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DCI Harry McNeil #5
Hour of Need
A death in the family. A man cut down. A cold-blooded killer with no boundaries.DCI Harry McNeil wasn’t fond of his stepfather, but he never wished him dead. And there’s no time to comfort his mother when he’s pulled away to upscale Edinburgh to investigate a sadistic doorstep stabbing. But despite the victim having lived a perfectly ordinary life, McNeil suspects a gruesome hit.
When the deceased’s widow witnesses a dark stranger lurking in the neighborhood, the seasoned detective is certain he has the assassin in his sights. But when his hunt for the culprit swerves too close to home, McNeil fears the killings have become personal.
Will he track down the murderer before death knocks on his own door?
Hour of Need is the fourth book in the thrilling DCI Henry McNeil mystery series.
When the deceased’s widow witnesses a dark stranger lurking in the neighborhood, the seasoned detective is certain he has the assassin in his sights. But when his hunt for the culprit swerves too close to home, McNeil fears the killings have become personal.
Will he track down the murderer before death knocks on his own door?
Hour of Need is the fourth book in the thrilling DCI Henry McNeil mystery series.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 29, 2020
1219 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
John Carson
99 books166 followersJohn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 5, 2020
Sorry didnt like this book. Too many deaths. Babies swopped at birth. Etc. Wise-cracking detectives.
April 17, 2020
Boring and total nonsense...
Padded out with banal and boring dialogue, this nonsensical plot rambled to the all to obvious finale. About as Scottish as Scotty in star trek. Really did not like this, almost have up reading it a few times, would not recommend.
Padded out with banal and boring dialogue, this nonsensical plot rambled to the all to obvious finale. About as Scottish as Scotty in star trek. Really did not like this, almost have up reading it a few times, would not recommend.
May 23, 2020
Not bad, but an over complicated plot, with an unlikely set of circumstances involving the policeman - and every one else! - too much stilted and unnecessary dialogue.
December 11, 2021
What the holy HECK?
There were so many characters, all of them innocent yet guilty of SOMETHING, I kept expecting a last minute ALIEN ABDUCTION! Sorry, but this one’s an endless, tortured and tortuous MESS, written from a smug, far too complicated outline. Everyone was who they seemed/not who they seemed, and ultimately entirely unrecognizable as human beings. Yet also completely interchangeable. Everyone was not married to everyone, having affairs with everyone else, rising from the dead or switched at birth. Why settle on one plot, one twist, when you can use them ALL in one book? The plot was ALL PLOTS. The twist ending ended up a demented pretzel of cliches, tropes, incredulity and utter silliness! And, who WERE all these people? I just gave up. New or unnamed characters would be having a scene all of a sudden FOR NO RECOGNIZABLE REASON that I could not figure out. Conspiracy theories, family members suggested as serial killers, and DCI HARRY made a complete FOOL of himself, believing EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!. With Alex forever intoning; “It doesn’t matter that your mothers a killer and your brothers in an incestuous relationship and What’s-His-Face faked his own death and those babies were switched at birth, you’ll always have me and. I’ll always have you. Right? RIGHT? We’ll ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have each other, RIGHT? Rriigghhtt! ALWAYS, RIGHT!”What a COMPLETE MESS that no editor should have signed off on. Or the suck-up friends who are the author’s “First Readers”, who should have said; “Um, honey, you know I love you but… YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT? YOU JUST THREW SOME PAGES FROM SEVENTEEN OTHER BOOKS INTO THE AIR AND WHEREVER THEY LANDED YOU MOOSHED THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO THIS DEFORMED ABOMINATION? RIGHT? Ha-ha! LOL! I KNEW it!”
There were so many characters, all of them innocent yet guilty of SOMETHING, I kept expecting a last minute ALIEN ABDUCTION! Sorry, but this one’s an endless, tortured and tortuous MESS, written from a smug, far too complicated outline. Everyone was who they seemed/not who they seemed, and ultimately entirely unrecognizable as human beings. Yet also completely interchangeable. Everyone was not married to everyone, having affairs with everyone else, rising from the dead or switched at birth. Why settle on one plot, one twist, when you can use them ALL in one book? The plot was ALL PLOTS. The twist ending ended up a demented pretzel of cliches, tropes, incredulity and utter silliness! And, who WERE all these people? I just gave up. New or unnamed characters would be having a scene all of a sudden FOR NO RECOGNIZABLE REASON that I could not figure out. Conspiracy theories, family members suggested as serial killers, and DCI HARRY made a complete FOOL of himself, believing EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!. With Alex forever intoning; “It doesn’t matter that your mothers a killer and your brothers in an incestuous relationship and What’s-His-Face faked his own death and those babies were switched at birth, you’ll always have me and. I’ll always have you. Right? RIGHT? We’ll ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have each other, RIGHT? Rriigghhtt! ALWAYS, RIGHT!”What a COMPLETE MESS that no editor should have signed off on. Or the suck-up friends who are the author’s “First Readers”, who should have said; “Um, honey, you know I love you but… YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT? YOU JUST THREW SOME PAGES FROM SEVENTEEN OTHER BOOKS INTO THE AIR AND WHEREVER THEY LANDED YOU MOOSHED THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO THIS DEFORMED ABOMINATION? RIGHT? Ha-ha! LOL! I KNEW it!”
March 21, 2023
Well, I made it through four of the DCI Harry McNeil books through sheer will and determination, but the journey ends here for me. I had hoped these would get better moving forward, but if anything this one imploded within my Kindle app. Multiple confusing storylines, a continuation of wooden characters with just unrealistic dialog, just plain terrible police procedural details, and a multitude of editorial mistakes that make an already-confusing book almost unreadable. I think I am just always on the search for more DCI Logan, Grimm, Kett, Warlow, etc.... onward, I say.
April 23, 2020
Amazing series
Loving this series of books can’t wait for the next book to be done. Recommend to everyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.
Loving this series of books can’t wait for the next book to be done. Recommend to everyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.
March 3, 2020
Reliable.
You can read this. Mr Carson has written better, this one gets a bit confused at times and I’m not only talking about the trans position of her for him in the first chapter.
You can read this. Mr Carson has written better, this one gets a bit confused at times and I’m not only talking about the trans position of her for him in the first chapter.
January 9, 2023
I’m about to give up on this series, I thought maybe it would get better. I love this genre of books but in my opinion this series is not up to standard.
The characters are under-developed - after 5 books there is very little I can say about any of them beyond a 2 line bio.
I find Alex and Harry’s relationship not credible. I don’t understand why they are together, there’s no substance to their attraction. Their conversation consists of awkward ‘banter’ interposed with talk of marriage and babies when they just got together.
There are actual mistakes in the books, eg characters called the wrong names at times which makes the convoluted plots extra difficult to follow. In this book the character Linda Hogan becomes Linda Hogarth for a section of the book then goes back to being Linda Hogan. Another example of a mistake in this book is in chapter 5 where Harry says that Karen and Simon will do one interview and Harry and Eve the other. Alex and the new member of the team Ronnie were to carry on with background research. Few pages later they watch the recorded interview which was conducted by Ronnie and Simon. Just sloppy mistake stuff.
The dialogue is wooden and uneven in tone. It flips between Scottish slang and overly formal, in a way that no one actually speaks. I have no issue with Scottish slang by the way, my favourite books of this genre are DCI Logan, also set in Scotland.
On that point, I was looking forward to these books as they are set in Edinburgh, a city I used to live in and love dearly. But there’s no sense of place in these books, they could be anywhere. The setting can sometimes feel like another character but not in these books, there’s very little written to capture what the location feels like. Other books in this genre have he wanting to visit the place they’re set in. Most of the time I forget these books are supposed to be in Edinburgh.
The police work in these books is terrible. The team don’t share information with each other quickly and they don’t seem to do the kind of thorough background checking and research which would solve most of the crimes in half the time. By the end of the books we usually discover everyone knew each other from way back but our hapless team never figure this out from good research or thorough interviews. Their interviews always end just when it looks like they might be getting somewhere! And even when hunting murderers they knock off at dinner time, go to the pub for some banter then go home and watch a movie! In this particular book, an example is when they are reviewing the evidence as a team, but Harry doesn’t bother to tell them that his brother told him he saw the victim arguing with Harry’s ‘stepfather’. It’s bad enough he didn’t mention it as evidence but the fact it’s his own family makes it extra dubious to not mention it and Harry should know better given his former role in professional Standards. Then a few chapters later, Ronnie and Simon are told that the victim had been having an affair with Briony Dixon (Harry’s de facto stepsister). But they never pass this on to Harry or even mention it again. A few chapters later Harry is told that Briony informed a connected character that their baby had been swapped in the hospital. There’s no scene of the team sharing all these pieces of information. No-one ever goes to formally interview Briony Dixon.
There are lots of loose ends/red herrings left hanging in these books. It makes for very untidy stories.
The characters are under-developed - after 5 books there is very little I can say about any of them beyond a 2 line bio.
I find Alex and Harry’s relationship not credible. I don’t understand why they are together, there’s no substance to their attraction. Their conversation consists of awkward ‘banter’ interposed with talk of marriage and babies when they just got together.
There are actual mistakes in the books, eg characters called the wrong names at times which makes the convoluted plots extra difficult to follow. In this book the character Linda Hogan becomes Linda Hogarth for a section of the book then goes back to being Linda Hogan. Another example of a mistake in this book is in chapter 5 where Harry says that Karen and Simon will do one interview and Harry and Eve the other. Alex and the new member of the team Ronnie were to carry on with background research. Few pages later they watch the recorded interview which was conducted by Ronnie and Simon. Just sloppy mistake stuff.
The dialogue is wooden and uneven in tone. It flips between Scottish slang and overly formal, in a way that no one actually speaks. I have no issue with Scottish slang by the way, my favourite books of this genre are DCI Logan, also set in Scotland.
On that point, I was looking forward to these books as they are set in Edinburgh, a city I used to live in and love dearly. But there’s no sense of place in these books, they could be anywhere. The setting can sometimes feel like another character but not in these books, there’s very little written to capture what the location feels like. Other books in this genre have he wanting to visit the place they’re set in. Most of the time I forget these books are supposed to be in Edinburgh.
The police work in these books is terrible. The team don’t share information with each other quickly and they don’t seem to do the kind of thorough background checking and research which would solve most of the crimes in half the time. By the end of the books we usually discover everyone knew each other from way back but our hapless team never figure this out from good research or thorough interviews. Their interviews always end just when it looks like they might be getting somewhere! And even when hunting murderers they knock off at dinner time, go to the pub for some banter then go home and watch a movie! In this particular book, an example is when they are reviewing the evidence as a team, but Harry doesn’t bother to tell them that his brother told him he saw the victim arguing with Harry’s ‘stepfather’. It’s bad enough he didn’t mention it as evidence but the fact it’s his own family makes it extra dubious to not mention it and Harry should know better given his former role in professional Standards. Then a few chapters later, Ronnie and Simon are told that the victim had been having an affair with Briony Dixon (Harry’s de facto stepsister). But they never pass this on to Harry or even mention it again. A few chapters later Harry is told that Briony informed a connected character that their baby had been swapped in the hospital. There’s no scene of the team sharing all these pieces of information. No-one ever goes to formally interview Briony Dixon.
There are lots of loose ends/red herrings left hanging in these books. It makes for very untidy stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2022
DCI Harry McNeil and his girlfriend DS Alex Marshall are with Harry’s family at the funeral for his stepfather. Their grieving is interrupted when both Harry and Alex are called away for a difficult crime. A man has been brutally murdered on his doorstep practically in front of his wife and kids. The victim appears to be an ordinary man with a boring Bank job – so why does this look like a professional hit? Can Harry, Alex and their team solve this before anyone else gets hurt?
This is the fourth book involving DCI Harry McNeil and I have to admit I’m really enjoying the series. The mysteries are interesting, police procedural style of cases and while there are often a few coincidences that make me squint a little the quick pace, light tone of writing and interesting characters always have me reading these books pretty quickly. I find them very “moreish”. I’m starting to feel that Harry and Alex’s relationship – while progressing well – is the only aspect to the story that isn’t very “stand alone”, in that all other aspects of the story (the team, the plot, the victim, the crime etc) all stand very independently and well if this was the first book I had ever picked up. And while Harry and Alex are obviously explained, their connection, teasing and history thankfully isn’t rehashed over and over. So while as a reader who has been on board since the first book, I know what’s going on and how this relationship has evolved, it’s the only point I’m beginning to feel might give a pause for someone who picked this book up by itself not having read the previous ones.
I really enjoyed that in this book we get to know more about Harry’s family. His mother and brother are strong secondary characters throughout this story and his sister is also mentioned though not shown on page very much. I also really enjoyed catching up with Harry’s team again and refreshing my memory on some of the exceptionally memorable characters there.
Readers who are sensitive to character deaths should probably be warned that a supporting/secondary character dies in this book. I truly feel that this should add deeply to the plot and hopefully also the character development of Harry and I have to give kudos to the author for having the gumption to kill off an important character. I doubt it was done lightly or easily and I definitely feel it makes the story stronger for it.
Fast paced with an interesting plot and a good-sized cast of wonderful characters this is a great book and a good addition to the series. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more.
This is the fourth book involving DCI Harry McNeil and I have to admit I’m really enjoying the series. The mysteries are interesting, police procedural style of cases and while there are often a few coincidences that make me squint a little the quick pace, light tone of writing and interesting characters always have me reading these books pretty quickly. I find them very “moreish”. I’m starting to feel that Harry and Alex’s relationship – while progressing well – is the only aspect to the story that isn’t very “stand alone”, in that all other aspects of the story (the team, the plot, the victim, the crime etc) all stand very independently and well if this was the first book I had ever picked up. And while Harry and Alex are obviously explained, their connection, teasing and history thankfully isn’t rehashed over and over. So while as a reader who has been on board since the first book, I know what’s going on and how this relationship has evolved, it’s the only point I’m beginning to feel might give a pause for someone who picked this book up by itself not having read the previous ones.
I really enjoyed that in this book we get to know more about Harry’s family. His mother and brother are strong secondary characters throughout this story and his sister is also mentioned though not shown on page very much. I also really enjoyed catching up with Harry’s team again and refreshing my memory on some of the exceptionally memorable characters there.
Readers who are sensitive to character deaths should probably be warned that a supporting/secondary character dies in this book. I truly feel that this should add deeply to the plot and hopefully also the character development of Harry and I have to give kudos to the author for having the gumption to kill off an important character. I doubt it was done lightly or easily and I definitely feel it makes the story stronger for it.
Fast paced with an interesting plot and a good-sized cast of wonderful characters this is a great book and a good addition to the series. I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more.
Read
August 21, 2020Everybody has secrets...some more deadly than others...
Years ago, DCI Harry McNeil lost his father, himself an ex-police officer. Now, Harry's estranged brother is back on the scene after their mother's second husband died. Harry's father and step-father were at opposite ends of the spectrum and now that Bobby Dixon is dead, family rivalries come to a head.
After the funeral, Harry and DS Alex Maxwell get a shout. A man has been brutally stabbed at home and dies from his injuries. He was an ordinary man, working an ordinary job, leading an ordinary life.
So why was he murdered in an obvious hit?
Dealing with people from his past threatens to get in the way of the investigation, but Harry can't let things cloud her judgement. As he peels back the layers of the victim's life to uncover the truth, another victim turns up and leads Harry down a road he never expected to go down.
They're going up against a vicious killer who knows no boundaries. And working to an agenda that nobody sees coming.
Good. The supposed dead man, Bobby and sister of murdered man, are the killers.
Years ago, DCI Harry McNeil lost his father, himself an ex-police officer. Now, Harry's estranged brother is back on the scene after their mother's second husband died. Harry's father and step-father were at opposite ends of the spectrum and now that Bobby Dixon is dead, family rivalries come to a head.
After the funeral, Harry and DS Alex Maxwell get a shout. A man has been brutally stabbed at home and dies from his injuries. He was an ordinary man, working an ordinary job, leading an ordinary life.
So why was he murdered in an obvious hit?
Dealing with people from his past threatens to get in the way of the investigation, but Harry can't let things cloud her judgement. As he peels back the layers of the victim's life to uncover the truth, another victim turns up and leads Harry down a road he never expected to go down.
They're going up against a vicious killer who knows no boundaries. And working to an agenda that nobody sees coming.
Good. The supposed dead man, Bobby and sister of murdered man, are the killers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2020
Solid police procedural, weighted with domestic melodrama.
I enjoyed the murder mystery storyline, which had enough twists to keep me reading. However, I had several issues with police procedures, which I can’t discuss without dropping big, honking spoilers. DCI Harry McNeill and DS Alex Maxwell are well-imagined characters with quirks enough to be interesting.
For a short book of 184 pages, there was more domestic melodrama than usual. I prefer reading more about the mystery and police procedures than slog through melodrama. Suggest that author John Carson enlist a copy editor to spot errors, as was mentioned by another Goodreads reviewer. There are odd name changes which stopped my reading progress.
3 stars.
I enjoyed the murder mystery storyline, which had enough twists to keep me reading. However, I had several issues with police procedures, which I can’t discuss without dropping big, honking spoilers. DCI Harry McNeill and DS Alex Maxwell are well-imagined characters with quirks enough to be interesting.
For a short book of 184 pages, there was more domestic melodrama than usual. I prefer reading more about the mystery and police procedures than slog through melodrama. Suggest that author John Carson enlist a copy editor to spot errors, as was mentioned by another Goodreads reviewer. There are odd name changes which stopped my reading progress.
3 stars.
April 12, 2020
Great Book!
I enjoyed this book immensely. John Carson is an incredible writer. I have read the entire series of Harry McNeil books. They are very well written with likable characters and it’s set in Edinburgh! You can’t go wrong with that! I didn’t know who the killer was until the end. Wow! I was really surprised. I also enjoyed all of the Frank Miller books by the same author. I look forward to the next in each series.
I enjoyed this book immensely. John Carson is an incredible writer. I have read the entire series of Harry McNeil books. They are very well written with likable characters and it’s set in Edinburgh! You can’t go wrong with that! I didn’t know who the killer was until the end. Wow! I was really surprised. I also enjoyed all of the Frank Miller books by the same author. I look forward to the next in each series.
March 3, 2020
I Need More Harry and Alex
Poof! And it’s gone, another Harry McNeil thriller has been consumed by this un/happy reader. I looove these books but it’d going to be a while until the next one is published. I do have to say, I was kept guessing until the end. More Harry and Alex books please.
Poof! And it’s gone, another Harry McNeil thriller has been consumed by this un/happy reader. I looove these books but it’d going to be a while until the next one is published. I do have to say, I was kept guessing until the end. More Harry and Alex books please.
May 9, 2023
It's still hard to me getting all the names straight. There's always a few new characters thrown into each book and keeping them all straight is a test. I enjoy the main characters and their banter, but I do wish the names would be straight up the same like "Morse". This story brings the action close to home for Harry and Alex.
December 7, 2023
Another DCI Harry McNeil Hit
I’m a huge fan of Scottish crime fiction, the DCI Harry McNeil series is ticking all the boxes for me. In Hour of Need the twists and turns keep you guessing all the way through and the author even succeeds with an emotional conclusion. Great work Mr Carson!
I’m a huge fan of Scottish crime fiction, the DCI Harry McNeil series is ticking all the boxes for me. In Hour of Need the twists and turns keep you guessing all the way through and the author even succeeds with an emotional conclusion. Great work Mr Carson!
Read
March 6, 2020Good
Sometimes confusing, at least to me . People dying, as usual. Who is behind it. That's the mystery . I know a lot of police procedure goes on, but the focus is more on the relationship with Harry and Alex .
Sometimes confusing, at least to me . People dying, as usual. Who is behind it. That's the mystery . I know a lot of police procedure goes on, but the focus is more on the relationship with Harry and Alex .
March 27, 2020
Thrilling book could not put down He has a knack of keeping you guessing with a final twist
GREAT WAY OF KEEPING GUESSING WITH A FINAL TWIST THROUGHLY ENJYES AND CAN’T WAIT TO READ NEXT ONE IN SERIES
GREAT WAY OF KEEPING GUESSING WITH A FINAL TWIST THROUGHLY ENJYES AND CAN’T WAIT TO READ NEXT ONE IN SERIES
April 25, 2020
Another great story
Another great story featuring Harry ,Alex and the rest of the team. Fast moving with lots of action and plenty of twists and turns. Well crafted with an unexpected ending. Looking forward to reading the next in the series when it is released in May.
Another great story featuring Harry ,Alex and the rest of the team. Fast moving with lots of action and plenty of twists and turns. Well crafted with an unexpected ending. Looking forward to reading the next in the series when it is released in May.
November 23, 2021
A Bit Confusing
Spoiler alert. I gave this a four star review because I found it hard to work my mind around all the interrelationships between the characters in the murder under investigation and Harry's family.
Spoiler alert. I gave this a four star review because I found it hard to work my mind around all the interrelationships between the characters in the murder under investigation and Harry's family.
April 10, 2022
Lots of twists and turns in this book with Harry trying to pick his way through a tangled skein of characters all of which have something to hide. I like the banter between Harry and Alex, silly and pointed and it lightens up what could be tedious.
November 2, 2022
Enjoy the read...
Very interesting bringing McNeill family into the story. Liked there wasn't a 'fairy-tale' ending where his mother was saved. Tough, but more realistic.
Some real insight into the main character.
Thoroughly, enjoyable.
Very interesting bringing McNeill family into the story. Liked there wasn't a 'fairy-tale' ending where his mother was saved. Tough, but more realistic.
Some real insight into the main character.
Thoroughly, enjoyable.
December 26, 2023
Another great book in the series
Each book so far in the series has been spectacular. A crime thriller to the very end. I can’t wait to start the next and see what’s coming up next.
Each book so far in the series has been spectacular. A crime thriller to the very end. I can’t wait to start the next and see what’s coming up next.
December 26, 2024
The mystery was outstanding and I love DCI Jimmy Dunbar and DC Evans, but the stupid wedding story line occupies way too much time! I feel like DS Maxwell is more interested in getting her MRS than anything!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2020
Great series
Really enjoy the characters and twists of plots. Mix of personal human sides of police characters mixed with the crime makes a good read . Can't wait for next episode!
Really enjoy the characters and twists of plots. Mix of personal human sides of police characters mixed with the crime makes a good read . Can't wait for next episode!
May 8, 2020
Loving this series
Great books for nice easy reading that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Great for during the lockdown. Thank you
Great books for nice easy reading that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Great for during the lockdown. Thank you
August 2, 2020
Good read
May 1, 2021
Great series! I thoroughly enjoyed this set of characters and plot progression!
May 24, 2021
What you would expect in a $2.99 book....minimal plot and bad editing.
July 23, 2021
A bit twisty mystery minus the gore factor present in so many of today's detective series. This one was a very fast read (~3 hours).
August 3, 2021
An intriguing if somewhat complex story line. Interesting characters. What can I say — I’m a sucker for Scottish murder mysteries!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews