Time is a healer….unless you’re the one doing the killing…

DCI James Craig is heading home to Fife for a family funeral after the discovery of his wife’s uncle’s lifeless body at home, having fallen down the stairs. The incident was classified as a Sudden Death, attributing it to the man’s advanced age and fragility. Case officially closed.…Or is it?

Genre: Scottish Crime Thriller | Police Procedural
#IceIntoAshes @JCarsonAuthor #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #DCIJamesCraig #blogtour

Craig, inherently skeptical, approaches matters from a unique perspective, a skill honed on the streets of London. He hesitates to accept the neatly wrapped conclusion surrounding the old man’s demise.

As he contemplates letting the matter rest, certain details stand out, prompting him to reconsider the circumstances surrounding the death.

Craig reconnects with his former boss, now a Superintendent, from his probationary days in Fife. He requests permission to join the inquiry and is paired with DS Isla McGregor.

The two of them are soon caught up in a series of killings that stretch back years, back to the days when a young copper called James Craig was just starting out. A case that Craig remembers very well.

Because he almost caught a serial killer who was starting out on his own journey.

And now their paths are going to cross again.

Ice Into Ashes is the first book in a new series from the creator of the DCI Harry McNeil books.

My Review

Ice Into Ashes has everything you would want and expect from a police procedural – dark humour, banter, divorced coppers, too much boozing, all the usual suspects. And you have them in spadefuls, with the addition of Scottish witticisms.

DCI James Craig, originally from Scotland, but now living with his wife Eve in London, has to go back home to attend the funeral of Eve’s uncle Clark. He was 76 years old and a retired police officer. He fell down the stairs and was found dead at the bottom by his cleaning lady.

All very sad, but Craig is suspicious, which he puts down to 25 years in the force. Never take the obvious explanation for granted – always look for evidence in case there is something else more sinister going on. And then there’s the lollipop.

When Craig was first setting out as a young copper, he almost caught a serial killer and nearly lost his own life in the process. He was saved at the last moment by fellow officer Dan Stevenson, who chased the killer away, but they never caught him, and he’s still targeting coppers and retired police officers. He also seems to know a lot about James and his family, so is it personal?

The book gallops along at a cracking pace, with a lot of parallel stories, including a serial killer in London who has been labelled The Hammer, because not only is that his MO, he also send photos of the hammer he uses to murder his victims to various people including James Craig. So is there a connection between the two killers? Or is James being paranoid.

As this is the first in a new series, we meet the characters who will no doubt form the basis of the next books including the aforementioned Dan, DS Isla McGregor, DSup Mark Baker, Eve and Craig’s beloved German Shepherd Finn. I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to book two One Of The Broken out in May.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

John Carson is the author of the DCI Harry McNeil, DCI Sean Bracken and DI Frank Miller series set in Edinburgh. He is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, but now lives in New York State with his wife and two daughters. He shares his house with two dogs and four cats.
Visit johncarsonauthor.com

Facebook – JohnCarsonAuthor
Instagram – @johncarsonauthor
Twitter – @JCarsonAuthor