The Missing and the Dead is the ninth novel in the The Logan McRae series and is set in Aberdeen, Scotland and also the first I have read in the series, I suppose I need to start at the beginning of the series to get a real feel for the characters. That said, even though this is the ninth in the series, I had no problem reading it as a standalone book.
It continues the story of Acting Detective Inspector Logan McRae as he does his daily job. When a little girl is found in the pool of water outside Banff, Logan is pulled deep into the investigation. The Major Investigation Team is all over the case and pushes Logan out, their investigation etc, but Logan has a hard time letting this one go, so against his superior DCI Steele and continues to investigate the murder of the girl. Along with trying to find out who the little girl is, there is a woman Helen who thinks that this little girl may be her daughter that was taken from her years earlier so he feels that he really needs to find out who the girl is and who killed her.
Aside from this investigation, there are other cases that he and his team are working on, drug dealers, pedophiles and missing persons, plus chasing cows off the road. We are privy to the daily calls that Logan receives regarding things from burglaries to calls from higher ups who don't want or like Logan on the murdered girl's case or don't like him period. His superior DCI Roberta Steele is a brash, uncouth and loudmouth woman who wants Logan back on her team. She knows that Logan is one of the best detectives and will do what she can to get him back.
Even though is book is huge, 581 pages huge, it is a page turner. I love British authors and I have said before that they do know how to tell a story, especially mysteries and thrillers. There is a fair amount of humor in the book, some vulgarity, mostly from DCI Steele, and I think that all of this is what keeps the story flowing. Characters that you can relate to, some you will like and others not.
Aside from historical fiction, mysteries/thrillers have to be my next favorite genre to read. I also love British tv dramas, is there a tv show for this series I wonder? If there isn't there should be. The Logan McRae stories would certainly adapt to the screen very well. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next one, and going back to start the series from the beginning. If you like a good mystery book that you can settle into with a glass of wine and a cat on your lap, then this is for you. Well you don't have to have the cat....!
I received a hard copy of the book and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
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