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Thomas Hutton #2
A Plague Of Crows
Detective Sergeant Thomas Hutton returns in a stark and brutal portrayal of a police officer on the edge, and a killer in control.
Three people are dead. Murdered. Each one bound and gagged in a forest, the top of the skull removed, their exposed brain picked at by crows. If they were lucky, they died quickly.
DS Hutton has been on sick leave for several months, living on the side of a Scottish mountain, only coming up to town for weekly psychiatric sessions. However, the Plague of Crows has arrived, all hands are on deck, and Hutton is summoned back to duty.
As the months pass and the police remain clueless in the face of the horrors perpetrated by the most inhuman serial killer of his time, Hutton finds himself haunted by his past and plummeting further and further into a desperate world of sex, alcohol and guilt. And while he has no idea where to look for the Plague of Crows, the killer knows exactly where to find him…
Three people are dead. Murdered. Each one bound and gagged in a forest, the top of the skull removed, their exposed brain picked at by crows. If they were lucky, they died quickly.
DS Hutton has been on sick leave for several months, living on the side of a Scottish mountain, only coming up to town for weekly psychiatric sessions. However, the Plague of Crows has arrived, all hands are on deck, and Hutton is summoned back to duty.
As the months pass and the police remain clueless in the face of the horrors perpetrated by the most inhuman serial killer of his time, Hutton finds himself haunted by his past and plummeting further and further into a desperate world of sex, alcohol and guilt. And while he has no idea where to look for the Plague of Crows, the killer knows exactly where to find him…
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2013
104 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 27, 2020
I dislike novels written in first person. I also dislike crime novels with gratuitous violence and 'torture' deaths, but there was something about this novel that gripped me from the start.
It's horrific and brutal and appalling and Hutton is not the sort of 'hero' I usually like, but this is far from your usual 'crime' novel.
The thing that really got me was how sad this story was. Yes, it's violent and hideous and all that, but I finished it in one day because I was desperate to know more about Hutton. (And I have just checked the title of the book and I had no idea he was called Thomas!)
Don't read if you want a comfortable crime/police procedural/mystery story. This is bleak and gritty and depressingly realistic. I loved it.
It's horrific and brutal and appalling and Hutton is not the sort of 'hero' I usually like, but this is far from your usual 'crime' novel.
The thing that really got me was how sad this story was. Yes, it's violent and hideous and all that, but I finished it in one day because I was desperate to know more about Hutton. (And I have just checked the title of the book and I had no idea he was called Thomas!)
Don't read if you want a comfortable crime/police procedural/mystery story. This is bleak and gritty and depressingly realistic. I loved it.
March 7, 2014
A Plague of Crows is the second of Lindsay’s police procedural novels with Edinburgh cop, DS Thomas Hutton at the helm. Lindsay is best known for his Barney Thomson series. At the outset Hutton, usually hellbent on drinking and screwing himself into an early grave, is on a health kick, living in a tent at the foot of a Scottish mountain after being suspended for fighting with a colleague. He’d been having an affair with the man’s wife. Hutton has been undergoing psychological evaluation and, despite being classified as mentally unfit for service, with the ghosts of his past trying to be heard, is recalled after a particularly brutal murder.
And so begins the hunt for the killer called The Plague Of Crows. The person employs a particularly nasty method of taking lives – kidnapping apparently unrelated victims – a reporter, a copper and a social worker – and after a gruesome process attracting crows to finish them off. The police are baffled and have no idea where and when the next victim might appear – the murderer is meticulous in their planning and execution. The Plague Of Crows then strikes for a second time, placing three more bodies in an isolated wood, but on this occasion recording everything for posterity and releasing it on social media, sending the press and public into a frenzy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Plague Of Crows. It’s another superb example of Scottish crime noir. There are a number of elements to highlight. The writing is excellent. Sharp, fast paced, gripping. The author manages to be economical with his words, yet delivers a very strong story.
There’s the characterisation. Hutton himself is excellent. He’s naked (often literally) in his pursuit of the opposite sex. He enjoys a drink and has quite a few demons from his past that he refuses to face. He admits to not being the most professional of coppers. Paperwork? He couldn’t even spell the word. And by the time the investigation is just halfway through he’s back to caffeine, drinking and womanising. Yet, despite all that, he’s dilligent in his pursuit of the bad guys. He could easily give up, but won’t. I also like the fact he’s a sergeant. Often we work with the senior officers in stories such as these – ambition drives all.
Talking of officers, next is Hutton’s boss, DCI Taylor. Quite the opposite to his DS he’s a thinker married to the job. And there’s the recently appointed Superintendent Connor. He’s a complete arse, the worst kind of boss and one that most of us have experienced. I developed a real dislike for the guy. In general the characters are likeable and easy to associate with and, except the killer, I was happy to spend time with them.
As most of the novel is written from a first person perspective through the DS’s eyes he is able to throw out acerbic one-liners about people and activities. They’re wry and often funny. And there’s a good sense of humour running through the novel too, despite its generally grim contents.
It takes the police a long time to finally track down the perpetrator, they’re frustrated and know they’re virtually powerless to act. And this comes across too in the story (and not in a Harry Potter, search for the horcrux fashion either).
Ultimately there’s little to criticise here. Lindsay is an accomplished author as Plague Of Crows illustrates.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover.
And so begins the hunt for the killer called The Plague Of Crows. The person employs a particularly nasty method of taking lives – kidnapping apparently unrelated victims – a reporter, a copper and a social worker – and after a gruesome process attracting crows to finish them off. The police are baffled and have no idea where and when the next victim might appear – the murderer is meticulous in their planning and execution. The Plague Of Crows then strikes for a second time, placing three more bodies in an isolated wood, but on this occasion recording everything for posterity and releasing it on social media, sending the press and public into a frenzy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Plague Of Crows. It’s another superb example of Scottish crime noir. There are a number of elements to highlight. The writing is excellent. Sharp, fast paced, gripping. The author manages to be economical with his words, yet delivers a very strong story.
There’s the characterisation. Hutton himself is excellent. He’s naked (often literally) in his pursuit of the opposite sex. He enjoys a drink and has quite a few demons from his past that he refuses to face. He admits to not being the most professional of coppers. Paperwork? He couldn’t even spell the word. And by the time the investigation is just halfway through he’s back to caffeine, drinking and womanising. Yet, despite all that, he’s dilligent in his pursuit of the bad guys. He could easily give up, but won’t. I also like the fact he’s a sergeant. Often we work with the senior officers in stories such as these – ambition drives all.
Talking of officers, next is Hutton’s boss, DCI Taylor. Quite the opposite to his DS he’s a thinker married to the job. And there’s the recently appointed Superintendent Connor. He’s a complete arse, the worst kind of boss and one that most of us have experienced. I developed a real dislike for the guy. In general the characters are likeable and easy to associate with and, except the killer, I was happy to spend time with them.
As most of the novel is written from a first person perspective through the DS’s eyes he is able to throw out acerbic one-liners about people and activities. They’re wry and often funny. And there’s a good sense of humour running through the novel too, despite its generally grim contents.
It takes the police a long time to finally track down the perpetrator, they’re frustrated and know they’re virtually powerless to act. And this comes across too in the story (and not in a Harry Potter, search for the horcrux fashion either).
Ultimately there’s little to criticise here. Lindsay is an accomplished author as Plague Of Crows illustrates.
Originally reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover.
February 5, 2021
Scary As All Get Out!
This one kept me on the edge of my seat! I was so sure that I had figured out who the guilty person was going to be. I was way off and didn't have a clue about who it wound up being. Great mystery that will make your hair stand up!
This one kept me on the edge of my seat! I was so sure that I had figured out who the guilty person was going to be. I was way off and didn't have a clue about who it wound up being. Great mystery that will make your hair stand up!
October 29, 2013
This is my first Hutton novel, but not my first Doug Lindsay book – that pleasure went to his most excellent creation, Barney Thomson.
For those of you who have read the work from the Barney series (and if you haven’t you should), you’ll be aware of the amazing shades of darkness that Lindsay can create as well as the tremendous use of humour and character that are as much part of the sandwich as the butter and the bread.
What’s different about the Hutton story in ‘The Plague Of Crows’ is that it exists in the more mainstream world of the police procedural, not that it’s an entirely conventional setting.
For the fans of the police detective and the ins and outs of the process of finding a killer, there’s plenty here that will satisfy the appetite. There’s also a huge amount more that is likely to leave fans of the genre expecting something extra from their next choice, simply because of the extra layers and dimensions Lindsay offers.
Hutton has been rediscovering himself after a suspension from the force, a suspension brought on by his super-strong sexual desire, his lack of care for what others think about him, his love of danger and his hard-as-nails fists. He’s spent his time in a tent in the Scottish countryside and has reached a place of inner-peace, giving up the women, the cigarettes and the booze. When he’s called back into operation to help out on a very particular case, it’s inevitable that he’s going to find his way back to his old habits and that things will spiral out of control. Him being an ex-war journalist who has seen plenty, it’s also easy to find some sympathy with him for his unabridged behaviours.
The thing is, the case is hugely different to most you’ll come across. More macabre and intelligent than the majority of those you’ll find in other novels. It involves woodland and crows, saws and cement and a very particular kind of psychopath. I’d tell you more, but think you should find out for yourself. I found it hilarious and disturbing in equal measure – the humour of the situation seems to magnify the power of the crime and to allow for such barbarity to become palatable.
In terms of the plot, the journey is one you should take for yourselves. What I can offer here is to suggest that you’re likely to fall completely for the first-person voice that has no frontal-lobe editing and moulding phrases and thoughts into the politically correct. His ideas might have had me cringing, but also got me laughing at the way he seems able to say things with elements to which I couldn’t help identify (damn). There are lots of laughs, but that doesn’t mean this book doesn’t have a deeper thrust. There’s also the tension and mystery that you’d want from any book. It leaves plenty to be thought about and should take enough hold that you’ll likely to have with you for a good while after finishing; the book’s still with me and I can imagine I’ll have it lurking around for a good while yet.
This novel emphases my notion that Douglas Lindsay is a fine Scottish export that should be hailed in the same way as whisky, Rankin, haggis, tartan and those Jimmy hats that you can pick up from the Royal Mile.
Super stuff.
For those of you who have read the work from the Barney series (and if you haven’t you should), you’ll be aware of the amazing shades of darkness that Lindsay can create as well as the tremendous use of humour and character that are as much part of the sandwich as the butter and the bread.
What’s different about the Hutton story in ‘The Plague Of Crows’ is that it exists in the more mainstream world of the police procedural, not that it’s an entirely conventional setting.
For the fans of the police detective and the ins and outs of the process of finding a killer, there’s plenty here that will satisfy the appetite. There’s also a huge amount more that is likely to leave fans of the genre expecting something extra from their next choice, simply because of the extra layers and dimensions Lindsay offers.
Hutton has been rediscovering himself after a suspension from the force, a suspension brought on by his super-strong sexual desire, his lack of care for what others think about him, his love of danger and his hard-as-nails fists. He’s spent his time in a tent in the Scottish countryside and has reached a place of inner-peace, giving up the women, the cigarettes and the booze. When he’s called back into operation to help out on a very particular case, it’s inevitable that he’s going to find his way back to his old habits and that things will spiral out of control. Him being an ex-war journalist who has seen plenty, it’s also easy to find some sympathy with him for his unabridged behaviours.
The thing is, the case is hugely different to most you’ll come across. More macabre and intelligent than the majority of those you’ll find in other novels. It involves woodland and crows, saws and cement and a very particular kind of psychopath. I’d tell you more, but think you should find out for yourself. I found it hilarious and disturbing in equal measure – the humour of the situation seems to magnify the power of the crime and to allow for such barbarity to become palatable.
In terms of the plot, the journey is one you should take for yourselves. What I can offer here is to suggest that you’re likely to fall completely for the first-person voice that has no frontal-lobe editing and moulding phrases and thoughts into the politically correct. His ideas might have had me cringing, but also got me laughing at the way he seems able to say things with elements to which I couldn’t help identify (damn). There are lots of laughs, but that doesn’t mean this book doesn’t have a deeper thrust. There’s also the tension and mystery that you’d want from any book. It leaves plenty to be thought about and should take enough hold that you’ll likely to have with you for a good while after finishing; the book’s still with me and I can imagine I’ll have it lurking around for a good while yet.
This novel emphases my notion that Douglas Lindsay is a fine Scottish export that should be hailed in the same way as whisky, Rankin, haggis, tartan and those Jimmy hats that you can pick up from the Royal Mile.
Super stuff.
April 20, 2022
This is the second in the series of these books and it is fast becoming one of my favourite series.
The main character is brilliant and in the book you are given the entire back story implied in the first installment.
It's a very graphic read this time, both with the murders committed and with his story of being at war.
Great humour allows the book to skip along and the interplay between the two main police characters is brilliant.
D.S. Hutton is such an interesting character and now that we can understand his sex addiction, it gives more weight to that flaw in his character.
If you like crime fiction, you can't fail to enjoy this series.
The main character is brilliant and in the book you are given the entire back story implied in the first installment.
It's a very graphic read this time, both with the murders committed and with his story of being at war.
Great humour allows the book to skip along and the interplay between the two main police characters is brilliant.
D.S. Hutton is such an interesting character and now that we can understand his sex addiction, it gives more weight to that flaw in his character.
If you like crime fiction, you can't fail to enjoy this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2021
Another great story!
How can such a scary story make you laugh out loud? Douglas Lindsay is, without doubt, a great writer. It is impossible, once you have read one of his books, not to go on following him. I am completely hooked, and can't wait to read another of his masterful creations. He is to be recommended to friends and strangers alike. What is next?
How can such a scary story make you laugh out loud? Douglas Lindsay is, without doubt, a great writer. It is impossible, once you have read one of his books, not to go on following him. I am completely hooked, and can't wait to read another of his masterful creations. He is to be recommended to friends and strangers alike. What is next?
April 16, 2021
A bit different than Lindsay's first "DS Hutton" novel. This one reads more like a Stuart MacBride story with some gratuitous sex scenes sprinkled in. The crime premise is unlike anything I have ever read and may not be for everyone. We do learn more about Hutton's ghosts, and there are a few characters that may reprise in future books.
October 16, 2022
Exceptional read
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of the Hutton books. He’s a totally messed up policeman, for good reason; we’ve finally gotten the story of why in this book. I look forward to following his story- he’s an awful person in so many ways, but you really can’t help but want him, somehow, to get his life together. We’ll see.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of the Hutton books. He’s a totally messed up policeman, for good reason; we’ve finally gotten the story of why in this book. I look forward to following his story- he’s an awful person in so many ways, but you really can’t help but want him, somehow, to get his life together. We’ll see.
March 25, 2018
Irredeemable
Unrelentingly bleak, unutterably morose, irredemably defiant. No encouraging heroes, no salvation, just deeply flawed characters barely surviving whilst drowning their dismal existences. Magnificent.
Unrelentingly bleak, unutterably morose, irredemably defiant. No encouraging heroes, no salvation, just deeply flawed characters barely surviving whilst drowning their dismal existences. Magnificent.
February 6, 2021
Got so lost in story did nothing but read
Will be reading the third installment and perhaps another series of his. I like the easy cadence of his dialogues. Translates easily into text to speech application.
Will be reading the third installment and perhaps another series of his. I like the easy cadence of his dialogues. Translates easily into text to speech application.
March 4, 2021
Great Secomd Book
The DS Hutton character is great and goes really well with this well developed plot and associated characters including DCI Taylor. It was great to learn more about Hutton's Bosnian experience and can't wait to read the third book.
The DS Hutton character is great and goes really well with this well developed plot and associated characters including DCI Taylor. It was great to learn more about Hutton's Bosnian experience and can't wait to read the third book.
December 19, 2019
A cracking book,fast moving,great characters. Definitely not one for the faint hearted or those offended by sexual content.I absolutely loved it.
February 26, 2020
Human, gruesome, amusing and full of 'How the hell ... ?' Plus a MUCH more impactful cover than this! Thoroughly enjoyable.
dnf
August 21, 2020DS Thomas Hutton is called back from suspension when three bodies in the woods near Cathkin.
Too much swearing for me.
Too much swearing for me.
February 14, 2021
Demented.
Okay, so I'm thinking, this author is demented for coming up with this... And I'm demented for reading it. Great book. Will be buying the third book soon.
Okay, so I'm thinking, this author is demented for coming up with this... And I'm demented for reading it. Great book. Will be buying the third book soon.
February 17, 2021
WOW!
A brilliant second book in the series and it's a cracker. Great story and we learn more about the characters. Great book.
A brilliant second book in the series and it's a cracker. Great story and we learn more about the characters. Great book.
January 5, 2022
grotesque
And I love it ! This book was great. I didn’t see the ending coming until it happened. I love books I can’t easily figure out.
And I love it ! This book was great. I didn’t see the ending coming until it happened. I love books I can’t easily figure out.
November 4, 2023
Hoopla free audio
Sick minded killer.
Language
Sick minded killer.
Language
October 16, 2024
Did I not say dysfunctional?!
March 14, 2025
Hutton is a mysongistic, self hating, self destructive, sex obsessed loser. He's also a terrible detective.
I love him.
I love him.
October 30, 2013
The second police procedural in the DS Thomas Hutton series pits the complex and downtrodden lawman against a brutal serial killer with a penchant for public violence in the most macabre fashion.
Hutton, living as a recluse in the woods following a mandatory leave of absence from the force is brought back into the modern world where he's reinstated to capture a killer who's sadistic nature is like nothing the police have seen. The victims taken to a secluded woodland area, are cemented in place, tied to a chair, and the tops of their skull removed, leaving exposed brain matter for the circling crows. More horrific - the victims are forced to watch one another as the hungry birds land and devour their gruesome meal. As the slowly dying cant feel their life being taken away bite by bite, the onlookers and fellow victims watch in horror. This story is not for the fainthearted.
In THE UNBURIED DEAD (book #1) we were introduced to Hutton's womanizing ways and uncompromising investigative prowess, and this instalment is no different despite the added characterisation and backstory applied to Hutton. His time in Bosnia is fleshed out with the events a major factor on his current day self. This added another level of depth to a series that is reminiscent of McBain's 87th precinct (in terms of characters and varied plots).
Like the Barney Thomson books, author Douglas Lindsay ensures there is a healthy dose of humour to balance out the serious nature of the disturbing killings. I was at once cringing at the horror of the murders and then laughing from Hutton's interactions with the finer sex. It takes a talented author to pull off such a seamless switch of gears and Douglas Lindsay is just that.
I'm looking forward to reading more entertaining cases featuring Thomas Hutton. As for A PLAGUE OF CROWS, it's an essential read for those who are familiar with the character from the first book and fans of the Barney Thomson series.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Hutton, living as a recluse in the woods following a mandatory leave of absence from the force is brought back into the modern world where he's reinstated to capture a killer who's sadistic nature is like nothing the police have seen. The victims taken to a secluded woodland area, are cemented in place, tied to a chair, and the tops of their skull removed, leaving exposed brain matter for the circling crows. More horrific - the victims are forced to watch one another as the hungry birds land and devour their gruesome meal. As the slowly dying cant feel their life being taken away bite by bite, the onlookers and fellow victims watch in horror. This story is not for the fainthearted.
In THE UNBURIED DEAD (book #1) we were introduced to Hutton's womanizing ways and uncompromising investigative prowess, and this instalment is no different despite the added characterisation and backstory applied to Hutton. His time in Bosnia is fleshed out with the events a major factor on his current day self. This added another level of depth to a series that is reminiscent of McBain's 87th precinct (in terms of characters and varied plots).
Like the Barney Thomson books, author Douglas Lindsay ensures there is a healthy dose of humour to balance out the serious nature of the disturbing killings. I was at once cringing at the horror of the murders and then laughing from Hutton's interactions with the finer sex. It takes a talented author to pull off such a seamless switch of gears and Douglas Lindsay is just that.
I'm looking forward to reading more entertaining cases featuring Thomas Hutton. As for A PLAGUE OF CROWS, it's an essential read for those who are familiar with the character from the first book and fans of the Barney Thomson series.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
January 23, 2014
I found this book very enthralling. The story rolls along at a good pace with interest maintained by the history of the "hero" and the relationships/politics between other police officers. The build up is both gripping & surprising. However I then found the last moments of the finale to be rather a let down and rather unbelievable. The chapter detailing the so called explanation/confession was rather baffling and left me rather in the air.
August 3, 2014
I read the first book in the Thomas Hutton series and thought that was worth 5 stars. The reason I gave this one star less was because in the previous novel Douglas Lindsay's portrayal of Thomas Hutton was note perfect but now he seems to have moved the character into DS Bruce Robertson of Irvine Welsh / Filth fame which I think is a mistake.
However, that aside, the character is very well written (in the first person), VERY dark yet VERY funny and really, REALLY grusome in places
However, that aside, the character is very well written (in the first person), VERY dark yet VERY funny and really, REALLY grusome in places
February 7, 2014
i recently finished and i have to say i enjoyed it even more than the first one. the crimes are gruesome (some of the strangest i have read) but the backstory we learn about Hutton is tragic and heartbreakingly brutal. talk about a protagonist with demons. glad to hear there will be a third book, looking forward to it!
February 11, 2015
I enjoyed the first book in this Hutton series by Douglas Lindsay, but I liked this even better because Hutton's complexities and background are more thoroughly explored. It is a riveting story but not for the faint of heart; It's graphic in more ways than one. It's also a police procedural unlike any other I've read.
May 3, 2016
Once again fantastic actually laughed out loud at numerous points throughout.
A definite five stars. Brilliant writing a great sense of humour. Felt like I was literally going insane laughing out loud then being self conscious enough to glance round...I live on my own!! Would definitely recommend to others..
A definite five stars. Brilliant writing a great sense of humour. Felt like I was literally going insane laughing out loud then being self conscious enough to glance round...I live on my own!! Would definitely recommend to others..
April 25, 2014
I love the "voice" of this series although I have become more than a little tired of serial killer stories. Especially serial killers stories where the copper/detective ends up in the sights of the killer.
February 16, 2015
A bit darker than the first, but still up there with a good thriller.
Did think I'd missed one of the series mind, as there seemed to be an event that happened with a colleague that had him suspended in the beginning of the book, found that a bit strange, didn't seem to follow on from last book.
Did think I'd missed one of the series mind, as there seemed to be an event that happened with a colleague that had him suspended in the beginning of the book, found that a bit strange, didn't seem to follow on from last book.
December 29, 2013
excellent, more please.
February 6, 2015
Fantastic book if slightly gory! Loved the flaws in the main character.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews