Blue Wicked is the second book from Scottish author Alan Jones and is quite different from his first one – The Cabinetmaker. Although I found the subject matter to be a bit too gruesome for my taste I can see that it will appeal to a lot of people who are less squeamish or should I say maybe don’t have such detailed and graphic an imagination as I have.
Eddie is a vet who has the unenviable task of dealing with a poor cat which has been skewered by some evil nutcase. It isn’t the first time that he has come across felines which have been tortured horribly and he knows that there is a theory that those who do such things move on to torturing and killing humans. He searches back in SSPCA files and discovers similar cases which he thinks might be linked.
When murder victims with the same injuries as the cats start turning up in Glasgow he is certain that they are connected and with the help of Catherine, a local detective, he sets out to track down the perpetrator.
As I have already implied, this book was way out of my comfort zone, and in fact I had to dive into the 1950s realms of an Angela Thirkell book as soon as I finished it, but if you enjoy a more violent and gory read such as books by Val McDermid then you’ll probably like Blue Wicked which is well written and does capture the atmosphere of misogyny and condescension which I’m sure exists within all police stations. The actual storyline is well thought out and all of the loose ends are satisfactorily tied up at the end.
I have just come across your site when looking for the meaning of ‘smirr’. I love your explanation and have linked to it on my blog tonight.
I do believe we were at the same school (though not at the same time – I was at Whitehill at the same time as Lulu!) I am enjoying your archive.
Freda,
Thanks for linking to me and taking the time to comment. I love your acer photos. I was never at Whitehill although my sister was, she’s a lot older than me, and my parents moved us to Dumbarton when I was just 5.
I’m on the lookout for books by Scottish authors, having just finished Highland River, but this one is not for the likes of me. I’m definitely in the too-squeamish category.
JaneGS,
There are loads of Scottish authors to choose from – alive and dead! What sort of books do you want to read, historical, romance. modern, vintage, crime?
Ooh, it’s not for me! I am way too squeamish, and especially when it comes to pets – any pets. I must get on with Peggy’s Read Scotland challenge. There are only two months left and I have about 5 more to go!
Evee,
I believe that the challenge is continuing in 2015 as there are just too many Scottish books to read so it’ll probably be never ending! It is amazing how quick this year has been though.