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DI Westphall #1
Song of the Dead
Detective Ben Westphall has been given his latest case because of his background in MI6. But it’s his ability to see every angle – even the impossible ones – that will help him in this investigation.
John Baden has come back from the dead. His parents and girlfriend identified his body twelve years ago. Yet he’s just walked into a police station, very much alive. Baden’s story sounds far-fetched – but it’s all about to get much, much stranger.
Westphall travels from the Highlands to Estonia in order to delve into Baden’s murky past. But when his suspects start dying, Westphall realises someone is killing to cover up the truth. He’ll have to question everything he’s been told, before there’s no one left to ask.
John Baden has come back from the dead. His parents and girlfriend identified his body twelve years ago. Yet he’s just walked into a police station, very much alive. Baden’s story sounds far-fetched – but it’s all about to get much, much stranger.
Westphall travels from the Highlands to Estonia in order to delve into Baden’s murky past. But when his suspects start dying, Westphall realises someone is killing to cover up the truth. He’ll have to question everything he’s been told, before there’s no one left to ask.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
December 14, 2020
Song of the Dead oozes atmosphere, gets under your skin and settles there whilst contemplating philosophical conundrums within which a crime story resides. It is located in Aberdeen and Estonia. DI Ben Westphall, a man who has one foot in this world and the other in the world of the dead, packs a punch as a man and a investigator. He has prescient qualities and is aided by ghosts. He used to work for the security services from where he developed his fear of flying. He is going to need all his gifts to untangle a dark, murky, and dangerous trail.
It begins with Westphall travelling to Estonia the long way round to meet a man, John Baden, who is supposed to have died 12 years ago. Baden claims to have been held captive for 12 years where body parts have been extracted from him and he has been forced to have sex with different women. Baden's reappearance triggers a number of murders in Aberdeen with connections to him. Whilst being haunted by the suicide of Dorothy, who worked at the British Embassy, Westphall finds himself encountering the illegal trade in organs, twisted deceptions and danger around every corner.
The novel is steeped with melancholy, grief and loss. Westphall emanates these qualities and communes with the dead. The weather adds its echoes to the dark content present in the story. There is consideration of how a person might exist as two people. And the notions of what is real, for example, the title of this novel is seen as a book both by Melanie Waverly and Westphall, yet it does not exist. I am reminded of the quote from Hamlet, 'To be, or not to be: that is the question: ...'.
This is an extraordinary, intelligent and off kilter read which I cannot recommend highly enough. As to the question of whether the book exists, well, Freight Books kindly gave an ARC via netgalley.
It begins with Westphall travelling to Estonia the long way round to meet a man, John Baden, who is supposed to have died 12 years ago. Baden claims to have been held captive for 12 years where body parts have been extracted from him and he has been forced to have sex with different women. Baden's reappearance triggers a number of murders in Aberdeen with connections to him. Whilst being haunted by the suicide of Dorothy, who worked at the British Embassy, Westphall finds himself encountering the illegal trade in organs, twisted deceptions and danger around every corner.
The novel is steeped with melancholy, grief and loss. Westphall emanates these qualities and communes with the dead. The weather adds its echoes to the dark content present in the story. There is consideration of how a person might exist as two people. And the notions of what is real, for example, the title of this novel is seen as a book both by Melanie Waverly and Westphall, yet it does not exist. I am reminded of the quote from Hamlet, 'To be, or not to be: that is the question: ...'.
This is an extraordinary, intelligent and off kilter read which I cannot recommend highly enough. As to the question of whether the book exists, well, Freight Books kindly gave an ARC via netgalley.
February 9, 2019
Song of the Dead, the first book in the DI Ben Westphall series primarily set in Scotland, is a fantastic read and exactly my cup of tea. Granted, I'm a huge Douglas Lindsay fan, and this is his best novel to date. I read crime fiction mainly to relax, so it's crucial I find the right balance between an easy, non-taxing story and plenty of excitement, and it must have enough going on to keep me interested; this book fulfils the criteria perfectly, and I'm beyond excited that this is a series, as I know there's more to come. Mr Lindsay's books are usually set in Scotland, but, here, Westphall also ventures to Tallinn, Estonia.
It's a wonderfully written, immersive and engaging read, which has a distinctive haunting, ominous atmosphere that underpins everything, and there are copious twists and turns making it very satisfying, so satisfying that I devoured it within a few hours; I loved every single second of it too. Lindsay writes books that are the epitome of tartan noir, and as always his prose is liberally sprinkled with humour, in particular, there is some truly biting sarcasm. The contrast between the dark humour and the brutal killings is superbly done and everything is perfectly balanced, light and dark, good and bad. I look forward to upcoming instalments in the series and seeing Ben and company evolve and grow.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
It's a wonderfully written, immersive and engaging read, which has a distinctive haunting, ominous atmosphere that underpins everything, and there are copious twists and turns making it very satisfying, so satisfying that I devoured it within a few hours; I loved every single second of it too. Lindsay writes books that are the epitome of tartan noir, and as always his prose is liberally sprinkled with humour, in particular, there is some truly biting sarcasm. The contrast between the dark humour and the brutal killings is superbly done and everything is perfectly balanced, light and dark, good and bad. I look forward to upcoming instalments in the series and seeing Ben and company evolve and grow.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
September 21, 2017
Thank you to Netgalley and Freight Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read by Douglas Lindsay and after reading 'Song of the Dead' I will definitely be looking for more from this author. A man once declared dead reappears stating he has been the subject of organ harvesting. Once this theme began I was unsure if this was a topic I would enjoy reading about but Lindsay creates some great characters and the plot is so engaging that I kept turning the pages. It is well paced with lots of twists and turns that keep the reader wanting more, just the way I like it. I would highly recommend this book.
February 12, 2019
I loved the premise of this book and was really excited to get started, but I found it was such a struggle to get through, and purely down to the writing style. It was too choppy for me. Choppy to the point where I thought it was a formatting error... nope. But if you can get past the writing style (i couldn't) the premise was brilliant.
January 29, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Gritty, intriguing - a solid crime novel.
Great front cover, interesting concept...I was looking forward to getting stuck into this one. For the most part, I enjoyed it; particularly the brooding, melancholic atmosphere that pervades throughout.
So, to the storyline. DI Ben Westphall is called to Estonia to interrogate John Baden. So far so standard, apart from the fact that John Baden is dead. He was dredged up from a lake several years ago, yet here he stands; claiming that he's spent his time away being tortured by people, who also used him to harvest body parts.
His reappearance coincides perfectly with a series of murders back in Scotland...and the people dying all seem to be connected to John Baden himself.
Let's start with what I really enjoyed about this book. I loved the atmosphere. Occasionally, the plot even veers into slightly esoteric / supernatural territory, but it works very well, as it makes the reader question everything. It also adds to the pervasive sense of menace.
I liked DI Ben Westphall as a protagonist (especially his fear of flying) though I will say, I believe I've encountered this type of jaded, world-weary cop before in many other crime novels. I'd LOVE to see someone surprise us with a really optimistic, bubbly detective for once...
As for the set-up? It's a neat premise; just dark enough to provide the right level of threat and eeriness, without descending into grotesquery or gore. I liked the whole concept of a supposedly dead man turning up again out of the blue, and I think the author handled the whole thing very well.
If you're into police procedurals, this is likely to be right up your street.
Gritty, intriguing - a solid crime novel.
Great front cover, interesting concept...I was looking forward to getting stuck into this one. For the most part, I enjoyed it; particularly the brooding, melancholic atmosphere that pervades throughout.
So, to the storyline. DI Ben Westphall is called to Estonia to interrogate John Baden. So far so standard, apart from the fact that John Baden is dead. He was dredged up from a lake several years ago, yet here he stands; claiming that he's spent his time away being tortured by people, who also used him to harvest body parts.
His reappearance coincides perfectly with a series of murders back in Scotland...and the people dying all seem to be connected to John Baden himself.
Let's start with what I really enjoyed about this book. I loved the atmosphere. Occasionally, the plot even veers into slightly esoteric / supernatural territory, but it works very well, as it makes the reader question everything. It also adds to the pervasive sense of menace.
I liked DI Ben Westphall as a protagonist (especially his fear of flying) though I will say, I believe I've encountered this type of jaded, world-weary cop before in many other crime novels. I'd LOVE to see someone surprise us with a really optimistic, bubbly detective for once...
As for the set-up? It's a neat premise; just dark enough to provide the right level of threat and eeriness, without descending into grotesquery or gore. I liked the whole concept of a supposedly dead man turning up again out of the blue, and I think the author handled the whole thing very well.
If you're into police procedurals, this is likely to be right up your street.
March 20, 2019
An interesting twist on a number of plot lines we’ve met before but brought together in an original piece that announces Douglas Lindsay as a talented crime fiction writer.
Of course many will baulk at such a suggestion as Lindsay is the author some twenty novels including two successful series in Hutton/Jericho and Pereira & Bain.
However, I believe Lindsay’s writing reaches a new level with the introduction of DI Westphall and this new Scottish based crime drama.
A mishandled case of some twelve years ago bursts into prominence when the victim of that crime in the Baltic States John Baden, buried by his family walks into a police station very much alive.
Not only does he claim to be Baden, his DNA supports this and his explanation as to where he has been in the intervening years.
Westphall is dispatched from his base overseas to tidy things up and get to the bottom of this mystery.
The writing is clear and arrests the reader as you feel it is a fresh view of the dated police procedural. The characters, location and plot as it comes into focus are not spectres from forgotten novels but new and original variations on the theme.
This floods the book like an inrushing breath of fresh air. The main detective is more than a hobby copper; although it becomes clear he has little concern for career and advancement he is a dedicated officer.
Furthermore his background is unusual; not the usual hang-ups and vices but still a work in progress.
Troubled by demons of a sort and not able to make romantic connections of any lasting worth.
The part of the investigation is quite scary as they explore the forests where Baden alleges he was held against his will.
The organised crime involvement in the case is hard to pin down but the separate killings that mark the reappearance of a dead man also make for an allusive mystery.
My favourite character after the police officers involved is Dorothy and the introduction of another reality. This plays well into Westphall own thoughts and some of the testimony others offer.
As result this add a deeper, richer dimension to the story and reveals to me that Lindsay is at the top of his game with this new crime series.
Of course many will baulk at such a suggestion as Lindsay is the author some twenty novels including two successful series in Hutton/Jericho and Pereira & Bain.
However, I believe Lindsay’s writing reaches a new level with the introduction of DI Westphall and this new Scottish based crime drama.
A mishandled case of some twelve years ago bursts into prominence when the victim of that crime in the Baltic States John Baden, buried by his family walks into a police station very much alive.
Not only does he claim to be Baden, his DNA supports this and his explanation as to where he has been in the intervening years.
Westphall is dispatched from his base overseas to tidy things up and get to the bottom of this mystery.
The writing is clear and arrests the reader as you feel it is a fresh view of the dated police procedural. The characters, location and plot as it comes into focus are not spectres from forgotten novels but new and original variations on the theme.
This floods the book like an inrushing breath of fresh air. The main detective is more than a hobby copper; although it becomes clear he has little concern for career and advancement he is a dedicated officer.
Furthermore his background is unusual; not the usual hang-ups and vices but still a work in progress.
Troubled by demons of a sort and not able to make romantic connections of any lasting worth.
The part of the investigation is quite scary as they explore the forests where Baden alleges he was held against his will.
The organised crime involvement in the case is hard to pin down but the separate killings that mark the reappearance of a dead man also make for an allusive mystery.
My favourite character after the police officers involved is Dorothy and the introduction of another reality. This plays well into Westphall own thoughts and some of the testimony others offer.
As result this add a deeper, richer dimension to the story and reveals to me that Lindsay is at the top of his game with this new crime series.
February 10, 2019
I don’t think this book of one for every crime fan because it verges into a kind of dirty magical realism and is at times morose to the point of absurdity but it is beautifully written and the premise of a man who was pronounced dead 12 years earlier turning up alive with half his organs harvested is brilliantly handled. Douglas manages to make the trope of been-through-the-wringer male protagonist feel fresh and turns out something that is by turns compelling, very clever and - literally- haunting.
September 17, 2020
I was impressed by, and certainly quite enjoyed, much of this. Highly stylish and atmospheric in the dark writings of dark goings on in Estonia (where a man believed to have been killed dead over a decade previously, turns up alive after escaping captivity) and Scotland (where the police trying to piece this together are faced with a series of connected deaths), with a central protagonist and narrator who is interesting and complicated.
At times this reminded me of David Peace, there was a definite sense of corruption and the reader being kept slightly too far from understanding what was happening throughout. This was the main detraction for me, I admired the style and the prose.. each chapter felt intriguing and drew me in, but in the end there were too many diversions and tangents, and ~400 pages of thinking 'I find what is being described interesting, but I don't really understand where it fits in' in the end gave me a bit of a headache.
At times this reminded me of David Peace, there was a definite sense of corruption and the reader being kept slightly too far from understanding what was happening throughout. This was the main detraction for me, I admired the style and the prose.. each chapter felt intriguing and drew me in, but in the end there were too many diversions and tangents, and ~400 pages of thinking 'I find what is being described interesting, but I don't really understand where it fits in' in the end gave me a bit of a headache.
March 24, 2016
Review: SONG OF THE DEAD by Douglas Lindsay
(DI BEN WESTPHALL #1)
The prolific author of the Barney Thomson series and the DCI Jericho series institutes a brand-new series protagonist, burned out, worn down, DI Ben Westphall of Scotland. Sent to investigate a strange situation in Estonia, Ben may be in over his head. Years ago, two UK tourists visited Eastern Europe. The man disappeared, and shortly his corpse was pulled from a lake and identified by three people. His girlfriend dropped out of sight. Now a man has entered an Estonian police station, claiming the identity of the dead man, explaining he had been confined and subjected to organ harvesting.
(DI BEN WESTPHALL #1)
The prolific author of the Barney Thomson series and the DCI Jericho series institutes a brand-new series protagonist, burned out, worn down, DI Ben Westphall of Scotland. Sent to investigate a strange situation in Estonia, Ben may be in over his head. Years ago, two UK tourists visited Eastern Europe. The man disappeared, and shortly his corpse was pulled from a lake and identified by three people. His girlfriend dropped out of sight. Now a man has entered an Estonian police station, claiming the identity of the dead man, explaining he had been confined and subjected to organ harvesting.
February 7, 2019
DI Ben Westphall investigates the strange case of a dead man come back to life, when John Baden walks into a police station in Estonia and announces he has just escaped captivity. The only thing is, Baden's body was identified by his family and buried 12 years ago.
This was an odd book to review. On the one hand, the crime element was interesting and I wanted to know what had happened, but on the other, the paranormal element sometimes slowed the plot down too much. One wonders how long a DI who talked about time travel and doppelgangers would last in the real police force. There was also the fact the author listed a lot of the main character's actions: got up, showered, had egg on toast for breakfast, etc which I found took some getting used to. For all that, I did read it until the end and I feel that actually this is a series I could grow to like, therefore I would definitely read the second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Hodder & Stoughton / Mulholland Books, for the opportunity to review an ARC.
This was an odd book to review. On the one hand, the crime element was interesting and I wanted to know what had happened, but on the other, the paranormal element sometimes slowed the plot down too much. One wonders how long a DI who talked about time travel and doppelgangers would last in the real police force. There was also the fact the author listed a lot of the main character's actions: got up, showered, had egg on toast for breakfast, etc which I found took some getting used to. For all that, I did read it until the end and I feel that actually this is a series I could grow to like, therefore I would definitely read the second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Hodder & Stoughton / Mulholland Books, for the opportunity to review an ARC.
November 30, 2022
Very smart prose with deep suppositions and psychic flirts. And complex. Review tomorrow.
Later: This is procedural (heavy in various dictates/ associations too) but at the same time it is odd. Odd in a good way. Different. There are metaphysical implications. And the plot lines twist back upon each other. What happened 12 years ago in Estonia. Estonia today. The fallouts in Scotland from both periods.
And the suppositions also include other "people met along the way" because of Westphall's plane phobia. And these became entwined. It was deeper in psychological aspects and in philosophical tend within the prose flow to be IN this procedural who-dun-it type of case/thriller.
It was too long. Mainly because of all the drives and minutia of travel during stops between trains, ferries, rental cars etc. And IMHO, and probably only my own and not a majority opinion- I think the thought patterns for the plane fears and anxiety passages over future orders for time limits to get to the headquarters etc.- that became redundant/ repetitious. But Westphall's thoughts are of such depth to knowledge and experience that they were not impossible to swallow either. Not at all.
PLUS- that is accurate for how phobia is and plays out. Not only flying in airplanes but within 90% of all phobias. Immense thought and anticipation fear proceeds for days or weeks.
It's a hard read. It took twice as long to absorb as most books of this genre or series type. And if you don't have psych or even biologic background knowledge? This doesn't suffer fools in any sphere. Do you believe in a person splitting in two physically OR psychologically? Or is time travel mental side (not within physical body placements) actual/ possible and real? Lots of those types of conundrums here. As are many quotes put into forms that are true mind meals to digest. Some dozens I had to read twice or three times. And I won't add any here. Read them with patience. An exceptional writer will supply these to the reader on occasion. Lindsay does it nearly continually. It makes the copy exceptional in an exactness to mood/ nuance sense beyond just the intellectual high level. Coupled they are much above average. And I'm sure I'll read more of this series.
But I will give myself time to fit these hard reads in also. They are not the type of book you can pick up and get right back in either. Too complicated to memory and to suggestions to do that easily or at all.
Warning to those who dislike brutal in any form. Some of the information is beyond real for selling organs from kidnapped and imprisoned. And there is next to no morality within sexual, violence fallouts, or highly damaging habits of behavior to others in more than just the perp group.
I did like the way it ended. Justice? Hardly but better than prison.
I recommend this one if you are in the mood for a think piece. Nevertheless, it truly is sad.
Later: This is procedural (heavy in various dictates/ associations too) but at the same time it is odd. Odd in a good way. Different. There are metaphysical implications. And the plot lines twist back upon each other. What happened 12 years ago in Estonia. Estonia today. The fallouts in Scotland from both periods.
And the suppositions also include other "people met along the way" because of Westphall's plane phobia. And these became entwined. It was deeper in psychological aspects and in philosophical tend within the prose flow to be IN this procedural who-dun-it type of case/thriller.
It was too long. Mainly because of all the drives and minutia of travel during stops between trains, ferries, rental cars etc. And IMHO, and probably only my own and not a majority opinion- I think the thought patterns for the plane fears and anxiety passages over future orders for time limits to get to the headquarters etc.- that became redundant/ repetitious. But Westphall's thoughts are of such depth to knowledge and experience that they were not impossible to swallow either. Not at all.
PLUS- that is accurate for how phobia is and plays out. Not only flying in airplanes but within 90% of all phobias. Immense thought and anticipation fear proceeds for days or weeks.
It's a hard read. It took twice as long to absorb as most books of this genre or series type. And if you don't have psych or even biologic background knowledge? This doesn't suffer fools in any sphere. Do you believe in a person splitting in two physically OR psychologically? Or is time travel mental side (not within physical body placements) actual/ possible and real? Lots of those types of conundrums here. As are many quotes put into forms that are true mind meals to digest. Some dozens I had to read twice or three times. And I won't add any here. Read them with patience. An exceptional writer will supply these to the reader on occasion. Lindsay does it nearly continually. It makes the copy exceptional in an exactness to mood/ nuance sense beyond just the intellectual high level. Coupled they are much above average. And I'm sure I'll read more of this series.
But I will give myself time to fit these hard reads in also. They are not the type of book you can pick up and get right back in either. Too complicated to memory and to suggestions to do that easily or at all.
Warning to those who dislike brutal in any form. Some of the information is beyond real for selling organs from kidnapped and imprisoned. And there is next to no morality within sexual, violence fallouts, or highly damaging habits of behavior to others in more than just the perp group.
I did like the way it ended. Justice? Hardly but better than prison.
I recommend this one if you are in the mood for a think piece. Nevertheless, it truly is sad.
November 8, 2019
Well, this was a very bizarre book, and I can’t say I enjoyed it all that much!
The first ten chapters are just about DI Westphall travelling to Estonia with random stories from his history thrown in. When they do discuss the case of the re-appearing man and what he says happened to him over the last 12 years, it is just a few paragraphs. This is the story I signed up for, with the DI as the interweaving character. However, the book appears to be mainly about the DI with the case being in the periphery; this makes it is really slow going and quite boring. You keep expecting it to jump to someone else’s perspective, but it doesn’t, it just carries plodding on.
The action scenes are quite gripping, but the in-between bits just feel drawn out and unnecessary, especially the random stories that come out of nowhere about smaller characters. I kept expecting these stories to tie in somehow, but they didn’t. They were merely random stories about random characters that had nothing to do with what should have been the main story.
The premise of this book had potential. However, it wasn’t executed very well. It was as if the author had all these other elements that he wanted to ram into a book, and this one was as good as any. Fortunately, the investigation did pick up towards the end, and this element was quite interesting and had some twists that I wasn’t expecting. However, it was ruined by the very bizarre supernatural element that had been included in the book. The DI seemed like a raving lunatic for what he was prepared to believe. This element lost the story any credibility.
This was the first in a series, and I won’t be reading the follow-ons!
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of my reviews visit www.pinkanddizzy.com
The first ten chapters are just about DI Westphall travelling to Estonia with random stories from his history thrown in. When they do discuss the case of the re-appearing man and what he says happened to him over the last 12 years, it is just a few paragraphs. This is the story I signed up for, with the DI as the interweaving character. However, the book appears to be mainly about the DI with the case being in the periphery; this makes it is really slow going and quite boring. You keep expecting it to jump to someone else’s perspective, but it doesn’t, it just carries plodding on.
The action scenes are quite gripping, but the in-between bits just feel drawn out and unnecessary, especially the random stories that come out of nowhere about smaller characters. I kept expecting these stories to tie in somehow, but they didn’t. They were merely random stories about random characters that had nothing to do with what should have been the main story.
The premise of this book had potential. However, it wasn’t executed very well. It was as if the author had all these other elements that he wanted to ram into a book, and this one was as good as any. Fortunately, the investigation did pick up towards the end, and this element was quite interesting and had some twists that I wasn’t expecting. However, it was ruined by the very bizarre supernatural element that had been included in the book. The DI seemed like a raving lunatic for what he was prepared to believe. This element lost the story any credibility.
This was the first in a series, and I won’t be reading the follow-ons!
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of my reviews visit www.pinkanddizzy.com
December 29, 2017
I loved this book from the very first page. DI Ben Westphall is a compelling protagonist whose interactions with everyone he meets involve emotional insight and quite often empathy and genuine connection. Although it is the plot that draws most readers to the mystery genre, I always need a good dose of psychological character development and this book has that.
I happened across this book in my public library and was disappointed to see we didn't have many more titles by him. This is my first and I imagine I will be making my way through everything else he is written slowly over the next couple years as I can get my hands on them.
I happened across this book in my public library and was disappointed to see we didn't have many more titles by him. This is my first and I imagine I will be making my way through everything else he is written slowly over the next couple years as I can get my hands on them.
April 25, 2022
Re-read in advance of collecting books 2 and 3 from Stockton's Drake the Bookshop and was again impressed with the depth of humanity given to Ben Westphall and, having forgotten the plot, re-entertained again by its unfolding.
I bought this in Stockbridge's Golden Hare bookshop, not having heard of the author but eager to buy someone new and was hooked from the first by the writing - rich and hugely competent - and then kept so by the tension of the developing plot and the strong characterisation. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I bought this in Stockbridge's Golden Hare bookshop, not having heard of the author but eager to buy someone new and was hooked from the first by the writing - rich and hugely competent - and then kept so by the tension of the developing plot and the strong characterisation. Thoroughly enjoyable.
December 7, 2025
A crime novel by a Scottish author that mentions Tartu (a town I used to live in in my youth)? Yes, please!
So... On a hopefully nice Friday evening, Detective Inspector Ben Westphall is just stepping into a grocery shop to get some food to start his weekend when he is called back into the station. A man called John Baden, who had gone missing and had been declared death soon after twelve years ago, has just shown up in a police station in the far away town of Tartu, somewhere in Estonia. And the Chief Inspector has decided former intelligence officer Westphall is the right person to travel to Estonia to get to the bottom of things and lend a hand to the Estonian police.
The man claiming to be John Baden claims he's been held prisoner by unknown persons all this time while being used, for a lack of better wording, as a source of spare parts. This fact is also supported by X-ray pictures taken at the military hospital he has been taken to after giving his statement.
As if that's not serious enough, a series of murders kicks off on Scotland that seems to tie back to the dead man walking.
The novel takes place partly in Estonia, partly in Scotland. Taking in account what Baden had been dealing with in captivity, it can't be much of a spoiler to say the investigation leads to the international black market for donor organs. The case is complicated and full of twists and surprises, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat almost to the final pages.
It might be a question of personal preference, but there was one thing that brought the final mark down for me. While the case and the investigation themselves were 5/5 for me, I could have done without the mystical element added to the novel (Dorothy's story and the Book-That-Was-Or-Wasn't). For me, instead of adding to the story, it took me out of it, made me disconnect from a story I was enjoying otherwise.
So... On a hopefully nice Friday evening, Detective Inspector Ben Westphall is just stepping into a grocery shop to get some food to start his weekend when he is called back into the station. A man called John Baden, who had gone missing and had been declared death soon after twelve years ago, has just shown up in a police station in the far away town of Tartu, somewhere in Estonia. And the Chief Inspector has decided former intelligence officer Westphall is the right person to travel to Estonia to get to the bottom of things and lend a hand to the Estonian police.
The man claiming to be John Baden claims he's been held prisoner by unknown persons all this time while being used, for a lack of better wording, as a source of spare parts. This fact is also supported by X-ray pictures taken at the military hospital he has been taken to after giving his statement.
As if that's not serious enough, a series of murders kicks off on Scotland that seems to tie back to the dead man walking.
The novel takes place partly in Estonia, partly in Scotland. Taking in account what Baden had been dealing with in captivity, it can't be much of a spoiler to say the investigation leads to the international black market for donor organs. The case is complicated and full of twists and surprises, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat almost to the final pages.
It might be a question of personal preference, but there was one thing that brought the final mark down for me. While the case and the investigation themselves were 5/5 for me, I could have done without the mystical element added to the novel (Dorothy's story and the Book-That-Was-Or-Wasn't). For me, instead of adding to the story, it took me out of it, made me disconnect from a story I was enjoying otherwise.
January 24, 2021
This is a really interesting detective story, in that it breaks some important rules: the classic detective formula is that you eliminate the impossible and whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Well, this detective seems like he's doing everything by the book, but he's quite willing to consider a few impossible options. It's a little unsettling, but it was quite a thrill following along.
I found the ending a bit disappointing. The conclusion to the case I mean. The actual end of the book was back into weirdsville. It's definitely worth a look though, just to see what a detective story would be like if it happened in a world that was just a tiny, tiny bit magic.
I found the ending a bit disappointing. The conclusion to the case I mean. The actual end of the book was back into weirdsville. It's definitely worth a look though, just to see what a detective story would be like if it happened in a world that was just a tiny, tiny bit magic.
May 20, 2018
song of the dead by Douglas Lindsay.
John Baden went missing from his partner while on holiday. Emily king went to the police but they didn't want to know. his body turns up at the side of a lake. how why and where is what Detective Ben Westphall wants to know.
now 12 years later a man turns up at a police station claiming to be John Baden. what will Ben do?
This was a good read. loved Ben's character. wasn't sure on the person claiming to be John or Emily either. it wasn't what I thought. 4*.
John Baden went missing from his partner while on holiday. Emily king went to the police but they didn't want to know. his body turns up at the side of a lake. how why and where is what Detective Ben Westphall wants to know.
now 12 years later a man turns up at a police station claiming to be John Baden. what will Ben do?
This was a good read. loved Ben's character. wasn't sure on the person claiming to be John or Emily either. it wasn't what I thought. 4*.
February 13, 2019
Completely wonderful .. an empathetic detective with traumatised past looks into an old car when a man thought dead re-emerges in Estonia .. our DI seems to have extra sensory perception, and despite an autocratic style chief, gets on with it . Then a colleague commit suicide. So, okay, it's not light but the characters are so deeply thought through and the gruesome crime very plausible if complex. Really recommend, and I'll be looking for other titles by this author.
March 3, 2018
Hea valik neile, kellele meeldivad leebemad krimkad, minu jaoks jäi veidi liiga lahjaks.
December 26, 2021
This was a dark and brooding Scottish police procedural that had some truly bizarre moments that I loved. I don't think I've read anything quite like it before - I've already bought the next book in the series.
March 2, 2021
In all honesty I didn’t finish the book ...I got 35% through and in that 35 percent it went from “meh” to fantastically bad. I’m out!
October 12, 2024
3,5 ✨ Beetje trage verhaallijn, maar desondanks niet saai. Soms een beetje te vaag. De manier waarop alle informatie naar boven kwam vond ik ook een beetje te makkelijk
March 5, 2023
12 years ago in Estonia John Baden, disappeared, and then his body was discovered and identified by his family. Now he has reappeared in Estonia. If he really is Baden where has he been all this time.
It is for DI Ben Westphall and his team to unravel the mystery.
An interesting and entertaining modern mystery
It is for DI Ben Westphall and his team to unravel the mystery.
An interesting and entertaining modern mystery
February 19, 2024
Põnev lugemine oli. Eestit oli päris korralikus koguses sisse toodud. Võibolla isegi loeks veel mõne aasta pärast.
March 18, 2019
Song of the Dead isn't my usual read, but I really did want to change things up and whilst my day job usually steers me away from crime fiction there was something that drew me to this book and I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for it.It's a great premise, really quite creepy and more than a little gruesome at times. It's a great mix though of thriller pacing with steady investigation and lots of interconnection between characters and location. The thing that made it really accessible for me though was the slight supernatural edge, for a straight laced plot there were pockets of story that almost felt like tiny interludes. I really enjoyed this extra piece of parallel puzzle and it gave the plot a sometimes needed change of tone.
The characters were very by the book and whilst there was nothing particularly outstanding about DI Westphall he was an enjoyable character to read. Just the right amount of jaded combined with an interesting back story which gave him kudos, but he was really the only star of the show. The supporting cast were pretty one dimensional and whilst they served a purpose I just felt that the character development would have been better focused on bringing the most out of one or two others than the extended cast that I struggled to remember at times
There was a great deal I didn't see coming and I really liked how it kept me on my toes throughout. It was a steady read with a driven plot which thankfully stopped just short of feeling like it was becoming ridiculous which I was very relieved about as I think one more demise would have just pushed it over the edge.
Ultimately this is a really enjoyable read, particularly if you want a little oddity in your crime thriller. I'm not sure it's a series I would come back to but this is well worth the read if you're after a change of genre.
With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Staunton for the review copy, whilst I received a copy for free all opinions are my own.
The characters were very by the book and whilst there was nothing particularly outstanding about DI Westphall he was an enjoyable character to read. Just the right amount of jaded combined with an interesting back story which gave him kudos, but he was really the only star of the show. The supporting cast were pretty one dimensional and whilst they served a purpose I just felt that the character development would have been better focused on bringing the most out of one or two others than the extended cast that I struggled to remember at times
There was a great deal I didn't see coming and I really liked how it kept me on my toes throughout. It was a steady read with a driven plot which thankfully stopped just short of feeling like it was becoming ridiculous which I was very relieved about as I think one more demise would have just pushed it over the edge.
Ultimately this is a really enjoyable read, particularly if you want a little oddity in your crime thriller. I'm not sure it's a series I would come back to but this is well worth the read if you're after a change of genre.
With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Staunton for the review copy, whilst I received a copy for free all opinions are my own.
December 20, 2018
#SongOfTheDead #NetGalley As always, I was excited to be reading book one of a crime series but sadly, on this occasion, it didn't really do it for me. The story itself was intriguing and when the action happened it was really gripping but I felt there was too much description and not enough action particularly in the first part of the book. I also found the 'supernatural' element to add nothing to the book and, for me, it spoilt the whole realism of the story. It seemed odd the way that Dorothy appeared in the book to tell her time travel story and then appear in dreams to give Ben clues as to how to solve the crime. I also couldn't work out whether the style of writing was annoying to me - leaving out the I at the beginning of sentences! Probably not, on the whole, but I did find it a little distracting. Would I read more in this series? Not sure which is a shame because I had high hopes for this after reading the description.
July 16, 2019
Simply Brilliant
I read an awful lot of books. Some great, others not so great. Just a handful though are exceptional and this is definitely one of them. A new police procedural series starting the enigmatic Ben Westphall. Ex Security Services and now a DI in the Scottish Highlands. Told in the first person, the story starts off with Westphall investigating a mystery in Estonia when a man reappears who was supposed to have died 12 years ago. This is just the beginning of an intriguing twisting plot which stretches from Estonia, across Europe and back to Scotland. It's quite brutal at times but the characters are all excellent, leaping off the page and into your imagination. There is another aspect to this book though, an element of the supernatural. An old woman who sits at a window watching a deer that only she can see, a book that can't possibly exist in this reality and then there is Dorothy. Did she really slipped through time and does she continue to visit Westphall...even after she committed suicide? This element to the book is wonderfully surreal and adds a otherworldly aspect which I absolutely loved. The sense of sadness and loss hangs heavy over the story but not in a depressing way. I found the whole thing very spiritual and haunting. I think this will stay with me long after I've finished reading. The mark of a truly great book. I've already downloaded book 2 in the series and I can't wait to get started. My book of 2019 so far and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I read an awful lot of books. Some great, others not so great. Just a handful though are exceptional and this is definitely one of them. A new police procedural series starting the enigmatic Ben Westphall. Ex Security Services and now a DI in the Scottish Highlands. Told in the first person, the story starts off with Westphall investigating a mystery in Estonia when a man reappears who was supposed to have died 12 years ago. This is just the beginning of an intriguing twisting plot which stretches from Estonia, across Europe and back to Scotland. It's quite brutal at times but the characters are all excellent, leaping off the page and into your imagination. There is another aspect to this book though, an element of the supernatural. An old woman who sits at a window watching a deer that only she can see, a book that can't possibly exist in this reality and then there is Dorothy. Did she really slipped through time and does she continue to visit Westphall...even after she committed suicide? This element to the book is wonderfully surreal and adds a otherworldly aspect which I absolutely loved. The sense of sadness and loss hangs heavy over the story but not in a depressing way. I found the whole thing very spiritual and haunting. I think this will stay with me long after I've finished reading. The mark of a truly great book. I've already downloaded book 2 in the series and I can't wait to get started. My book of 2019 so far and I can't recommend it highly enough.
May 19, 2019
Probably 3.5 really, if .5 stars was an option.
I think I got this via a sale email from Kobo. It was described as "Tartan noir", and that intrigued me. Also, I'm kind of a sucker for police stories set in the UK.
A UK citizen who was declared dead 12 years based on a body found in a lake suddenly turns up alive and traumatized. He'd apparently been held captive in an organ-harvesting operation in Estonia.
DI Ben Westphall is sent to Estonia to try to find out what's going on. He has to deal with eastern European police and bureaucracy. He has to try to unravel what happened to the man, to the woman who identified the body, and to various other folks back in Scotland who've started dying all of a sudden. And he has to be able to do it without having to fly back to Scotland.
I quite liked DI Westphall. He's a little unworldly, in spite of his background in specials forces or a spy agency (not quite sure which). I didn't love the parts in Estonia, but mostly because bad bureaucracy maybe turning a blind eye to other people doing bad things just depresses the hell out of me. But the whole plot is pretty solidly wound together.
I like it, and though it didn't absolutely knock my socks off, I would be glad to read more by Douglas Lindsay.
I think I got this via a sale email from Kobo. It was described as "Tartan noir", and that intrigued me. Also, I'm kind of a sucker for police stories set in the UK.
A UK citizen who was declared dead 12 years based on a body found in a lake suddenly turns up alive and traumatized. He'd apparently been held captive in an organ-harvesting operation in Estonia.
DI Ben Westphall is sent to Estonia to try to find out what's going on. He has to deal with eastern European police and bureaucracy. He has to try to unravel what happened to the man, to the woman who identified the body, and to various other folks back in Scotland who've started dying all of a sudden. And he has to be able to do it without having to fly back to Scotland.
I quite liked DI Westphall. He's a little unworldly, in spite of his background in specials forces or a spy agency (not quite sure which). I didn't love the parts in Estonia, but mostly because bad bureaucracy maybe turning a blind eye to other people doing bad things just depresses the hell out of me. But the whole plot is pretty solidly wound together.
I like it, and though it didn't absolutely knock my socks off, I would be glad to read more by Douglas Lindsay.
September 15, 2020
Song of the Dead is the first in a series featuring Ben Westphall. It is one of the strangest mystery/crime books I've ever read. I certainly didn't know what to believe.
from description: "Police detective Ben Westphall is burnt out and leading a quiet life in the North of Scotland. Things change when he is assigned to investigate the cold case of a UK national who disappeared in Eastern Europe under mysterious circumstances and who, despite being declared dead, has re-appeared, claiming to have been held for over a decade, various body parts having been harvested during that time. Westphall travels to Estonia, chasing leads and shadows that may lead to an international drugs and organ trafficking conspiracy."
Westphall is an oddity of ex-secret service, current police detective, and a "sensitive" to the paranormal. Or is he a burned out middle-aged man with mental problems? Interesting premise: a man who was declared dead and identified by both his girlfriend and his parents, turns up alive. Missing a few body parts.
So...I didn't exactly love it, but I might try another one in the series. I guess I'm curious about Westphall.
Crime/Thriller. 2016. Print length: 272 pages.
from description: "Police detective Ben Westphall is burnt out and leading a quiet life in the North of Scotland. Things change when he is assigned to investigate the cold case of a UK national who disappeared in Eastern Europe under mysterious circumstances and who, despite being declared dead, has re-appeared, claiming to have been held for over a decade, various body parts having been harvested during that time. Westphall travels to Estonia, chasing leads and shadows that may lead to an international drugs and organ trafficking conspiracy."
Westphall is an oddity of ex-secret service, current police detective, and a "sensitive" to the paranormal. Or is he a burned out middle-aged man with mental problems? Interesting premise: a man who was declared dead and identified by both his girlfriend and his parents, turns up alive. Missing a few body parts.
So...I didn't exactly love it, but I might try another one in the series. I guess I'm curious about Westphall.
Crime/Thriller. 2016. Print length: 272 pages.
February 20, 2019
John Baden has been dead for twelve years. So when someone purporting to be him walks out of an Estonian forest claiming to be John Baden opens up a dead case which sees Ben Westphall go back to Estonia and then back to Inverness to track the case.
The case becomes stranger and stranger and facts begin to appear as fiction - as it becomes very complicated with overlapping characters and events. Ben Westphall our detective is himself carries an overlay of sadness, loss and desolation. He seems slightly other worldish able to decipher feelings of loss and sadness in others and is able to read an atmosphere of most locations which seems out of place in a supposedly hard boiled detective, dealing with facts and figures.
The story is fantastic but intriguing. Not boring in the least but very complicated and at times I lost the thread of the story but I grasped it again soon enough.
I like the characterizations and the descriptiveness of the physical surroundings of both Estonia and Scotland.
The case becomes stranger and stranger and facts begin to appear as fiction - as it becomes very complicated with overlapping characters and events. Ben Westphall our detective is himself carries an overlay of sadness, loss and desolation. He seems slightly other worldish able to decipher feelings of loss and sadness in others and is able to read an atmosphere of most locations which seems out of place in a supposedly hard boiled detective, dealing with facts and figures.
The story is fantastic but intriguing. Not boring in the least but very complicated and at times I lost the thread of the story but I grasped it again soon enough.
I like the characterizations and the descriptiveness of the physical surroundings of both Estonia and Scotland.
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