A Deadly Flame

DS Malkie McCulloch, Book 3

By: Doug Sinclair

Narrated by: Angus King

She opens the door to find two police officers waiting on her doorstep. Fear flashes through her. 'Can we come in?' they ask. 'It’s about your husband…'

Anna Galbraith's world shatters when she hears the devastating news: her husband’s whisky distillery has burned to the ground and a body has been found inside. But her husband wasn’t the only victim – a young firefighter perished too, leaving behind a grief-stricken fiancée only weeks away from their wedding day.

As DS Malkie McCulloch delves into the Galbraith family, he soon discovers their financial struggles. Was their marriage less perfect than Anne has made out?

After a shocking attack on a firefighter, another body is found, assaulted and set alight in the victim’s own home, and it’s clear a frenzied killer is on the loose. Can Malkie overcome memories of his own mother’s death in a fire to find the culprit? Or will the firestorm of his own life engulf him first?

A gripping Scottish crime thriller featuring DS Malkie McCulloch, a brilliantly complex detective who will risk everything to protect the innocent, set in the shadow of the Pentland Hills. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, JM Dalgliesh and JD Kirk.

©2024 Doug Sinclair (P)2024 Storm Publishing

Reader

Angus King is the best reader of all I have heard and I have listened to more than a thousand books!

Angus Needs Better Material

This book had a 100% predictable ending, with no decent red herrings or misdirections. The main characters are incessantly holding back bile or fighting waves of nausea. It’s like the only way this author can convey dread or disgust. Which is kind of funny to me personally because my mother always used gastric functions to denote her feelings. “I’m so angry, I could spit!” (Lord help you if you made her mad enough to vomit, but I digress.) Also, both central characters are consumed with self loathing. It’s tiresome. I might be more inclined to tolerate all that angsty angst if the story had any depth whatsoever. The singular bright spot is the potential love interest of the lead. She’s an interesting character. Angus King is magnificent and can do no wrong, but he deserves better stories to narrate.