Review: WHISPERS OF THE DEAD, Lin Anderson

• 
  This edition supplied by my local library on Libby
  
• Published by Pan Macmillan in 2024
• ISBN: 9781761565991
• #18 in the Rhona MacLeod series 

Synopsis (publisher)

'Forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod has become one of the most satisfying characters in modern crime fiction' Daily Mail

A gangland slaying. A missing movie star. When an actor goes missing in Glasgow, the clue to his whereabouts could be in the film script itself. Whispers of the Dead is a gripping thriller from Lin Anderson.

In the dead of night, a man’s body is found strapped to a chair in Glasgow’s Elder Park, his identity unknown. As forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod examines the scene, the violence on display suggests a gangland feud could be the cause. At the post-mortem, a bullet engraved with a snake’s head is found in the man’s stomach, lending weight to the theory.

Elsewhere in the city, a major Hollywood movie is being filmed. But shooting comes to a standstill when its lead actor is reported missing. As the news spreads, Police Scotland believe the two cases may be connected.

DS Michael McNab thinks the key to finding those responsible could be the film itself. A storyline playing out in real-life on the streets of Glasgow with a killer intent on revenge at any cost. A vendetta which must be paid in blood . . .

Though they can be enjoyed in any order, Whispers of the Dead is the eighteenth book in the Rhona MacLeod series.

My Take

I struggled with coming to terms mainly with the principal characters of this book. There were obviously threads that had continued throughout the series and as I have only read 3 of the books in the series, I could not make the connections and struggled to make those connections. So I think the encouragement in the publisher's blurb to read the books in any order just does not hold true.

There were really two main stories in the novel, both of them interesting, and in the long run, connected with each other. They were what kept me reading.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.6, SINS OF THE DEAD #13
4.7, TIME FOR THE DEAD #14
4.5, FOLLOW THE DEAD #12