Cullen: Five Years

by Ed James

For fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart McBride and Christopher Brookmyre, FIVE YEARS combines the second four novels featuring ambitious maverick Detective Sergeant Scott Cullen, whose series has set the bestseller charts alight.COPS AND ROBBERSA body found under ancient Edinburgh. A hidden serial killer.Things are finally going well for Acting DS Scott Cullen. He’s just moved in with his girlfriend and, thanks to a merger at work, the promotion he craves is almost in reach. Just so long as he can keep out of trouble…Then the severely decomposed body of a man is found amid the labyrinthine alleyways of Edinburgh’s Old Town; he has a screwdriver through his heart. The investigation leads Scott to unsettled scores in the music industry, where bands and their bitter rivalries might just have turned murderous.Suddenly things aren’t looking so good. Cullen’s relationship takes an alarming turn, just as the unsolved case begins to weigh heavily on him. Scott’s maverick tactics have helped him in the past, but will they come back to haunt him – and put others in danger?Previously published as BottleneckLIARS AND THIEVESA novel in two parts.In "Christmas Steps", Detective Constable Scott Cullen investigates the gruesome murder of a businessman on a cold Christmas Eve in Edinburgh.Then in "Windchill", Cullen's peaceful return from holiday is scuppered when the body of a barman is found with a knife in his gut. What seems to be a straightforward case of violent jealousy soon reveals itself to have much darker links; revelations of mounting debts, out of control gambling and organised crime lead to the discovery of another body. With the carrot of promotion dangled in front of him, Cullen sets out to solve the murders, but can he untangle the web?Previously published as WindchillCOWBOYS AND INDIANSWith a series of male rapes around Edinburgh puzzling police, a bloodied corpse is found in the shadow of Edinburgh’s Dean Bridge, half-naked and battered. Who is he? Did he fall or was he pushed? And why is he handcuffed?As the victim is identified, the case only gets murkier. Detective Sergeant Scott Cullen of Police Scotland’s Edinburgh Major Investigation Team is sucked into the depths of the city’s lucrative financial services sector, facing up to some old enemies and creating some new ones.Just months into his new role, Cullen is torn by the trials of a management role, putting a friendship on the line. As new leads take them no further forward, with far too many suspects, Cullen must conquer a world where nobody trusts anyone and all are out for themselves. Can he catch a killer who could be anyone?HEROES AND VILLAINSAfter a previous case got him sidelined to a drugs investigation, DS Scott Cullen of Police Scotland's Edinburgh MIT closes in on a long-time adversary. Dean Vardy, Edinburgh’s latest drug kingpin, and notorious rapist. Every time they close in on him, he gets off, aided and abetted by his lawyer, Campbell McLintock. But this time Vardy goes too far.Or does he? After a witness dies, Cullen is soon desperately trying to hold the case together, with Vardy’s conviction dangling by a thread. Will McLintock get Vardy off yet again?But soon, Cullen and his team are facing a different threat. A brutal vigilante, doling out frontier justice and obeying no laws.

1593 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2020

Reviews

[i.s. wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a definite improvement on the first four books in the series but I still can’t get over the feeling that you are still reading about the Keystone cops. I am sorry but I really find it hard to imagine any of the main police Scotland characters getting up in court and giving clear enough evidence to ever get a conviction. They seem to be too drunk or too busy having personal problems to do any good investigating. Still it was an interesting read and keeps your mind working.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

By binge-reading, I read these books purchased individually -- lastvwinter. In fact, I've read ALL of Ed James books. Mr James provides a very entertaining cast of evolving characters and stories. If Scottish noir is your thing, READ THESE BOOKS! You won't be disappointed. My only complaint? Mr James needs to write faster. 😁

[Iain Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Cullen Collection

Really enjoyed the complete Scott Cullen collection. And the way it finished with their being little distinction between good and bad!! This was borne out in the main character as well throughout the series as he seemed to portray the role of hero and anti hero in equal measure!!!

[colin brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read but plot is a bit of a stretch

Normally enjoy Cullen novels. This one was good but the plot had a couple of real stretches of reality. Not sure it was believable nor likely in the real world

[c p seaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five years

A very good book and a good read worth reading got you guessing all the way through to the end