A Polish detective in a Scottish crime novel

A little bit of background📃

I picked The murder stones up at my local library as I was intrigued by the idea of a Polish detective in a Scottish crime novel. The author, Hania Allen, was born in England to Polish refugees. Allen once worked in information management at the University of St Andrews before she gave up her job to write full time. I found this on her Goodreads bio: Hania has lived in Scotland longer than anywhere else and loves the country and its people, despite the nine months of rain and three months of bad weather. She currently resides in a fishing village in Fife. Lovely!

The murder stones | Published February 2022 | Read October 2024

The story📖

The murder stones is Book 4 in the DI Dania Gorska series, set in Dundee. In this outing the detective inspector is called upon to investigate a fatal road traffic accident. The accident requires investigation as the victim has unexplained injuries and a witness reported seeing a man fleeing from the scene. The man's death is linked to a sprawling local country estate and the disappearance of the man's two brothers many years ago. The murder stones of the title refer to carved headstones that appear on the estate grounds, suggesting the missing brothers were murdered.

My thoughts on the book💭

I liked Dania and found the concept of a Polish detective working in Scotland a new take on the crime genre for me. There isn't a lot of context in the book, though, so I assume that the reader would need to work their way through the series from the first book to fully appreciate Book 4. Allen does a good job of conveying the atmosphere of the estate. There's added interest from the magic convention held on the estate that Dania is forced to join as she investigates the murder.

The pacing is a bit slow in The murder stones even though there was enough to hold my interest. There are a bunch of subplots going on that seem unnecessary. I liked Dania well enough, but I didn't find anything particularly startling or unique to grab onto. The overall reading experience was a bit uninspiring.

In sum📝

There isn't anything in The murder stones that made me especially dislike the book; it is just a mediocre read. There is a solid premise for story, but it isn't terribly convincing or interesting. That said, I might still check out the other books in the series.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐