, the pathologist, think the beautifully dressed man may have killed his family first and then put a hose through the window of his Jaguar. Brian McCulloch was the partner of Thomas Magner, a man who is currently accused of raping eleven women, so they begin looking more closely at the scene. Their company Stratheden
Enterprises is in financial trouble.
One by one the accusers either drip out, or are killed, including the woman, Janice Meecham who is having an affair with Magner. One of the accusers was Amy McCulloch, formerly Amy Renwick.
As the story progresses we are introduced to another horrible man, Jason Purvis, a former oil rigger, at the same time as Magner was a rigger. Magner seems to have an alibi for each of the killings that occurs from this point. But Purvis also bears an uncanny resemblance to Magner, and as it happens Purvis is a stand-in for Magner at the many conferences her has used as alibis. Magner's former wife has photos of sex parties that included Chief Constable Michael Ramsey.
Gilchrist, DS Jessie Janes, and DI Stan Davidson decide to go on an illegal search of the barn at Purvis' cottage and bite off more than the proverbial... After sedating the rottweilers that viciously patrol the fenced area, they find an underground bunker with multiple chambers and tunnels, and the remnants of multiple bodies put together in mesh molds. The remains of Amy McCulloch is one of those. Unfortunately Purvis, followed by Magner find them there. DI Davidson is killed and Gilchrist and Jessie are nearly killed in their attempt to capture the two killers, who become known as "the Butchers", their lair "the Meating Room"...revolting. Gilchrist is attacked by a recovering dog. PC Mhairi McBride was warned by Davidson, her boyfriend, where they were going and she follows up, only to be captured by Purvis and partially assaulted, before Gilchrist finds and saves her, and the rest of the armed response appear. DS Janes kills Magner. Purvis falls down a shaft to his death when Gilchrist tricks him into thinking Magner is hurt at the bottom of the ladder.
This is very difficult read. The descriptions are violent and disgusting, very explicit in detail. The killers have been working together killing, torturing and mutilating victims for years, and many bodies are found buried at Cauldwood Cottage, a former government property, which had been the beginning of a underground bomb shelter. During the investigation Gilchrist is having an affair with Cooper. Her behavior is erratic, and her husband who has been unfaithful for a long time is making waves about her infidelity. Maxwell Cooper is a prominent figure and he reports to the police commissioner of the affair. Cooper breaks it off when she gets pregnant, and at first is not going to tell Andy that it is his child, and says she is going to get a termination. But the story is left with them talking about it and there are unknowns as it ends. It is fast but grueling plot not for the feint at heart.
This is a particularly gory and depraved story, starting with the seeming suicide of a man whose family has been massacred, his wife skinned, decapitated and her organs removed, the children drugged and smothered. DCI Andy Gilchrist and Rebecca Cooper, the pathologist, think the beautifully dressed man may have killed his family first and then put a hose through the window of his Jaguar. Brian McCulloch was the partner of Thomas Magner, a man who is currently accused of raping eleven women, so they begin looking more closely at the scene. Their company Stratheden
Enterprises is in financial trouble.
One by one the accusers either drip out, or are killed, including the woman, Janice Meecham who is having an affair with Magner. One of the accusers was Amy McCulloch, formerly Amy Renwick.
As the story progresses we are introduced to another horrible man, Jason Purvis, a former oil rigger, at the same time as Magner was a rigger. Magner seems to have an alibi for each of the killings that occurs from this point. But Purvis also bears an uncanny resemblance to Magner, and as it happens Purvis is a stand-in for Magner at the many conferences her has used as alibis. Magner's former wife has photos of sex parties that included Chief Constable Michael Ramsey.
Gilchrist, DS Jessie Janes, and DI Stan Davidson decide to go on an illegal search of the barn at Purvis' cottage and bite off more than the proverbial... After sedating the rottweilers that viciously patrol the fenced area, they find an underground bunker with multiple chambers and tunnels, and the remnants of multiple bodies put together in mesh molds. The remains of Amy McCulloch is one of those. Unfortunately Purvis, followed by Magner find them there. DI Davidson is killed and Gilchrist and Jessie are nearly killed in their attempt to capture the two killers, who become known as "the Butchers", their lair "the Meating Room"...revolting. Gilchrist is attacked by a recovering dog. PC Mhairi McBride was warned by Davidson, her boyfriend, where they were going and she follows up, only to be captured by Purvis and partially assaulted, before Gilchrist finds and saves her, and the rest of the armed response appear. DS Janes kills Magner. Purvis falls down a shaft to his death when Gilchrist tricks him into thinking Magner is hurt at the bottom of the ladder.
This is very difficult read. The descriptions are violent and disgusting, very explicit in detail. The killers have been working together killing, torturing and mutilating victims for years, and many bodies are found buried at Cauldwood Cottage, a former government property, which had been the beginning of a underground bomb shelter. During the investigation Gilchrist is having an affair with Cooper. Her behavior is erratic, and her husband who has been unfaithful for a long time is making waves about her infidelity. Maxwell Cooper is a prominent figure and he reports to the police commissioner of the affair. Cooper breaks it off when she gets pregnant, and at first is not going to tell Andy that it is his child, and says she is going to get a termination. But the story is left with them talking about it and there are unknowns as it ends. It is fast but grueling plot not for the feint at heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2025
This review is based on the Audible Audio version.
An excellent dark police procedural and another great instalment within the DCI Gilchrist series. A double investigation is included in the story, one being lead by Andy and the other with cross over to his case, being lead by others. When an apparent suicide is discovered Andy is immediately suspicious and when they attempt to notify his family they discover a gruesome scene with the children dead and the wife skinned and gutted. The complications come in because the victim is the business partner of Thomas Magner who is being investigated for a series of historic rapes and sexual assaults. Natural he comes under suspicion but appears to have an alibi but Gilchrist won't let him go as a suspect. He gets more suspicious as the women who accused Magner either withdraw their complaints or die under suspicious circumstances.
As the investigations continue attention focusses on a farm owned by Parvis. Andy is convinced there is something hidden in the barn but unable to get warrants goes with Jesse and Stan on a covert operation to enter the barn to find some evidence. Things go wrong and Stan is killed, Jesse and Andy are injured and when Barry arrives she too is captured. Can Andy and Jesse not only save themselves but complete their investigations and capture Magner and Parvis?
The book is excellent, fast paced, whilst being dark and gruesome at the same time. This being said it is not without flaws:
1) Andy, illegally enters a suspects property, actions which ultimately lead to the shooting of a fellow detective, yet he receives no apparent sanction for his actions. Whilst being a common thing within fiction the reality I'm sure would be very different.
2) Jesse is still being harassed by Laughlin with whom she had a brief affair and wants it ended, but he pursues her attempting to bully her into sharing a flat by threatening to bring up old events that don't cast her in a good light. Whilst being published in 2014 so well before the #metoo movement I cannot believe that such practices would be permitted.
3) Andy's strange relationship with Cooper the local pathologist takes a strange turn, when her husband returns and she goes cold on him, which is strange as my recollection is that she pursued him into the affair in the first place. In this story I can't help but feel sorry for Andy as his personnel life takes a downward turn.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
An excellent dark police procedural and another great instalment within the DCI Gilchrist series. A double investigation is included in the story, one being lead by Andy and the other with cross over to his case, being lead by others. When an apparent suicide is discovered Andy is immediately suspicious and when they attempt to notify his family they discover a gruesome scene with the children dead and the wife skinned and gutted. The complications come in because the victim is the business partner of Thomas Magner who is being investigated for a series of historic rapes and sexual assaults. Natural he comes under suspicion but appears to have an alibi but Gilchrist won't let him go as a suspect. He gets more suspicious as the women who accused Magner either withdraw their complaints or die under suspicious circumstances.
As the investigations continue attention focusses on a farm owned by Parvis. Andy is convinced there is something hidden in the barn but unable to get warrants goes with Jesse and Stan on a covert operation to enter the barn to find some evidence. Things go wrong and Stan is killed, Jesse and Andy are injured and when Barry arrives she too is captured. Can Andy and Jesse not only save themselves but complete their investigations and capture Magner and Parvis?
The book is excellent, fast paced, whilst being dark and gruesome at the same time. This being said it is not without flaws:
1) Andy, illegally enters a suspects property, actions which ultimately lead to the shooting of a fellow detective, yet he receives no apparent sanction for his actions. Whilst being a common thing within fiction the reality I'm sure would be very different.
2) Jesse is still being harassed by Laughlin with whom she had a brief affair and wants it ended, but he pursues her attempting to bully her into sharing a flat by threatening to bring up old events that don't cast her in a good light. Whilst being published in 2014 so well before the #metoo movement I cannot believe that such practices would be permitted.
3) Andy's strange relationship with Cooper the local pathologist takes a strange turn, when her husband returns and she goes cold on him, which is strange as my recollection is that she pursued him into the affair in the first place. In this story I can't help but feel sorry for Andy as his personnel life takes a downward turn.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2025
Ein Mann wird tot in seinem Fahrzeug aufgefunden. Alles deutet auf Selbstmord hin. Trotzdem hat Andy Gilchrist Zweifel. Wie kann ein Toter sein Auto wieder von außen verschließen? Dabei hätte es für den Mann einen guten Grund gegeben, Selbstmord zu begehen. Als Beamte seiner Frau die traurige Nachricht überbringen wollen, finden sie sie und ihre Töchter ermordet auf. Was für andere ein Motiv ist, lässt bei DCI Gilchrist die Zweifel nur noch größer werden. Soll er auf sein Bauchgefühl hören oder auf seine Kollegen?
Der Krimi beginnt mit einem spannenden Fall, bei dem Andy und seine Kollegen mit großer Vorsicht ermitteln müssen. Bei jedem Schritt scheinen sie jemand auf die Füße zu treten. Aber jeder Schritt zeigt ihnen nur mehr, dass der Fall viel tiefer geht als man zunächst meint. Wie bei einer Zwiebel schälen sie Schicht um Schicht ab und was sich darunter verbirgt, ist alles andere als schön.
Bis ungefähr zur Hälfte ist die Geschichte spannend und gut aufgebaut. Aber als der Täter festzustehen scheint, ändert sich das. Plötzlich überschlagen sich die Ereignisse und jede neue Begebenheit ist dramatischer und unrealistischer als die letzte. Blut fließt in Strömen und auch wenn mich das normalerweise nicht stört, war es hier zu viel. Das dramatische Ende war für mich der Tiefpunkt des Buchs. Einzig die Ereignisse in Andys Privatleben haben mich ein bisschen versöhnt. Die waren für eine so verrückte Geschichte herrlich normal und realistisch. Und natürlich der Titels, der wirklich gut passt.
Der Krimi beginnt mit einem spannenden Fall, bei dem Andy und seine Kollegen mit großer Vorsicht ermitteln müssen. Bei jedem Schritt scheinen sie jemand auf die Füße zu treten. Aber jeder Schritt zeigt ihnen nur mehr, dass der Fall viel tiefer geht als man zunächst meint. Wie bei einer Zwiebel schälen sie Schicht um Schicht ab und was sich darunter verbirgt, ist alles andere als schön.
Bis ungefähr zur Hälfte ist die Geschichte spannend und gut aufgebaut. Aber als der Täter festzustehen scheint, ändert sich das. Plötzlich überschlagen sich die Ereignisse und jede neue Begebenheit ist dramatischer und unrealistischer als die letzte. Blut fließt in Strömen und auch wenn mich das normalerweise nicht stört, war es hier zu viel. Das dramatische Ende war für mich der Tiefpunkt des Buchs. Einzig die Ereignisse in Andys Privatleben haben mich ein bisschen versöhnt. Die waren für eine so verrückte Geschichte herrlich normal und realistisch. Und natürlich der Titels, der wirklich gut passt.
August 28, 2018
I've jumped right in at #5 in the Gilchrist series here, but I don't think it's hindered the story. A massacre of a local business man's family and his apparent suicide has Gilchrist and his team on a wild goose chase, piecing together a jigsaw that doesn't seem to fit and has important pieces missing. I thought the pace of the story slowed a little after the initial crime, but this was Muir nurturing and developing the readers love of his characters. Parts of the dialogue from certain characters are written in strong Scottish dialect and I loved this. It was integral to the story that we developed this relationship with the characters before all the pieces of the jigsaw are fitted together in the climax of the story. It was gripping, intense and holy hell whats going to happen next kind of terrifying, and what we initially thought could be a revenge murder, actually turned into something quite unexpected. I would definitely read another of the Gilchrist series if I stumbled across a copy.
January 31, 2019
Set mostly in St Andrews but with references to other places within Scotland including my village I knew from the get go that this novel was going to be the twisty turny kind of who dun it that I like.
Serial killers, down to earth cops including a feisty woman DC plus a quite complex bit of adultery makes this book a cracking good read. Yes there's gore and there's foul language which for me didn't detract but gave the story meat to its bones.
There are a lot of characters and you do have to kinda keep up with them all or like me have to rewind back to be reminded about who was doing what but really that's a minor point.
The narration was spot and each character was given the depth required for their part in story.
I bought this book as deal of the day and I've downloaded the earlier stories. Well worth the credit.
Serial killers, down to earth cops including a feisty woman DC plus a quite complex bit of adultery makes this book a cracking good read. Yes there's gore and there's foul language which for me didn't detract but gave the story meat to its bones.
There are a lot of characters and you do have to kinda keep up with them all or like me have to rewind back to be reminded about who was doing what but really that's a minor point.
The narration was spot and each character was given the depth required for their part in story.
I bought this book as deal of the day and I've downloaded the earlier stories. Well worth the credit.
May 13, 2017
Loved it. I received it as a Goodreads Giveaway. The book is very well written and entertaining. The characters are very believable with well crafted interactions. The subject matter in the book was tastefully dealt with. The author did not go overboard in describing the victims injuries. He gave you enough information to form in your own mind just how much gore to apply to the victims. DCI Gilchrist books are now going on my "must read" reading list.
July 23, 2017
A gritty graphic procedural. Try this one if you like your novels to be explicit. Muir writes well and it's interesting to read a book set in St Andrews. It's clear that this is not the first book in the series; I was ok with that as the back stories of the various characters, including Gilchrist and Janes, seemed less important than the plot line. It's always hard to review a procedural because of spoilers and that's the case here. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
January 10, 2020
I do like the series and whilst the first four could be read as standalone this one is more linked to the previous book. It is excellent with many sub plots, so why only 3 stars, the end scene is dragged out. The very final part putting things together is excellent but the 80 pages before which is nearly quarter of the book, is over extended and over dramatic. Shame as it is worth a read as is the series. I am moving onto book 6 to date there are 8 in the series
February 5, 2020
Gilchrist and his team are investigating the brutal murder of a family and the supposed suicide of the father. Was it a murder/suicide? The evidence says otherwise and it's down to the team to find out the truth. Their investigations take them to another investigation into a series of rapes, is there a connection, is the same person responsible for both?
A twisty, bloodthirsty tale! Great reading.
A twisty, bloodthirsty tale! Great reading.
April 20, 2020
This book is an extremely suspenseful one. But in the same time, due to the nature of the extremely violent crimes, it's a horror one, with massacres. Knowing what the killer is capable of is what makes the book extremely suspenseful at times.
If it wouldn't be for Andy's extremely sharp mind and the funny banter happening between he and his team, i would not be reading these books. The crimes are beyond violent.
If it wouldn't be for Andy's extremely sharp mind and the funny banter happening between he and his team, i would not be reading these books. The crimes are beyond violent.
September 30, 2022
I thought this was a good read. Gets into the nitty gritty really quickly and there was a lot of good character building, I felt like I knew who the characters were and what they were about. Great descriptions and scene setting too.
There is a twist which is always a good thing for me. I would have rated higher but I felt the climax was reached a little too soon and it then dragged on quite a bit. None the less I would recommend this book.
There is a twist which is always a good thing for me. I would have rated higher but I felt the climax was reached a little too soon and it then dragged on quite a bit. None the less I would recommend this book.
April 30, 2018
Cracking good story line with action and excitement all the way through . I like the personal stories that interweave with the main theme. Very enjoyable as are all the books in this series of Andy Gilchrist.
March 17, 2023
This is a very well written detective novel with characters you actually care about. However I warn you the word grizzly doesn't even begin to tell you about the contents. Let's just say serial killing and leave it at that. Not for the squeamish.
May 17, 2023
Another compelling read in the fifth outing for Andy Gilchrist. Gritty and gruesome with a strong storyline and really brings out the maverick side of Andy. The characters are all developing nicely, and some good banter between them. Loving this series
August 13, 2017
I'm thinking that maybe Mystery just isn't for me. I lost interest.
July 27, 2018
Really enjoying this series would recommend
August 8, 2018
Expected End. Nice one !!!
August 19, 2020
Loved this as much as the last one. Was gruesome in places but had plenty of plot twists and turns. Still loving Jessie even when she is moody! Definitely worth a read.
August 6, 2025
Gruesome!
May 8, 2016
"The Meating Room" is the first of T F Muir's St Andrews, Scotland police procedural published in the US, though it is the fourth or fifth in the "Andy Gilcrist" series. Another, earlier book is available now.
The UK is shock-full of police procedurals, from London to Edinburgh, from Glasgow to Bath and Devon. Now we have DCI Andy Gilcrist of the St Andrews Police Department, with several underlings, all of whom have their own "back stories". The problem with reading "The Meating Room" first is that the reader has to puzzle out the characters and their "stories", but TF Muir is a clever enough author to allow the reader to at least get the gist of the stories and the characters.
One of Muir's skills as a writer is fleshing out the murderers, their victims, and the police. This is a difficult thing for a reviewer to describe, but the plot is probably less important than the characters. I didn't like most of the characters - particularly the bad 'uns - but I found them all interesting.
"The Meating Room" which is the story of a mounting number of murders in the St Andrews area, all of whom appear to be tied to a couple of men who have less conscience than skill at murder. Most of the murders are horrific; consider the title of the book. If you don't like violent crimes, then "The Meating Room" is not for you. However, if you like give and take of a police procedural and the ambiance of a UK setting, you should look into Muir's book. I just bought Muir's only other book available here, "Hand For A Hand".
The UK is shock-full of police procedurals, from London to Edinburgh, from Glasgow to Bath and Devon. Now we have DCI Andy Gilcrist of the St Andrews Police Department, with several underlings, all of whom have their own "back stories". The problem with reading "The Meating Room" first is that the reader has to puzzle out the characters and their "stories", but TF Muir is a clever enough author to allow the reader to at least get the gist of the stories and the characters.
One of Muir's skills as a writer is fleshing out the murderers, their victims, and the police. This is a difficult thing for a reviewer to describe, but the plot is probably less important than the characters. I didn't like most of the characters - particularly the bad 'uns - but I found them all interesting.
"The Meating Room" which is the story of a mounting number of murders in the St Andrews area, all of whom appear to be tied to a couple of men who have less conscience than skill at murder. Most of the murders are horrific; consider the title of the book. If you don't like violent crimes, then "The Meating Room" is not for you. However, if you like give and take of a police procedural and the ambiance of a UK setting, you should look into Muir's book. I just bought Muir's only other book available here, "Hand For A Hand".
July 4, 2024
OK my oh my one of the best in the series! I mean open with a most gruesome murder of an entire family, finding connections to some of the most evil deranged villans ever! Someone I like dies, can't spoil it, but someone also will get more character growth....and Jessie is still Jessie. Beware if you don't like macabre maybe skip this because it's a bloody good read (and I mean blood)🩸
June 2, 2016
I really enjoyed listening to the narrator of these books. It brings the story and the character to life in every book. Looking forward to the next and latest book in the series.
Highly recommend all of the T F Muir books in the series.
Highly recommend all of the T F Muir books in the series.
June 7, 2016
I have been ploughing through the Gilchrist series - and enjoyed them all. This ups the ante in terns of crime and gore...I will never see St Andrews as quite the same again...Ripping read.
October 19, 2018
The fifth DCI Gilchrist Investigation is another well-characterized and plotted police procedural darkened by almost unbearable brutality.
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