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DI Westphall #3
The Art of Dying
DI WESTPHALL.
No ordinary detective.
No ordinary investigations.
A twisting new crime series set in the Scottish Highlands. For fans of James Oswald and John Connolly.
'Douglas Lindsay is an underrated writer with an eccentric, blisteringly satirical voice . . . enjoyably bizarre. I loved it' Sunday Express
When businessman Thomas Peterson is killed outside a football ground in the Highlands, there are several witnesses. Yet the hunt for the killer is proving as futile as the search for a motive.
Possible connections to Russian money and an eerie retirement home are soon thrown into the mix. To further complicate things, DI Westphall's MI6 past is coming back to haunt him. Guilt stalks his dreams, but could there be a message in these nightmares?
Westphall is in danger of losing his head just when he needs it the most. He must find answers, and fast, before the murderer strikes again.
Praise for the DI Westphall series
'Richly atmospheric . . . Lindsay solidifies his place as one of the rising stars of tartan noir' Publishers Weekly
'The Boy in the Well is a dark and satisfying mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the company of DI Ben Westphall, a compelling personality . . . This one comes thoroughly recommended' James Oswald
A darkly atmospheric thriller with a labyrinthine plot with more twists than a Grand Prix track. (Michael Wood, author of the DCI Matilda Darke series)
A really addictive plot, and so atmospheric. Clever and unexpected (S D Sykes, author of the Oswald de Lacy series)
'A Tartan Noir tour de force. Lindsay writes with an economy and skill all too rare in modern fiction . . . Brilliant' Tony Black, author of the DI Bob Valentine series
No ordinary detective.
No ordinary investigations.
A twisting new crime series set in the Scottish Highlands. For fans of James Oswald and John Connolly.
'Douglas Lindsay is an underrated writer with an eccentric, blisteringly satirical voice . . . enjoyably bizarre. I loved it' Sunday Express
When businessman Thomas Peterson is killed outside a football ground in the Highlands, there are several witnesses. Yet the hunt for the killer is proving as futile as the search for a motive.
Possible connections to Russian money and an eerie retirement home are soon thrown into the mix. To further complicate things, DI Westphall's MI6 past is coming back to haunt him. Guilt stalks his dreams, but could there be a message in these nightmares?
Westphall is in danger of losing his head just when he needs it the most. He must find answers, and fast, before the murderer strikes again.
Praise for the DI Westphall series
'Richly atmospheric . . . Lindsay solidifies his place as one of the rising stars of tartan noir' Publishers Weekly
'The Boy in the Well is a dark and satisfying mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the company of DI Ben Westphall, a compelling personality . . . This one comes thoroughly recommended' James Oswald
A darkly atmospheric thriller with a labyrinthine plot with more twists than a Grand Prix track. (Michael Wood, author of the DCI Matilda Darke series)
A really addictive plot, and so atmospheric. Clever and unexpected (S D Sykes, author of the Oswald de Lacy series)
'A Tartan Noir tour de force. Lindsay writes with an economy and skill all too rare in modern fiction . . . Brilliant' Tony Black, author of the DI Bob Valentine series
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2019
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105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 14, 2022
The Art of Dying (DI Westphall #3)
by Douglas Lindsay
His book has a handful of murders that are tied together and Westphall has to figure all that out while dealing with his conscience from his spy days. There is plenty of twists, great characters, and of course I can't figure anything out! 😁 Another great addition to the series. I didn't like it as much as the first two but I still really liked it!
by Douglas Lindsay
His book has a handful of murders that are tied together and Westphall has to figure all that out while dealing with his conscience from his spy days. There is plenty of twists, great characters, and of course I can't figure anything out! 😁 Another great addition to the series. I didn't like it as much as the first two but I still really liked it!
August 22, 2019
Complex Scottish mystery!
At first I thought what have I let myself in for. A few pages in and I was hooked. I was knee deep in vicious murders, Corporate concerns and Russian intervention. Opening with a litany of deaths caused by the hero seemed a tad daunting, but as I progressed I realized their import.
This is DI Westphall's "line-up of guilt," from his MI6 days. Now they're joined by ghosts from his cases.
This latest investigation begins with a football match death, links somehow to an up market care home and seems to have a whiff of Russian assistance.
Westphall's church attendance is an interesting twist. Is he looking for absolution? Maybe. Release from his guilt? Who knows? His attention is caught by the line from the service, "My blood of the Covenant." My attention is grabbed by the inclusion of one of my favorite hymns, "I the Lord of sea and sky." Oh yes, there's more to this novel than your run-of-the-mill murder mystery story.
A question perhaps? Where shall the man within the police uniform, haunted by his past retreat to?
There Westphall sits looking at a stained glass window portraying the death of Saint Sebastian, "Haunted by a man in a dream who sees everything without being able to see anything at all." And when the minister startles him by commenting on the window with the murmured phrase, ‘The art of dying,' well I'm there!
I'm well and truly caught in the web that is Westphall and that of the intricately layered crimes he's investigating.
A compelling read!
A Hodder & Stoughton ARC via NetGalley
At first I thought what have I let myself in for. A few pages in and I was hooked. I was knee deep in vicious murders, Corporate concerns and Russian intervention. Opening with a litany of deaths caused by the hero seemed a tad daunting, but as I progressed I realized their import.
This is DI Westphall's "line-up of guilt," from his MI6 days. Now they're joined by ghosts from his cases.
This latest investigation begins with a football match death, links somehow to an up market care home and seems to have a whiff of Russian assistance.
Westphall's church attendance is an interesting twist. Is he looking for absolution? Maybe. Release from his guilt? Who knows? His attention is caught by the line from the service, "My blood of the Covenant." My attention is grabbed by the inclusion of one of my favorite hymns, "I the Lord of sea and sky." Oh yes, there's more to this novel than your run-of-the-mill murder mystery story.
A question perhaps? Where shall the man within the police uniform, haunted by his past retreat to?
There Westphall sits looking at a stained glass window portraying the death of Saint Sebastian, "Haunted by a man in a dream who sees everything without being able to see anything at all." And when the minister startles him by commenting on the window with the murmured phrase, ‘The art of dying,' well I'm there!
I'm well and truly caught in the web that is Westphall and that of the intricately layered crimes he's investigating.
A compelling read!
A Hodder & Stoughton ARC via NetGalley
January 31, 2021
Another great entry in this series, I love this author and this character. Ben is still haunted by his previous life is a M16 agent and others from his past and present and future. A very good procedural that doesn't follow the usual beats. 4 + Stars
August 19, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Art of Dying is the third DI Westphall procedural by Douglas Lindsay. Due out 22nd Aug 2019 from Hachette on their Mulholland imprint, it's 416 pages and will be available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
This is an incredibly well written, very dark and atmospheric Scottish procedural (tartan noir, indeed). The protagonist is haunted by the ghosts of people from his past as a spy and as a policeman. It's not entirely clear from the sort of unreliable 1st person narrator if he's disturbed or dreaming these interactions or synchronizing facts subconsciously. Whatever the reason, the writing is razor sharp and the way the author has written in these interludes adds a lot of tension and atmosphere to the whole.
DI Ben Westphall has to solve the case whilst dealing with Russian money laundering and spy involvement, multiple murders in a posh retirement home, sexual and relationship minefields with a female vicar friend and confidant, as well as office politics with his superiors all without causing an international incident.
There is a lot of graphic violence. There are several murders and they run the gamut from a sudden beating death after a football (soccer) match, to evisceration, beheading, intentional stifling (smothering), etc. There is also a fair amount of sexual tension and longing. The main protagonist is psychologically quite damaged and lonely, but also very intelligent and aware of his unhealthy mental state and unwilling to try to form a lasting relationship.
The language is rough, strongly R rated. It is used in context and not egregiously. I would say it's about average for a gritty police procedural. Despite being the third in the series, it works well enough as a standalone.
This book will definitely appeal to fans of modern police procedurals who don't need to have every single plot thread tied up in a neat bow by the end. One of the most fascinating things about this book for me was watching Westphall sort through and disentangle the relative truth from all the lies all of the witnesses he interview were telling him.
Five stars for fans of gritty procedurals. I can definitely see this one being made for TV (with David Tennant, please, thank you)!
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Art of Dying is the third DI Westphall procedural by Douglas Lindsay. Due out 22nd Aug 2019 from Hachette on their Mulholland imprint, it's 416 pages and will be available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
This is an incredibly well written, very dark and atmospheric Scottish procedural (tartan noir, indeed). The protagonist is haunted by the ghosts of people from his past as a spy and as a policeman. It's not entirely clear from the sort of unreliable 1st person narrator if he's disturbed or dreaming these interactions or synchronizing facts subconsciously. Whatever the reason, the writing is razor sharp and the way the author has written in these interludes adds a lot of tension and atmosphere to the whole.
DI Ben Westphall has to solve the case whilst dealing with Russian money laundering and spy involvement, multiple murders in a posh retirement home, sexual and relationship minefields with a female vicar friend and confidant, as well as office politics with his superiors all without causing an international incident.
There is a lot of graphic violence. There are several murders and they run the gamut from a sudden beating death after a football (soccer) match, to evisceration, beheading, intentional stifling (smothering), etc. There is also a fair amount of sexual tension and longing. The main protagonist is psychologically quite damaged and lonely, but also very intelligent and aware of his unhealthy mental state and unwilling to try to form a lasting relationship.
The language is rough, strongly R rated. It is used in context and not egregiously. I would say it's about average for a gritty police procedural. Despite being the third in the series, it works well enough as a standalone.
This book will definitely appeal to fans of modern police procedurals who don't need to have every single plot thread tied up in a neat bow by the end. One of the most fascinating things about this book for me was watching Westphall sort through and disentangle the relative truth from all the lies all of the witnesses he interview were telling him.
Five stars for fans of gritty procedurals. I can definitely see this one being made for TV (with David Tennant, please, thank you)!
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
May 11, 2023
Was a little confusing at times but overall amazing writing and the story kept me gripped.
Struggled to read a lot due to work or I would have read this much quicker was so annoying having to stop
Struggled to read a lot due to work or I would have read this much quicker was so annoying having to stop
December 6, 2021
This is a re-read, I found it in a bag of books left for me by a friend and as I began reading it I thought have I read this before!! No matter, there's nothing wrong in revisiting books you've already read as sometimes you see things in them that you didn't see before, it's just a worry if you re-read them within weeks!!! I did ring my friend to thank her for the books and she said "there were none in that bag which I liked!!!!!
In this case with this book I struggled to remember who dunnit, but it was a long slow ride to get to the end. It reminded me of those books by Kafka which I had to read at school, and which for the most part passed me by. Westphall goes off into reveries, and very detailed ones at that, he is struggling with nightmares, visions in his head of all the people he killed without remorse in another life. These visions invade his waking life as well. They almost become omens of what's to come.
I did enjoy it probably more second time around and thought more of the meaning, not just of several gruesome murders in a retirement home, but of what life means to you. A slow read but I would recommend it.
In this case with this book I struggled to remember who dunnit, but it was a long slow ride to get to the end. It reminded me of those books by Kafka which I had to read at school, and which for the most part passed me by. Westphall goes off into reveries, and very detailed ones at that, he is struggling with nightmares, visions in his head of all the people he killed without remorse in another life. These visions invade his waking life as well. They almost become omens of what's to come.
I did enjoy it probably more second time around and thought more of the meaning, not just of several gruesome murders in a retirement home, but of what life means to you. A slow read but I would recommend it.
April 11, 2020
This third installment of DI Westphall is a bit darker than the other two. He does a lot of remembering of people whose demise he feels guilty for, mostly when he was in MI6. Some are even people he thinks he might have harmed emotionally. He dreams of them every night, in detail. The eerie part though, is that sometimes he sees people in dreams that he doesn't know, and ends up meeting later. In this book, it all starts with a murder after a football (think soccer) game. It ties in with the victim's family, the Russian mob, and an old folks' home. Once the whole thing is solved, after numerous twists and turns and dead-ends, Westphall realizes that one woman he saw and heard at the home was never really there, but she WAS talking to him, about one of his co-workers. Lots of actions and some suspense, with a little of the supernatural in the background - maybe.
October 12, 2020
This third installment of DI Westphall is a bit darker than the other two. He does a lot of remembering of people whom he killed and now feels guilty for. He dreams of them every night, in detail. In this book, it all starts with a murder after a football game. It ties in with the victim's family, the Russian mob, and an old folks' home. Once the whole thing is solved, after numerous twists and turns and dead-ends, DI Westphall realises that a woman he saw at the home was never there, but she WAS talking to him, about one of his co-workers. Lots of actions and some suspense, with a little of the supernatural in the background. Struggled to cope with the supernatural parts - not really my thing but made it through to the end.
October 14, 2020
Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
I had not read a book by Douglas Lindsay previously but definitely will again
This had everything I want in a book a good detective, a disturbing story and gory crimes with many different and plenty of twists.
Definitely recommend
I had not read a book by Douglas Lindsay previously but definitely will again
This had everything I want in a book a good detective, a disturbing story and gory crimes with many different and plenty of twists.
Definitely recommend
August 24, 2021
Much too long!
As a fellow Scot and having spent 35 years employed in a Boston newspaper I found that this author uses English to impress his average reader of his using definitions of simple words to express his obvious greater knowledge and education. I doubt that I will purchase any further novels from this author.
As a fellow Scot and having spent 35 years employed in a Boston newspaper I found that this author uses English to impress his average reader of his using definitions of simple words to express his obvious greater knowledge and education. I doubt that I will purchase any further novels from this author.
October 19, 2019
Recommended.
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
December 26, 2019
Another wonderful example of Tartan noir. Detective Inspector Westphall's third outing is another excellent book with the main character being given even more depth
August 25, 2020
Oooof I hope there are more to come in this series!
September 23, 2021
servicable but not outstanding mystery, was the first book I have read by this author so still a bit undecided, rating okay but not rushing to find the rest of the series
December 12, 2024
A good fast read. Several dark alleys and some mysterious characters. Some set-ups for the next book in the series. And a little surprise at the very end. Lindsay is a very entertaining author.
April 29, 2025
Found it hard at times to follow as it drifted off to often
November 22, 2020
After really disliking the second in this series, number 3 was good again, although I have started to skip over the chapters where Ben is dreaming of/seeing dead people.
There were an awful lot of deaths, the motive for which seemed barely adequate, but otherwise well-plotted and entertaining.
There were an awful lot of deaths, the motive for which seemed barely adequate, but otherwise well-plotted and entertaining.
September 7, 2019
This book with its Scottish setting was very atmospheric. Starting out with a murder after an altercation at a football stadium, it appeared to be one of those type of random murders. We then get involved in big corporations, the Russians, forgery of paintings, retirement homes with people getting murdered there as well.
All seemingly random, all seemingly unconnected but our detective knows that there are dots that just have to be connected. It comes about through the most unlikely candidate - a woman who is considered psychotic, never having spoken for years who sits in front of one of the most horrific paintings imaginable, and just stares at it all day.
How the detective connects the dots and finds out the solution to the puzzle is amazing and this is what makes this thriller so good.
With touches of spirits in the form of ghosts from past experiences the Detective combines them all into a very good read.
All seemingly random, all seemingly unconnected but our detective knows that there are dots that just have to be connected. It comes about through the most unlikely candidate - a woman who is considered psychotic, never having spoken for years who sits in front of one of the most horrific paintings imaginable, and just stares at it all day.
How the detective connects the dots and finds out the solution to the puzzle is amazing and this is what makes this thriller so good.
With touches of spirits in the form of ghosts from past experiences the Detective combines them all into a very good read.
December 28, 2020
Poor writer who kept me interested in the previous two books in this series through the use of strong, and unusual, plot developments. The writing hasn’t improved in three books, maybe even deteriorated, and this time the plot, although complex didn’t quite hang together. It is probably a 2.5 star book, and I debated for some time before deciding to give it a 2. Others might think it is worth 3 stars. Certainly not worth a higher rating than that.
November 18, 2019
There is something very unique and special in Douglas Lindsay's writing, and especially so in the character of DI Westphall who wonderfully-evoked character comes out more strongly than ever in his struggle to solve this convoluted and untidy - but entirely absorbing - crime. The creation of a sense of place is lesson to us all. Another series to be binge-read on an annual basis.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews