The Pirate Club

Highlands & Islands Detective #6

by G.R. Jordan

A body holding a spade in the sand amidst tales of a missing gem. An old boy's network whose members are rapidly becoming extinct. Can Macleod solve the gamester's clues before the club players are liquidated and the prize is gone forever?
In the sixth major case of Macleod and McGrath's partnership, a deadly game is being played in the search for a long-stolen jewel of fantastic wealth. Whilst former friends dispatch their new enemies, DI Macleod hunts the pieces of parchment that will lead him to the resting place of a Sultan's pride and joy, and the killers who cannot live without it. Will the pirate king emerge triumphant, or can the Inspector run their plans asunder?
When precious things seem out of reach, death may be the only compromise.

Genres: Scotland

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has developed into a series about both personal and team development in the midst of action-filled detection in remote Scottish islands. The attention to the detail of human need, morality, decency and determination is remarkable - better, I think, than any crime writing I know. How do police remain ethical and moral while still facing danger and the worst of humanity? Few writers tackle that dilemma full on. It is the focus of this series - and managed brilliantly.

Very pleased I stumbled on this series.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bodies turn up on two separate islands, one male, one female: one killed where he lies and the other perhaps has floated in off a ferry. But Mcleod is convinced that they are somehow connected. A scrap of a map with locations marked. A man digging up a gold cross on a beach, the item identified as something taken from a Spanish museum, 25 years earlier.

And now a trail of bodies, more murders, more throats slashed, and some young murderers, not above killing police pursuers if they get in the way.

I nearly drowned in the complexity of this plot and I'm still not sure that I got it all worked out. The "treasure hunt" turns into a fast paced thriller, challenging all the resources that Macleod and McGrath can muster. Macleod is forced to re-define and expand his team, firstly as his usual pathologist is incapacitated by ill health and needs to be replaced, and then he needs to add new investigators to his team, resulting in a redefinition of McGrath's role, with her being promoted to DS. McGrath becomes angry as choice bits of the investigation appear to be being handed over to the DC Stewart, and Macleod struggles to maintain control.

I've been thinking about why I am enjoying this series so much. I think it has something to do with the episodic nature of it. The investigative team of Macleod and McGrath is being expanded and redefined as both characters are developed from episode to episode. I think Macleod is creating a crack investigative team which can be thrown into whatever mystery the Highlands and Islands can throw up. Macleod's superior officer is playing a very small role in this scenario. I'd almost compare this structure to something like a television series where in each episode we tackle a new mystery. Each of the episodes is sited on a different island and comes with its own locational challenges.

Running behind all this though are some personal scenarios for the main characters. Macleod has certainly developed since Book 1. He has now got a female live-in partner who needs to be very accommodating to the demands of his job. They have moved out of Glasgow back to the Isle of Lewis. MacGrath has changed too. She is still looking for a live-in partner, but she too intends to move out of Glasgow. She has risen from DC to DS and has become very attached to working with Macleod at the same time as getting very angry with him at times.

The episodes of the series do not move directly from one to another. In some cases a short period of time has elapsed and we are told of significant developments in the following pages.

I am looking forward to seeing how the series develops next.

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting episode in the lives of the Inverness team, this time primarily on Barra. I can't say which of the first six the series was the best but this was in the top three. Ooo, the body count on such a peaceful little island. Great plot, as usual, with everyone stretched thin and to their emotional threshold max. Great stuff. A few misuse of words such she "poured" over the map.

[Maryanne R. Marcellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying this series in Scotland isles and islands. This book started with two murders in different areas. DI split up the team to investigate the two murders, he sent the sergeant to one murder site and he took the other. It is a very confusing time for them all. Then a third murder and now they are really confused. I kept reading because I wanted to find out who done it, are they related, and what is the mystery.

Grab your cup of tea/coffee or glass of wine because this book keeps you interested all the way through to the end.

[Glenda Bettin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Bruce McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

IMHO this is the best book in the Highlands and Islands series so far. It has plenty of suspense, chilling action scenes and more murders than a typical Midsomer Murders episode. I gave it 4 stars.

[Janey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, sometimes gripping but not too much so.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times a real page turner, but the thing that brings these books alive is the characters and their interaction their hopes, fears and doubts.

[Anne MacLennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a nail biting story but really good