Today, I’m reviewing #CrucialBlack by Colin Garrow, a highly- entertaining Scottish thriller set in Inverness

Here’s the blurb

A brace of corpses. A bone-crunching machine. A new recruit.

Now employed by an Inverness organised crime gang, former petty thief Relic Black is teamed up with hitman Ali McKay, the man he almost killed a few weeks earlier. As the team tidy up the loose ends after the shooting, gang member and bent cop DI McKenzie must investigate the disappearance of two people, knowing Relic and Ali have already disposed of the bodies.

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s unpopular colleague DI Swinney, suspects her of involvement in the shooting. Knowing one of the bodies currently taking up space in the mortuary remains anonymous, he discovers the man’s identity. Can Swinney uncover the truth, dig the dirt on McKenzie and regain his former status with the DCI, or will the gang step in to stop him?

Warning – strong language and adult situations throughout.

Crucial Black is book #2 in the Relic Black Thriller series set in Inverness, Scotland. 

NB book #2 is not a standalone – the series must be read in order.

Purchase Links

AMAZON https://geni.us/gXeQFS

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1345380

My Review

Crucial Black is book 2 in Colin Garrow’s hard-hitting adult-themed thriller (that just means it’s violent and sweary), reuniting us with Relic Black from book 1 (check out my review below).

As ever, Colin takes us on a thrilling journey, using Inverness and its surrounding area as a canvas upon which to paint the violence and double-dealing of the tale.

It’s a quick, fast-paced read, pitting our bent coppers against our slightly less bent coppers, almost making our gang of violent thugs seem more civilised. Relic is our eyes on all this, fairly innocent of everything that’s happening, he is slowly becoming embroiled within the group and has a few ideas of his own that involve some piggies.

There are any number of bodies to dispose of in weird and wonderful ways, as well as a great deal of misdirection.

A really well-devised plot ensures the story passes by quickly, and the reader is left wondering just who is going to surprise them next.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Colin excels in the many genres he writes in, and this is no exception. An entertaining, if violent and slightly-twisted tale complete with authentic Scottish accents, you ken.

Check out my reviews for Colin’s other stories.

Terminal Black (Book 1 in the series)

Sherlock Holmes

Geordie Crime -Blood on the Tyne

Shadow of the Witch – historical horror

Meet the author

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. 

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice vegan cakes.

Connect with the author

Twitter https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/

Website https://colingarrow.co.uk/ 

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-garrow

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@colingarrowauthor