The Girl in the Loch by Andrew James Greig
A mother calls for her child repeatedly in the soft summer air, her voice rising with panic. She runs across the decking to lean over the thick glass balustrade, her eyes searching the dark waters of the loch. Her only child is missing, and nothing will ever be the same again.
The disappearance of a three-year-old girl from her isolated Highland home one summer shook the nation. A massive police search involving divers in the loch and dogs combing the moorland and mountains had failed to find Lily Masterton.
Three years later, the world may have forgotten the blond-haired girl with the big blue eyes, but her grief-stricken parents hire Private Investigator Teàrlach Paterson – an expert in finding missing children – to bring their precious Lily home.
But this is no ordinary family struck by tragedy. Teàrlach has heard the whispered rumours that Tony Masterton is a dangerous man. Lily’s nanny was fired and has vanished into thin air. And then a body is found at local landmark, Hell’s Glen.
As Teàrlach pieces together the secrets at the heart of the Masterton family, tiny bones are found in the loch close to the Masterton’s home.Could they be Lily’s? Or will Teàrlach unravel a truth even more shocking?
A twisty, atmospheric, and utterly compelling page-turner set within the breath-taking Highland landscape from a CWA New Blood Dagger Longlist author and McIlvanney Best Scottish Crime Novel Finalist. Fans of LJ Ross, Ann Cleeves, and Val McDermid will be hooked by The Girl in the Loch.
Review
‘The Girl in the Loch’ is a deftly plotted novel that radiates a malevolent evilness and it is goosebumps raising in places! As a huge fan of Andrew’s previous books I was very happy to be given the chance to read this one. Start of a brand new series that revolves about Tearlach Paterson, a private investigator based in Glasgow. I'm glad Andrew is returning to crime set in present day Scotland as I believe this is where his best work has come out of. Please, please please go read ‘Whirligig’ as it's one of my favourite ever Scottish crime novels!
When Tearlach Paterson is approached by Tony Matterson to help search for his daughter Lilybet, who has been missing for three years, he takes the case. Tony is a Glasgow gangster and has a huge glass modern house on the edge of a sea loch. His three-year-old daughter was playing one summer afternoon and went missing in broad daylight. The police have not been able to find her or even have any viable leads and after three years Tony decides to hire Tearlach to look into the events of that afternoon. Lilybet’s nanny was fired just weeks after her disappearance and now a body has been found at a local landmark. As Tearlach delves into the secrets of the Mastertons the bones of a child are found in the loch. Has Lily been there this whole time?
This book had me hooked from the very start to the final page. It had this way of getting under your skin and making its presence felt. I devoured it a few sittings and it felt like such a quick read but it was very immersive. The hook of a missing girl drew me in instantly but it was the characters who made me stay! Tearlach is going to become a firm favourite for me I think. He was nuanced and his background has just been teased at and already I feel heartsore for him. He has a vulnerability to him but also a moral core that is hard to shake, even when faced with a dangerous gangster. He is intelligent, loyal and makes a great protagonist! Another character of mention has to be Dee Fairlie, an employee of Tony’s who has also been tasked with finding Lily. She is wildly unpredictable, extremely damaged but also comes across brilliantly, someone who has a heart of gold and is severely misunderstood!
This was a gritty story and dealt with some dark topics. I loved the inclusion of some traditional Scottish mythology and it definitely helped to mix the waters shall we say! As the story progress the feeling of danger intensifies and the latter half of the story definitely gets the heart beating faster. It is a well-plotted book full of dead ends, red herrings and misdirection. Once again, Andrew manages to make the most of the Scottish landscape, history and weather. As the mist rolls in, the tension ramps up and it definitely gave me the heebie-jeebies! But maybe like Brain the Barman I am a believer!
This book deserves to be hitting the best sellers lists as its a brilliant piece of Scottish crime fiction! Let me know if you pick it up!
