Dead Find

DCI Gilchrist #11

by T.F. Muir

'Tightly plotted with a real sense of place and characters with heart that will stay with me for some time. Recommended for all lovers of police procedurals' Lisa Ballantyne

St. Andrews, Renovation works on the famous Old Course golf course uncovers the remains of a body in a shallow grave - two bullet holes in the skull. DNA confirms the victim as Rab Shepherd, the missing brother of Scotland's late crime patriarch, Jock Shepherd. But Rab pulled out of the family business over twenty years ago, and moved to Australia where he allegedly lived an honest and wealthy life. This body confirms otherwise.

Why was Rab killed? And who would risk killing him, knowing he was big Jock's brother?

DCI Andy Gilchrist and his associate, DS Jessie Janes, are assigned the murder investigation, and soon uncover a trail of executions and torture, treachery and betrayal, and ultimately a gangland secret so powerful it could shake the UK government to its core...

PRAISE FOR T.F.

'Rebus did it for Edinburgh. Laidlaw did it for Glasgow. Gilchrist might just be the bloke to put St Andrews on the crime fiction map.' Daily Record

'A truly gripping read, with all the makings of a classic series.' Mick Herron

'Gripping and grisly, with plenty of twists and turns that race along with black humour.' Craig Robertson

'DCI Gilchrist gets under your skin. Though, determined, and a bit vulnerable, this character will stay with you long after the last page.' Anna Smith

'Gripping!' Peterborough Telegraph

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Scotland

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2022

About the author

Aka Frank Muir and T. Frank Muir

Born in Glasgow, Frank was plagued from a young age with the urge to see more of the world than the rain sodden slopes of the Campsie Fells. By the time he graduated from University with a degree he hated, he’d already had more jobs than the River Clyde has bends. Short stints as a lumberjack in the Scottish Highlands and a moulder’s labourer in the local foundry convinced Frank that his degree was not such a bad idea after all. Twenty-five years of working overseas helped him appreciate the raw beauty of his home country. Now a dual US/UK citizen, Frank divides his time between Richmond, Virginia, and Glasgow, Scotland, carrying out research in the local pubs and restaurants. Frank is currently doing some serious book research in St Andrews' local pubs, and working on his next novel, another crime story suffused with dark alleyways and cobbled streets and some things gruesome.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Golfplatz wird zu einem Friedhof, denn bei Renovierungsarbeiten wird ​eine Leiche gefunden. Eigentlich sollte der Tote nicht in einem über zwanzig Jahre alten Grab in Schottland liegen, sondern in Australien sein. Er ist der Bruder eines der größten Bosse in St. Andrews, Jock Andrews und hat sich angeblich schon vor Jahren aus dem Geschäft zurückgezogen. Aber wenn das so ist, wie kommt Rab dann auf den Golfplatz und warum hat er zwei Einschusslöcher in seinem Kopf? DCI Andy Gilchrist und seine Partnerin DS Jessie Janes müssen sich in die kriminelle Vergangenheit von St. Andrews begeben und jeder neue Ermittlungsansatz bringt Dinge ans Licht, die lange und tief vergraben waren.

Die Nachforschungen gestalten sich schwierig, weil die meisten Spuren schon lange verwischt sind und die Zeugen von damals können oder wollen sich nicht mehr erinnern oder sind schon gestorben. Alle sagen das Gleiche: Rab ist damals nach Australien ausgewandert. So gestaltet sich die Spurensuche mühsam, aber langsam zeichnet sich ein Bild ab, das zeigt, wie verzweigt die Beziehungen von Jock Andrews waren, nicht nur in die Unterwelt, sondern auch in die sogenannte bessere Gesellschaft und genau die macht Andy Gilchrist die Ermittlungen schwer.

Manchmal finde ich die Krimis aus der Reihe ein bisschen mühsam, gerade weil sich die Ermittlungen verzetteln, aber der hier hat mir gut gefallen. Der Autor deutet vieles, was die Ereignisse in der Vergangenheit betrifft, nur an und hat es mir überlassen, eigene Schlüsse zu ziehen. Mit der neuen Pathologin ist ein interessanter neuer Charakter dazugekommen, bei dem ich neugierig bin, wie sich die Zusammenarbeit entwickelt. Trotzdem frage ich mich auch, wie lange Andy Gilchrist noch ermitteln wird, weil ich ihm bei seinen Ermittlungen schon einige Jahre über die Schulter blicke und seine Pensionierung in greifbare Nähe rückt. Trotzdem hoffe ich, dass er noch einige Fälle lösen darf.

[John Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a few years since I read any of these DCI Andy Gilchrist crime thrillers. This one did not disappoint and certainly moved along at a good pace, with lots of twists and turns alongside some black humour.

[Alan Calder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok story. Fast moving. A bit unbelievable in places.

[Christine Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Find by T F Muir is another book in the DCI Gilchrist police series and this storyline begins at St. Andrew’s, renovations works on the famous Old Course golf course when a body is found in a shallow grave, two bullet holes in the skull. DNA confirms the body as Rab Shepherd, the missing brother of Scotland’s late crime patriarch, Jock Shepherd.
The discovery of this body unleashes a whole series of events which escalates in death and murder. It is left to DCI Andy Gilchrist and his associate, DS Jessie Janes to find out what happened and why and solve the deaths.
Highly recommended

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A body is found buried in the old golf course when renovation works are started. When it gets identified as the brother of recently deceased crime boss Jock Shepherd, that seems to be the catalyst for more killings even though the body has been buried there for over 20 years.
As Andy and Jessie investigate criminal fraternity seem to be cleaning shop and the investigation leads to people with strong reasons for their associations to the deceased to be covered up.
As usual a very listenable book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

While works being done on the grounds of the Old Course hotel in St Andrews, the remains of a body are found. Forensics reveal it’s the brother of a deceased gangster from Glasgow who was supposed to be living in the far east. DCI Andy Gilchrist and his team investigate to discover who and why big Jock Shepherd’s brother was murdered and buried in Fife soil.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished the paperback that I can't find listed on Goodreads. Nothing much different in this Scottish crime book than any of the others I've read, lots of meanderings and dead ends along with a lot of dead bodies. It was ok.

[Alison J Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great crime story linking Dundee and Glasgow with crime gangs, headless bodies, walks on the West Sands in St Andrews and plenty of twists to keep the reader hooked. I listened to this on Audible, great way to read it!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and fast paced thriller, would be a good holiday read.

[Tia Mulligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending was a little rubbish, but really enjoyed this story!

[Matt Downing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmm. Starts well, but then gets characters very confused for this reader and becomes a massive political conspiracy. Quite a confused story board

[Carolyn White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me gripped from beginning to end

[Hannah Newberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots and lots of characters , I did enjoy the story but I felt abit lost at times. The story of the DCI and Irene was sweet though !

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Oundle Crime · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it hadn't been for our book group's reading theme ("Authors who are known by their initials") I would never have borrowed this from the library. But I'm glad I did, particularly because it's Book 11 of Muir's DCI Andy Gilchrist series, which means I have more books in the series that I can read! In this one, a skeleton buried in a shallow grave on St Andrew’s golf course is unearthed by groundsmen doing some routine maintenance. The victim had been shot twice in the head and DNA tests prove he was the missing brother of Scotland’s criminal king-pin, whom everyone thought had moved to Australia and died there. The king-pin is now also dead and the crime ‘empire’ is being run by his son-in-law. The family’s genealogy plays quite a big part in the investigation as the police try to untangle motives and find out what happened more than 20 years before. But it leads to a much bigger conspiracy which had flourished below the radar for many years. I thought this was a very readable police procedural which had a good, twisty plot.
Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 11th instalment is this brilliant series sees the wonderful Andy Gilchrist tackle gangland murderers and corrupt politicians. Fast paced as is the norm with a well executed plot - believable? Who knows as us public aren’t privy to security service protocol but does give us a highly fascinating storyline. A lot of focus on Andy’s personal life in this one which I felt was at the slight expense of the other characters which remained largely in the background. Having said that this is still a cracking read

[Sandra McCourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another TF Muir classic. The body of a man is discovered and it all links back to the crime lords ! And it just gets better. Can’t wait for this authors next book. Fabulous writer.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 11th DCI Andy Gilchrist police procedural is another briskly paced and thoughtfully characterized thriller.

[Claire Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, no longer really based in St Andrews, losing all background characters too.