The Devil Stone by Caro Ramsay
In the village of Cronchie, a wealthy family are found brutally murdered. The Devil Stone, an heirloom rumoured to bring death if removed from their home, is the only thing stolen. The key suspects are known satanists. But when the investigating officer disappears, DCI Christine Caplan is pulled in to investigate.
Caplan knows she is being punished for a minor misdemeanour when she is seconded to the Highlands, but she’s confident she can quickly solve the murders and return home to her fractious family. But as she closes in on the truth, it is suddenly her life, not her career, that is in danger.
About the author
Caro Ramsay is the Glaswegian author of the critically acclaimed Anderson and Costello series, the first of which, Absolution, was shortlisted for the CWA's New Blood Dagger for best debut of the year. The ninth book in the series, The Suffering of Strangers, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2018.
Review
‘The Devil Stone’ is an engaging start to what I believe will be a cracking new addition to the tartan noir scene! I am a huge fan of Caro Ramsay and have been for years, I think I might have even bought the first one in Borders (rip) and loved the Anderson and Costello series. I was super excited to hear that she was starting a new series and that it was going to be based in the Highlands of Scotland. I thoroughly recommend that you pick this book up!
The series features DCI Christine Caplan, based in Glasgow but her career is under a cloud as she was accused of losing evidence. We find her a day after her disciplinary, in which she has been demoted a rank back down to DI. A wealthy family in a small village in the Highlands have been found brutally murdered in what seems to be ritualistic circumstances and the only thing missing is an heirloom ‘the Devil Stone’. When the DCI on the case, Bob Oswald, goes missing Caplan is drafted in to help the team. Caplan knows that whilst this is a punishment, solving the case is also the only way to redeem her career. But she soon realises that this will not be an open and shut case as the scene looks staged and the suspects don't really seem viable. As she gets nearer to the truth she comes to understand that her life might be in danger.
This is a book of two halves which I always find is the case in the first of a series and it's completely understandable. The author needs to introduce the characters, build the world and set the scene whilst inserting the building blocks of the storyline. But Caro does a great balancing job of doing this whilst keeping the reader gripped and entertained! Therefore, the second half of the book feels as if it is cracking along at a blistering pace as more evidence is discovered and shocking events take place. I flew through this book in one sitting, as I was dragged willingly into Caplan’s world.
Caplan is the female police protagonist I never knew I was missing. She is intelligent, quick on the uptake, and loyal to her friends and family but also she has a humanity to her that allows her to make mistakes. The characters who are ‘Team Caplan’ are all well drawn and I couldn't help but laugh at DC Toni Mackie with her Crocs and grubby bra, next to a pristine and elegant Caplan. DC Craigo was also another character that I instantly liked and I can't wait to be able to find out more about all the characters in general.
I found the storyline to be engrossing and gripping from the start! It has many twists and turns and I was definitely guessing right up to the end. The writing, plotting and sense of location were top-notch, I wouldn't expect anything less from Caro. Sometimes, when you pick up a book by a beloved author there is an anxiety of ‘please don't let me not enjoy it’ but this was not the case here. I thoroughly adored ‘The Devil Stone’ and I am already champing at the bit for the next in the series.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
