Dying of the Light

Alice Rice #3

by Gillian Galbraith

Midwinter, a freezing night in Leith, near Edinburgh's red light district. A policewoman's flashlight stabs the darkness in a snow-covered cemetery. The circle of light stops on a colourless, dead face. So begins the hunt for a serial murderer of prostitutes in Gillian Galbraith's third Alice Rice mystery, Dying of the Light. Partly inspired by the real-life killings of prostitutes in Ipswich, this novel explores a hidden world where sex is bartered for money and drugs. Off-duty, Alice's home life continues its uneven course. Her romance with the artist Ian Melville offers the prospect of happiness, but is plagued by insecurity. Her demented but determined neighbour, Miss Spinnell, offers a new challenge to Alice's patience at every meeting. This atmospheric thriller builds on the success of the first two Alice Rice mysteries, Blood in the Water and Where the Shadow Falls, and it is Gillian Galbraith's most accomplished novel yet.

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Scotland

201 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Gillian Galbraith was born in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, in January 1957. She was educated at a convent and at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee.Following careers in dish-washing, bookselling and journalism she was called to the Scottish Bar in 1987.

Her first novel BLOOD IN THE WATER, introducting Edinburgh detective Alice Rice, was published in 2007 and in that same year, optimism to the fore, she abandoned her legal practice in order to concentrate on her writing.

Her second novel, WHERE THE SHADOW FALLS, also featuring DI Alice Rice, will be published by Birlinn in Spring 2008.

Gillian lives happily in Kinross-shire with her husband Robert, daughter Daisy, and assorted other creatures.

Reviews

[Jovdb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to like these books but find that the lead character, Alice, is a bit ethereal, no depth to her at all. I had hoped that this far into the series she would have fleshed out.

I find myself having to reread passages to follow the flow of the story; it seems to jump from one scene to the next with little connection and I have to recap the story, so far, in my head in order to link the characters and story progression.

Also, the culprit was fairly obvious from the get go. I found the forensic part of the story a little light in detail and relevance.

And, I do wonder how other readers find the Scottish accent portions of the novel? Even with my Scottish background, I found them disruptive.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though the reader reaches the conclusion about the murderer’s identity before the police do, the strength of the portrayal of those caught up in the world of prostitution, their motivation, strength, pathos, precautions and losses kept this reader, at least, reading. The evocation of Scottish cities is powerful. I for one enjoy the transcription of Scottish language and think it works.

While I appreciate the blurring of the boundaries between Police and criminal behaviour and motivation and it’s basis in research about working-class cities in Britain, I will be disappointed if this series becomes preoccupied with that territory.

[Bill Rea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's always going to be difficult to write a crime procedural set in contemporary Edinburgh. Rebus casts a long shadow.

However, even allowing for the Rankin factor, this is a pretty dismal book. The main protagonist is drawn in two dimensions.. She lacks personality, she is an automaton. Sure, she breaks rules here and there, but she even does that with no real insight into how she feels and thinks.

The identity of the principal bad person is trumpeted from about a third of the way into the book. The denouement is therefore a bit of a damp squib.

On a more positive note, the writing is elegant and the narrative moves along at a good pace.

Probably a book to pick up on a wet weekend.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great gritty crime thriller based in Edinburgh where a killer is targeting vulnerable sex workers and the suspect list grows with every new lead and the police find themselves going around a few circles. On top of that, detective Alice Rice has her own issues to deal with from her insecurities around her own romantic relationship and a neighbour with Alzheimers and a long lost sister. The lead story is based on the Ipswich murders and gives humanity to victims that are often seen as lesser than. The character development is good and the story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested as well as real and raw emotion that can sometimes be missing from crime thrillers.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was at page 139 that my suspicions of the killer were solidly set in my mind.

The book honestly left me kind of irritated. Most of the characters felt inept and the forensic study seemed lackluster. It felt as though there were one too many possibilities for the killer, yet no attempt to further the curiosity of the reader to keep the mystery going.

I did enjoy this book but it felt as though something was amiss.

[Jane Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting one from Gillian Galbraith. I like these ones because they are set in Edinburgh and they are well written. I did guess who dunnit towards the end but it didn't detract too much from the story although the main character, Alice, still feels a bit elusive as if you can't quite grasp her character for some reason. Still will look out for more later on.

[Vix Bridgwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dud enjoy it once I got into it, I had fun deciphering the Scottish! It does have a twist but it was unfortunately quite obvious even from early on! I wasn't able to connect with or feel overly interested in the lead character Alice Rice, which is a shame as there's a series of mysteries with Alice.

[Wanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's pretty slow going, a slog. I knew who the killer was right after he was introduced...I just waited for the police to catch up...and it seemed to take forever
I think some of this was meant to be a little humorous at times, but it's really not very good.

[Elijah Farrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this hap hazard writing style. However, the mystery itself was rather interesting.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got impatient waiting for the police to figure out the culprit long after I had. Didn't think the prose really stood up to scrutiny. Disappointed.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the Alice Rice series. Alice leads her team in the search for a serial killer of prostitutes in Edinburgh, while struggling with her insecurities, within her private life.
Another good read and great series.

[Kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it a 3.5. The author is developing her writing talent further with each new effort, so the book was well written, style-wise; however, I found the mystery of "whodunnit" ridiculously easy to solve and the perpetrator's motive a bit obscure -- if not lacking entirely. Some of the forensic information used in solving the mystery was quite innovative, and the book is worth reading just for that, but if you are looking for a cracking good mystery or a fascinating character study of what makes a criminal tick, you won't find it in this book.

[D Brejtrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gillian Galbraith's Alice Rice case number 3 didn't disappoint. I got what I expected - easy reading, familiar characters, not too complex plot and Edinburgh locations. I enjoy her books anywhere - reading in a coffee shop or at home on a sofa, it's always pleasure. Not recommended for people who like complicated or gruesome storyline.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, well plotted Scottish serial killer crime story

[Cambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly predictable, but a good read!

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad thriller. Easy read.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sense of place and season.