What do you think?
Rate this book
DI Munro & DS West #11
Hubris
DI Charlie West and irrepressible ex-detective James Munro return in a new murder mystery
When a sheep farmer boards a stricken fishing vessel stranded on the shore, he is in for the shock of his life. Within lies the body of a man who is, for all intents and purposes, inside out.
The police find a filleting knife in the hold, covered in the victim’s blood. DI Charlie West arrives on the scene, and given the obvious disembowelment, immediately determines that a murder has taken place.
The boat is otherwise abandoned, but detectives soon trace the owner, a man well known to the police. Cocksure, he has a clear alibi but after some less-than-delicate probing, his story springs a leak.
However, the investigation is thrown into confusion when a local girl goes missing. What is the connection to the gutless sailor? Or the arrogant boat owner?
Set in a stunning location, spiced with humour and with a fair sprinkling of clues for the avid mystery solver, you’ll be glued to the pages of this gripping whodunnit.
When a sheep farmer boards a stricken fishing vessel stranded on the shore, he is in for the shock of his life. Within lies the body of a man who is, for all intents and purposes, inside out.
The police find a filleting knife in the hold, covered in the victim’s blood. DI Charlie West arrives on the scene, and given the obvious disembowelment, immediately determines that a murder has taken place.
The boat is otherwise abandoned, but detectives soon trace the owner, a man well known to the police. Cocksure, he has a clear alibi but after some less-than-delicate probing, his story springs a leak.
However, the investigation is thrown into confusion when a local girl goes missing. What is the connection to the gutless sailor? Or the arrogant boat owner?
Set in a stunning location, spiced with humour and with a fair sprinkling of clues for the avid mystery solver, you’ll be glued to the pages of this gripping whodunnit.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 23, 2020
818 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Pete Brassett
33 books183 followersPete Brassett is the author of the best-selling series of detective novels based in and around his native Scotland featuring James Munro and Charlie West.
Following the publication of his debut novel, 'Clam Chowder at Lafayette and Spring', Pete ventured into the world of crime fiction tackling issues like PTSD, religious scandal, and manic depression with the novels 'Kiss the Girls', 'Prayer for the Dying' and 'The Girl From Kilkenny', before moving onto subject matter a little closer to home.
The forging of the Munro and West relationship begins with a fractious encounter in east London where a dissolute West, struggling with personal problems and misogynistic colleagues, is mentored by Munro who, recognising her potential, hoodwinks her into joining him back in Scotland where she flourishes as a first-class, yet ultimately flawed, detective.
Following the publication of his debut novel, 'Clam Chowder at Lafayette and Spring', Pete ventured into the world of crime fiction tackling issues like PTSD, religious scandal, and manic depression with the novels 'Kiss the Girls', 'Prayer for the Dying' and 'The Girl From Kilkenny', before moving onto subject matter a little closer to home.
The forging of the Munro and West relationship begins with a fractious encounter in east London where a dissolute West, struggling with personal problems and misogynistic colleagues, is mentored by Munro who, recognising her potential, hoodwinks her into joining him back in Scotland where she flourishes as a first-class, yet ultimately flawed, detective.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 27, 2020
This one is 3.5 stars for me as I enjoyed meeting up with the old gang including Munro with his dog Murdo. It is light fare with tangy Scottish banter and some complex crime puzzles to solve. A good amount of boating in the waters comes into play as the book begins with the discovery of a body on a boat that has been expertly cut open as well as a search for a missing young woman. It takes rather a lot of sleuthing to gather the full cast of perps and the uncovering, layer by layer, of the extent of criminal behavior.
DI Charlie West performs her job very well, but her dietary habits tend to give me indigestion and/or nausea as I read these books!
Kindle Unlimited
DI Charlie West performs her job very well, but her dietary habits tend to give me indigestion and/or nausea as I read these books!
Kindle Unlimited
April 7, 2020
My husband and son were discussing a fishing trip when this mess is over while I was reading the book. It really made for good background music. I think the Character List should be in the beginning because I already knew who they were by the end, I would also have liked a Vocabulary List to help me nose out what many of the words meant. I did enjoy the story and recommend the book.
April 3, 2020
Review
It's great to see Charlie taking charge of the investigation.
Munro is still convalescing at home after his heart surgery, with his new rescue dog Murdo.
A man's body is found on a boat. His insides have been cut out.
As Charlie investigates, she decides she needs Munro's help after all. One of the perps may be someone he arrested years ago.
And how does a missing young woman tie in to the murder?
Meanwhile, Dougal finds a girlfriend, and Charlie may finally accept a date with Andy Mcleod.
Such a great group of cops, who genuinely care about each other.
It's great to see Charlie taking charge of the investigation.
Munro is still convalescing at home after his heart surgery, with his new rescue dog Murdo.
A man's body is found on a boat. His insides have been cut out.
As Charlie investigates, she decides she needs Munro's help after all. One of the perps may be someone he arrested years ago.
And how does a missing young woman tie in to the murder?
Meanwhile, Dougal finds a girlfriend, and Charlie may finally accept a date with Andy Mcleod.
Such a great group of cops, who genuinely care about each other.
April 23, 2020
A sorta lost boat, a missing girl & a salt missing all his abdominal organs.
Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers.
I liked this book w its complex, well-plotted storyline, and I learned quite a lot about fishing boats and their expensive electronics. I wasn’t pleased about one ‘plot twist’ that became crystal at 40% Kindle mark. The detectives discovered three 9-packs of toilet tissue with 1400£ hidden in each roll. Plus, Wellington boots, box of disposable gloves, a fish gutting knife, and nine mysterious objects looking like rubber-covered radishes or prunes. Add to that, a RIB on a boat trailer.
QED, the bad guys are smuggling heroin or cocaine, which the courier or mule had swallowed. Hence, the gutting. But, why take ALL the abdominal organs? That said, I prefer to not read about drug smugglers, but I was already near halfway into the book, so I decided to finish it.
3 stars. I liked the book but I didn’t love it.
Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers.
I liked this book w its complex, well-plotted storyline, and I learned quite a lot about fishing boats and their expensive electronics. I wasn’t pleased about one ‘plot twist’ that became crystal at 40% Kindle mark. The detectives discovered three 9-packs of toilet tissue with 1400£ hidden in each roll. Plus, Wellington boots, box of disposable gloves, a fish gutting knife, and nine mysterious objects looking like rubber-covered radishes or prunes. Add to that, a RIB on a boat trailer.
QED, the bad guys are smuggling heroin or cocaine, which the courier or mule had swallowed. Hence, the gutting. But, why take ALL the abdominal organs? That said, I prefer to not read about drug smugglers, but I was already near halfway into the book, so I decided to finish it.
3 stars. I liked the book but I didn’t love it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2020
Love James and Charlie
The dead cold of early morning and the farmer from an isolated farm sees a boat abandoned on rocks near his beach. Aboard he finds the body of a man, knifed and filleted like a sheep carcass.
Charlie and her off sider, Duncan Reid, are set the task of discovering who the man is and what he was doing aboard the boat, but without the help of James Munro who is recovering from his bypass surgery.
Well they can’t keep a good man down, and as soon a James gets wind of a murder case he decides that he needs to buy his Scottish terrier a winter coat and pay a visit to Charlie.
I love the way the characters in this team interact with one another, and I love the twists and turns of the plot. Enough characters to keep the story interesting but not so many as to lose track of who they all are.
Can’t believe this is number 11 in the series, because I love them all and will now be waiting impatiently for number 12, please.
The dead cold of early morning and the farmer from an isolated farm sees a boat abandoned on rocks near his beach. Aboard he finds the body of a man, knifed and filleted like a sheep carcass.
Charlie and her off sider, Duncan Reid, are set the task of discovering who the man is and what he was doing aboard the boat, but without the help of James Munro who is recovering from his bypass surgery.
Well they can’t keep a good man down, and as soon a James gets wind of a murder case he decides that he needs to buy his Scottish terrier a winter coat and pay a visit to Charlie.
I love the way the characters in this team interact with one another, and I love the twists and turns of the plot. Enough characters to keep the story interesting but not so many as to lose track of who they all are.
Can’t believe this is number 11 in the series, because I love them all and will now be waiting impatiently for number 12, please.
August 2, 2020
I have just read all 11 of this series, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I started with She and I’ve just this minute finished Hubris. The area that these are set in takes me back to my childhood holidays, a gorgeous part of the country.
I have to say this is an excellent series, full of humour and the characters are all likeable. I feel sad now that they’ve come to an end, as the humour cheered me up no end during shielding. Charlie was always hungry, and Munro was a legend. Even “the Bear” was a nice person. As an avid crime reader this made a lovely change, the crimes weren’t too horrendous and there were a lot of red herrings to keep me entertained.
I do hope the author, Pete is going to write some more, I’d love to know what happens with Charlie and McLeod and Dougal and his lady friend.
I have to say this is an excellent series, full of humour and the characters are all likeable. I feel sad now that they’ve come to an end, as the humour cheered me up no end during shielding. Charlie was always hungry, and Munro was a legend. Even “the Bear” was a nice person. As an avid crime reader this made a lovely change, the crimes weren’t too horrendous and there were a lot of red herrings to keep me entertained.
I do hope the author, Pete is going to write some more, I’d love to know what happens with Charlie and McLeod and Dougal and his lady friend.
May 6, 2021
I was not crazy about this book at all. What I didn’t like: the writing - the author states that his style is indicative of the Scottish rhythm of language, but each of the characters spoke with such flippancy, that I found them all irritating; I got bored easily and had a hard time staying with and finishing the novel; the crime, which could have been so intriguing and gruesome, was wholly diminished by the writing; a lot of the mystery was actually predictable and unimaginative. Overall, I did not like this book and wouldn’t care to read any of the others in the series. A big “meh” for me. A very disappointing experience.
April 20, 2020
I really hope this is not the last in the series . It would be like losing old friends. I have loved everyone of these stories, the characters were all lovable, the plots were almost feasible, and they were full of humour. O.K. so the back drops were all a bit samey and there was almost, no not almost there was a distinct obsession with lots of bad food, but they were all such comfortable reads.
Peter, I hope all the team will return soon, there's a lot of loose ends in the personal lives to be tied off. .
Peter, I hope all the team will return soon, there's a lot of loose ends in the personal lives to be tied off. .
September 6, 2020
Reads like a TV show...
A huge amount of dialogue fills in this complicated story, a contemporary murder mystery. The main characters are interesting, and somewhat unique, and the story races along. Nothing is quite as it seems, ditto for the various possible killers. An intriguing book in a series with Charlotte "Charlie" West as the focus character, this book was read as if it were a stand-alone, which worked fairly well. Recommended, but maybe start at the beginning story.
A huge amount of dialogue fills in this complicated story, a contemporary murder mystery. The main characters are interesting, and somewhat unique, and the story races along. Nothing is quite as it seems, ditto for the various possible killers. An intriguing book in a series with Charlotte "Charlie" West as the focus character, this book was read as if it were a stand-alone, which worked fairly well. Recommended, but maybe start at the beginning story.
October 1, 2020
I have read all of the books in the series so far and they are all a great read. In this book there is a floundered boat, a gutted corpse, a missing girl, streetwise criminals and a lot more happening. Leading the group in trying to solve these crimes is DI Charlie West with the help of Dougal, the computer guru detective, Duncan, the very plain clothes detective, and with his quizzes and little teaser clues is retired DI Munro and his sidekick Murdo. Lots of questions, mysteries and witticisms combine to make this another enjoyable read. Can't wait to find out what the next book brings.
May 26, 2020
A ship run aground and a missing person fuel this tale of crime and perfidy on the East coast of Scotland.
The author’s style is florid: the ten-paragraph prologue consists entirely of eleven sentences. Once one gets used to the ellipses, and the incessant preoccupation for food expressed by our erstwhile sleuths, the story is intriguing and the characters endearing. i’ve read all eleven in this series, and will sit down happily with #12 when it comes.
The author’s style is florid: the ten-paragraph prologue consists entirely of eleven sentences. Once one gets used to the ellipses, and the incessant preoccupation for food expressed by our erstwhile sleuths, the story is intriguing and the characters endearing. i’ve read all eleven in this series, and will sit down happily with #12 when it comes.
May 6, 2020
They're back
What a joy to read about DO Charlie West and the gang. The story as usual was really enjoyable with humour along with the detective story. A first class read but not unexpected having read the whole series. I'm so glad I accidentally started at book 5which made me start from the beginning of the series of well written books
What a joy to read about DO Charlie West and the gang. The story as usual was really enjoyable with humour along with the detective story. A first class read but not unexpected having read the whole series. I'm so glad I accidentally started at book 5which made me start from the beginning of the series of well written books
Read
May 28, 2020Always good reading
The team is a close knit group who tease each other mercilessly . Nevertheless they get the policing done properly. Retired DI Munro loves to come down to see what's going on, often helping them get more clues . Hilarious chatter . This case involves a boat showing up where it shouldn't be. Enjoyable reading .
The team is a close knit group who tease each other mercilessly . Nevertheless they get the policing done properly. Retired DI Munro loves to come down to see what's going on, often helping them get more clues . Hilarious chatter . This case involves a boat showing up where it shouldn't be. Enjoyable reading .
June 3, 2020
First time reading this author
Great bijou, enjoyed the storyline especially when n my husband is ex met who worked the East end of London, I could empathise with the authors storyline. A bit too many police characters whom I couldn't fit in. Is the older man with the wee dog actually the main character Charlie's actual dad???
Great bijou, enjoyed the storyline especially when n my husband is ex met who worked the East end of London, I could empathise with the authors storyline. A bit too many police characters whom I couldn't fit in. Is the older man with the wee dog actually the main character Charlie's actual dad???
September 25, 2020
I’ve probably been a little harsh on the marking, but I didn’t realise when I downloaded it that it was #11 in a series. Perhaps this meant that I felt like I was missing bits of information about the returning characters. That said, it was still a good story and was well-written. The main thing is, it made me want to go back to the first book in the series and read them all.
July 13, 2021
A very well written Scottish detective story. Complex plot rising to the climax.
I enjoyed our this thoroughly British story of an intricate crime and the detectives who solved it. I enjoyed the way they took me, the reader along with them this enabling me to be part of the action.
I enjoyed our this thoroughly British story of an intricate crime and the detectives who solved it. I enjoyed the way they took me, the reader along with them this enabling me to be part of the action.
December 31, 2021
A Cracking Good Series
If you like Vera, inspector Morse, Midsomer, this is a series for you. The two main characters, Munro and West, have a lovely relationship as the old and the young crime solvers, along with a envy of other characters, crime fighters and miscreants. The plot was convoluted enough to keep me guessing.
If you like Vera, inspector Morse, Midsomer, this is a series for you. The two main characters, Munro and West, have a lovely relationship as the old and the young crime solvers, along with a envy of other characters, crime fighters and miscreants. The plot was convoluted enough to keep me guessing.
August 7, 2022
West is on the beat
Enjoyed all of the Pete Bassett books I have
read. With DI West in charge Munro just thinking about coming back to work the tale of an abandoned fishing boat becomes a work of depth to DI West and her team. Enjoyable, easy to read, great characters, I can thoroughly recommend it
Enjoyed all of the Pete Bassett books I have
read. With DI West in charge Munro just thinking about coming back to work the tale of an abandoned fishing boat becomes a work of depth to DI West and her team. Enjoyable, easy to read, great characters, I can thoroughly recommend it
April 19, 2020
If you like a good plot.....
Characters who are familiar and enjoyable. Author knows how to turn a phrase and add in some humor. Not much better than this good Scottish police procedural.
Characters who are familiar and enjoyable. Author knows how to turn a phrase and add in some humor. Not much better than this good Scottish police procedural.
May 21, 2020
Excellent
Another case for the team in Ayr to solve, a fishing boat is run aground with a dead body in the hold, cocaine is found in small pellets inside the intestines. DI West and her team with the help of ex DCI Munro to assist have to join the dots to solve the riddle.
Another case for the team in Ayr to solve, a fishing boat is run aground with a dead body in the hold, cocaine is found in small pellets inside the intestines. DI West and her team with the help of ex DCI Munro to assist have to join the dots to solve the riddle.
May 23, 2020
Another Great read!
This series always has an excellent plot, great characters and an enjoyable descriptions of the Scottish landscape. It has funny asides in the characters dialogue!
This series always has an excellent plot, great characters and an enjoyable descriptions of the Scottish landscape. It has funny asides in the characters dialogue!
May 23, 2020
My First Exposure
This was my first exposure to the cast of characters and while I enjoyed reading Hubris, I felt the author used to many $20 words when $5 words would have been better. I will read the others in the series and hope Pete Brassett is less sesquipedalian.
This was my first exposure to the cast of characters and while I enjoyed reading Hubris, I felt the author used to many $20 words when $5 words would have been better. I will read the others in the series and hope Pete Brassett is less sesquipedalian.
May 25, 2020
Painstakingly Detailed yet breezy procedural
Snappy dialog and the careful (more or less) unraveling of murders most foul, no honor among thieves, and the whirlwind of workplace romance.
Snappy dialog and the careful (more or less) unraveling of murders most foul, no honor among thieves, and the whirlwind of workplace romance.
June 7, 2020
Good as gold
Completely,cheerfully, ridiculous as usual . These books are not meant to be taken seriously,so don’t !
I’ve probably given this a star more than I should but these make me smile.
Completely,cheerfully, ridiculous as usual . These books are not meant to be taken seriously,so don’t !
I’ve probably given this a star more than I should but these make me smile.
July 19, 2020
This was my first book from this series and author. It stood alone and I did enjoy the characters. I did find the cockney slang very annoying. The whole of London does not talk like that and I thought it just confusing, especially as this was set in Scotland. This was a good mystery and I enjoyed the story and the setting.
January 24, 2021
A very enjoyable end (?) to the series. I will miss seeing Scotland from the perspective of this team of detectives, and it was nice to do some travel of the mind while COVID keeps travel to a minimum.
April 27, 2021
An enjoyable read.
Complex relationships and some genuinely likeable characters, at least on the side of the Law, make for an interesting and enjoyable read. I will look for more in this series,
Complex relationships and some genuinely likeable characters, at least on the side of the Law, make for an interesting and enjoyable read. I will look for more in this series,
July 21, 2021
Reliable entertainment
The Munroe books are great fun, which is not the norm for murder mysteries..... the relationships between Charlie West and the team can be hilarious. Once Munroe joins in, adding the benefit of wisdom, they are a force to be reckoned with.
The Munroe books are great fun, which is not the norm for murder mysteries..... the relationships between Charlie West and the team can be hilarious. Once Munroe joins in, adding the benefit of wisdom, they are a force to be reckoned with.
April 10, 2020
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as his others. I found the plot boring and the characters flat.
April 15, 2020
It's quite a good plot if a bit complex in the end. I find the humorous characters grate a little, and I'm still unclear on Dougal /Duncan, but I can get over that as these are good stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews