Return to evil

DCI Harry McNeil #1

by John Carson

A woman is found in a local cemetery, crushed to death under a gravestone. A production company is there, filming the remake of a classic sci-fi TV show in the grounds, making the investigation more difficult for DCI Harry McNeil. It's his first day in charge of the cold case unit in Edinburgh. After spending four years in Professional Standards, he has little choice but to take the promotion. The Crown Office decides which cold cases should be reviewed, and this time, they've decided the murder of a teenage girl from twenty years ago should be re-opened. A girl who was murdered by somebody pushing a gravestone on top of her... The case gets more complicated when they find out who the latest victim is. Suddenly there are no shortage of suspects. As the filming continues, so does the killing. And McNeil wonders, has a killer been murdering for twenty years? Or is this case completely unconnected? With Frank Miller's help, he's going to find out...the hard way...

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

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2019

About the author

John Carson is the author of the DI Frank Miller detective series. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and lived there most of his life. In 2006, he emigrated to New York State with his American wife and two daughters. They now live in a small town in the Hudson Valley where his wife was brought up, with a German Shepherd, a Beagle mix and four cats.

Reviews

[Chad James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookish Books Reading Challenge

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't a possibility to choose this as an Audible book for review, but that is how I read it. For a brief few pages, I read the book on my Kindle and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd have stuck with that. This narrator wasn't for me - it's just a matter of preference and how easy it is for me to listen to a voice - nothing against the narrator himself.

Some nice twists and turns here, and I may decide later to give the next in the series a shot. Wasn't quite as believable as I like; I definitely did a little bit of minor eye-rolling. But all in all, it wasn't bad.

[Nancy]

A woman is found in a local cemetery, crushed to death under a gravestone. A production company is there, filming the remake of a classic sci-fi TV show in the grounds, making the investigation more difficult for DCI Harry McNeil.

It's his first day in charge of the cold case unit in Edinburgh. After spending four years in Professional Standards, he has little choice but to take the promotion. The Crown Office decides which cold cases should be reviewed, and this time, they've decided the murder of a teenage girl from twenty years ago should be re-opened. A girl who was murdered by somebody pushing a gravestone on top of her...

The case gets more complicated when they find out who the latest victim is. Suddenly there are no shortage of suspects.

As the filming continues, so does the killing. And McNeil wonders, has a killer been murdering for twenty years? Or is this case completely unconnected? With Frank Miller's help, he's going to find out...the hard way... (less)
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Kindle Edition, 198 pages
Published December 5th 2019
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RETURN TO EVIL: A Scottish Crime Thriller (A DCI Harry McNeil Crime Thriller)
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Average rating 4.16 · Rating details · 141 ratings · 2 reviews



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Nancy Koshak,
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Diane E
Mar 04, 2020 Diane E added it
Definitely evil people

DCI McNeil is posted to take over the cold case squad . The current leader is scheduled to retire . I agree with another reviewer that there are a lot of characters and that it is difficult to follow conversations in the book , however the underlying plot of abuse is evident from the start . A 15 year old girl has an affair with an older married man and becomes pregnant . That was 15 years ago. A similar murder occurs in the same place during the filming of a remake of the ...more
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D. Jensen
Mar 01, 2020 D. Jensen rated it did not like it
Weak and confusing

Perhaps if this was John Carson's very first novel, we could forgive the convoluted storyline and the over abundance of characters. I often wasn't certain if there had been a typographical error or if he just didn't make it clear who was who. By the time I got to the actual who whodunit, I had forgotten who the character was. And didn't care. Really short on believable police and administrative procedures.
Not a good story
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ABOUT JOHN CARSON

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at random from Kindle Unlimited, and it definitely wasn't a good find. Advertised as the first of a series, it turns out to be the start of a spin-off from an established series so there's backstory that is referenced without much explanation.

But the real problem is the writing, which is pretty bad - not just bad dialogue, but several scenes that it's hard to make sense of, and a final conclusion that is rushed through with no attempt at realism.

Having been reading Gatward and J.D. Kirk recently, the contrast is stark. I was hoping to find something comparable, and was sorely disappointed.

[Keith Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite Entertaining

Carson is a terrific writer. His characters, however, while vivid, can, at times, become interchangeable. Many times I had to use the “search” option to go back and remind myself who someone was. The plot was decently done, and atmospheric. The use of the film crew and the cemetery was inspired. But, there were just so many characters! Police, ex-police, actors, producers, investors, directors, fans, psycho fans, outsiders, children-in-law, second cousins, girlfriends all around being ritually murdered... And DCI HARRY MCNIEL is the least developed character of them ALL. I have no idea who he is, why he is, where he is most of the time. Not a particularly memorable debut. But as the series opener, it leaves a good impression.

One major irritant, SPOILER;is how, at the last minute, at the drop of the hat, two different people, not particularly “persons of interest”, start confessing EVERYTHING based entirely on their belief that a simple visit by the police means the jig is up! WHY? Are they torn up with guilt? No. Have they been tipped off that some juicy evidence has just surfaced? No. Before the police can even move forward on that evidence, the murderers just, very simply, and far too casually, confess to EVERYTHING. “I was waiting for my bacon roll, they usually apply too much ketchup, and I killed Jill. Would anyone like some tea?” “I was in the make-up room waiting for a call to the set and I killed the two women in the cemetery and attacked another. Here’s exactly how I did it.” HUH? I don’t know if the author just got bored and wanted to finish the damned book, or what his motivation was for the two sudden, unprovoked, not, as far as they knew, anyway, due to any imminent arrest, or that some pretty damning evidence had come in. But, even if they’d stopped confessing for a minute and heard the new evidence, ALL evidence can be challenged, explained, dismissed, laughed at, clarified, gotten around. But, nope. “I think my shirt is improperly buttoned and I hung Adrian upside down by a tree and set her on fire.” VERY disappointing. And, from such a smart writer. However, having been fully entertained, if occasionally confused, I will certainly continue eagerly with the series.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

DCI Harry has just transferred out of Professional Standards and into the Cold Case unit. With a short period under his mentor to ease the transition for both Harry and the other officers no one expected them to suddenly pick up such a large and active case. Someone has murdered a woman in the cemetery in an identical manner to the killing of a pregnant teenage girl twenty years ago. With a film crew also currently inhabiting the cemetery shooting for a TV show there are any number of complications as Harry and his new team try to piece everything together.

I found this to be a fun and well-paced story. While this book was written after Sticks and Stones (the first in the DCI Harry McNeil series) the setting in the fictional world is shortly before Sticks and Stones – being Harry’s first case after leaving Professional Standards. It is still quite modern though and I found it was quite easy to read it out of chronological order.

There are a number of other cast members, including DCI Frank Miller who is featured in another of Carson’s series. At times I wondered if maybe there were too many secondary characters, but I feel Carson handled this quite well and I thought the story was better for having the somewhat larger size to its cast.

The mystery plot was very interesting and captured my attention pretty much from the beginning. This is a very well written police procedural style of story and Carson has an excellent writing style – the “voice” of which I really enjoy and personally I feel it flows very well and is easy to get sucked into the characters and stories. I greatly enjoy this series and am always happy to read more when each book is completed. This book – despite it being chronologically moving backwards – is no different.

A strong and well written police procedural style murder mystery book that I really enjoyed; I’ll definitely be purchasing more of Mr. Carson’s works.

[Violet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely Horrid!

There are very few books in my entire reading lifetime that I have just stopped reading, I usually see them through til the end, but won’t buy the next book if it’s a series, however…

I cannot read this one, there are around 30 characters in the first part of the book, & the book itself is only just over 200 pages!

The storyline is jumping everywhere & just cutting off with no regard to anything, but this below is the final kicker to me….

A character that is supposed to be talked to regarding the murder & anything he may know, just said a guy got into a fight with the murder victim & all the 2 cops, (well one lot of 2 cops, as there’s plenty of them to spare) do is say thanks for the free bacon rolls & wander off, read below

Book excerpt
“and then one day, I saw him getting into a real fight with the woman who was murdered.’ ‘Do you know what they were arguing about?’ Weaver asked. ‘Not sure. I was busy. I thought I heard the woman say something about somebody being pregnant. I thought he had maybe got her up the stick or something.’ ‘Thanks.’ The detectives walked away, well out of earshot.”

I cannot recommend this book to anyone, I have deleted it & certainly won’t be buying any more, god only knows how the authors managed to write an ongoing series that actually sells, it boggles my brain!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return to Evil is the first book in the new series by John Carson called DCI Harry McNeil. After four years in the Professional Standards Unit, DCI Harry McNeil was given the position of heading the Cold Case Unit in Edinburgh. On the first day on the job, DCI Harry McNeil caught a case of a woman found in the local cemetery under a gravestone. However, the case was similar to a Cold Case when the original TV was filmed twenty years ago. Was it coincidental, or did someone on the set kill both girls? The readers of Return to Evil will continue to follow DCI Harry McNeil's investigation to discover what happens.

Return to Evil is the second book I have read of John Carson. I read and enjoyed the last book in this series, so I returned to the beginning. I am pleased that I did. I love John Carson's portrayal of the characters and their intertwining throughout this book. Return To Evil is well-written and researched by John Carson. I like John Carson's description of the settings of Return To Evil, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of Return To Evil will learn about the role of the Professional Standards Unit in Scotland's law enforcement. Also, the readers will learn about looking after an onsite TV Site.

I recommend this book.

[Diane E]

Definitely evil people

DCI McNeil is posted to take over the cold case squad . The current leader is scheduled to retire . I agree with another reviewer that there are a lot of characters and that it is difficult to follow conversations in the book , however the underlying plot of abuse is evident from the start . A 15 year old girl has an affair with an older married man and becomes pregnant . That was 15 years ago. A similar murder occurs in the same place during the filming of a remake of the same movie made 15 years ago . Confusing , yes. I wholeheartedly agree with the author in his afterword . Yes, evil people exist .

[barbara jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many people in it. Gets confusing trying to keep track of everybody

No depth to the story. I could not find anything that I could hang onto about the story. It was like a Brian Rix farce on the old time Playhouse. Everybody everywhere but nobody there. Hope John Carson's books gets better. I bought three of them. But then when I read Rebus ,Reacher and Bosch and it is hard to find anyone near to those authors"s. Maybe Harry McNeil can improve in time. I hope so. I don't like wasting my money.

[Bill Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Harry McNeil (numbered 0 for some strange reason), I’ve ended up reading it last.

I think the other books in the series are better. Their stories are less confused and are all quick and easy to read. The characters are developed nicely as the series matures and are all quite likeable. My only real bugbear is that the banter between some of the senior police in later books sometimes verged on the juvenile. Don’t let this book put you off the series, the others are much better.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading the Harry McNeil series but didn’t realize this was the first in the series so I read Sticks and Stones first. Although this sets up how Harry McNeil came to his new position, I found it to be very confusing. There were too many detectives from too many divisions and I couldn’t keep them straight. I found the reveal at the end to be a little unbelievable. I liked his second book, STICKS AND STONES to be much better. That being said, I look forward to read the rest of the series.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one I picked up in KU as I'd finishing reading a few other police procedurals and was looking for more. I agree with another reviewer (Martin) in that there were characters mentioned which appeared to have no reason for being there, scenes that were jumpy and not well written, dialogue that needed to be (badly) tightened, a backstory which made it difficult to understand the reasons why and what was happening, and a conclusion that didn't make a lot of sense. Not on par with other writers like Catriona King, LJ Ross, Rhys Dylan, Alex Scarrow, Jack Gatland. Disappointing

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered a new detective I like. I really like the banter between him and Alex. It was hard keeping all the names in order to figure out who did what, who said what. That was a drawback for me. Eventually, all the names made sense. I think the problem was that someone was introduced with a full name and then the other characters would be back and forth with what they were called, either using the first name or last name alone, which added to the confusion. The story was good and the culprit was a surprise.

[Geraldine Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative and fresh

A well written police thriller with solid lead characters and plenty of twists and turns. The author has created a vivid world, with characters - good and bad - that you'll remember. The relationship between Harry McNeil and his DS Alex is especially engaging, and I am looking forward to reading more. Edinburgh makes a great setting for this story, and all in all a thoroughly satisfying read. This was the first book by Carson that I've read but it won't be the last.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing Chapter 4 heading

Lousy editing I guess that Chapter 4 starts with saying it's 5 Days Later. Maybe it meant 5 Days Later as previous Chapter said they were at the scene. Then I did not like that it was trending that a DCI was flirting with a younger and attractive subordinate while still in a committed relationship with someone else. This book will propagate the disbelief that if you have an important job and very busy, what is rightly a sexual harassment or inappropriate relationships in the workplace will be allowed for men with no consequences.

[D. Jensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weak and confusing

Perhaps if this was John Carson's very first novel, we could forgive the convoluted storyline and the over abundance of characters. I often wasn't certain if there had been a typographical error or if he just didn't make it clear who was who. By the time I got to the actual who whodunit, I had forgotten who the character was. And didn't care. Really short on believable police and administrative procedures.
Not a good story

[Lilly Hi Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Mystery

Return to Evil is Book Number 0 in the Harry McNeil mystery series. It sets up the series and explains the police unit Harry manages from Book 1 on. We meet characters that appear in the new series as well. I won't tell you more for fear of spoiling the book for you. But suffice it to say that I enjoyed the book and plan to read all the other books in the series.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction/Prequel to DCI Harry McNeil. I look forward to getting to know his team. There are a few characters there.
Frank Miller is also in this book. Both work together to find out the murderer from 20yrs ago. Now another murder happens the same way. Is it the same person, or someone else.
A very tricky murder. It's on a movie set where again, a similar murder take place in the movie.

[Casey Grist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Choppy…disjointed

The premise seemed intriguing, but the story was just very disjointed. It didn’t flow at all. The characters weren’t likeable, and everything just ended suddenly, with the whole thing having to be explained by the team, like a big reveal. The plot line could really have been fleshed out well, but instead it just up and ended and didn’t feel like a real conclusion. Disappointing.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing and Not Enjoyable

I found there to be too many characters, many of whom had similar names or more than one name, and none of whom seemed particularly memorable. I had to keep going back to try and figure out who was who. Annoying. The end seemed contrived. I kept thinking about not finished the book and then I thought maybe it would get better. It didn’t. Sorry, Mr. Carson. I won’t be reading another.

[Stacey Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really didn't work for me. There are a lot of point of views and they're not distinct enough that I mostly kept confusing characters, and frankly I can't even entirely remember the mystery, it wasn't very compelling. The link between cold case and current case was flimsy and in the end I just didn't care that much. It could be really good with a few changes and if the author decided to drink some respect women juice. I probably won't be continuing with the series.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I 1st read this under the title God Complex and I'm glad I did as it was better and had more substance. Return to Evil was pretty close to the same with minor differences but in my opinion God Complex was written better. God Complex was funnier with more of a DI Miller view point and Return to Evil, while still funny, was more of a DCI McNeil view point.

[Susann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost Patience With This Book

I got about about one third of the way through this and gave up. Amateurish writing...short, clipped sentences, repetitive, no character development, little happening in the plot, waaaay too many characters introduced too soon with nothing to distinguish them...just names, boring, puerile. Why waste my time...

[Cindy Tino · Rating 5 out of 5]

not bad

Once I put the names with the characters, the flow of the story was easier to follow. The plot was good albeit a bit rushed. Oddly the book ended a bit abruptly. The story wrapped up neatly, opening the way for a series. I will hold judgment and definitely read the next in the series.

[Rachael Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too good

I've just finished the series by LJ Ross & JD Kirk and wanted to start another detective series. Really disappointed. Couldn't keep track of all the characters, first name one minute then surname the next. Didn't care for any character and really struggled knowing what was going on in some scenes due to all the names being thrown about. Won't be reading another.

[Barbara Allendorfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

good story

A well crafted story. For a first book in a series it had way too many main characters, sometimes called by their first names, sometimes their last. Very confusing, but a good plot with an unexpected twist. I’ll read the next one, and hopefully be able to keep the characters straight while hopefully enjoying another good story

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different Perspectives

The main plot was convoluted, overdone, in my opinion. However, although not slow paced, the biggest twists in this book moved the original premise of the plot into a much more rewarding read. The subplots actually worked brilliantly to bring in the darkest of human behaviour in thought-provoking ways.

Excellent

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story in the SCI Harry McNeil series with plenty of action and lots of twists and turns along the way. Lots of sub plots merging into a great story. Looking forward to reading more.

[M R B Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read

This is book 0 of a series. Having read books 1-3 I thought I ought to read the first. Harry McNeil apparently takes over a cold case unit and not only solved a 20 yr old case but also a current one. As a result the unit is upgraded. A little far fetched.