In Plain Sight is the second book in the DI Clare Mackay series and another great instalment having previously enjoyed the first one “See Them Run”. All hands are on deck when a baby is snatched from her pram at a charity fun run in which Mackay is taking part so suffice to say as a result of this and the fact that there was a protest blocking the runners from leaving the pen, the run didn’t go ahead. This is a difficult case but more so because of the fact that the baby, 6 month old Abi has a congenital heart disease and needs digoxin twice daily to control it, the doctor advises without it, she is at risk of dying.

With that knowledge, police are drafted in from the local surrounding areas to help and as the investigation ensues, things get interesting, lies are being told, betrayal of family members… can Clare discover the truth and find Abi before its too late?

A great police procedural book and an interesting investigation, Clare has some barriers in her way as her DCI is more concerned about a promotion to Super than actually helping. I was thoroughly invested and read it in less than a day.

Brilliant. I read this book in one sitting. I had to know if Abi was safe. Clare and her team are characters I want to know more about.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I’d like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘In Plain Sight’, the second in the DI Clare Mackay series written by Marion Todd, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As a charity fun run is taking place on the sea front at St Andrews a woman screams, her baby daughter has been taken from her pram. This will be a difficult case for DI Clare Mackay to investigate as the baby is taking medication for a congenital heart defect and needs to be found within forty-eight or her life could be at risk.

This is a police procedural thriller and the first I’ve read in the DI Clare Mackay series but the author has given enough background information for me to get a good understanding of what’s happened previously. I like the characters of Clare and her team including DS Chris West and PC Sara Stapleton, not to mention Lyall the young journalist who’s shadowing Clare and proves to be invaluable in helping her crack this case. As soon as I started reading ‘In Plain Sight’ I knew I was going to enjoy it and I wasn’t wrong. The story feels realistic and there’s tension, drama and a few twists and turns to keep me guessing. The conclusion is so exciting that I’ve been unable to stop reading and I’m now going to read the first book in the series and look forward to reading more by Marion Todd.

A child’s life is at stake. Which of the residents of St Andrews is hiding something – and why?
When a baby girl is snatched from the crowd of spectators at a fun run, the local police have a major investigation on their hands. DI Clare Mackay and her team are in a race against the clock when they learn that the child has a potentially fatal medical condition.
As Clare investigates she realises this victim wasn’t selected at random. Someone knows who took the baby girl, and why. But will they reveal their secrets before it's too late?
His is the second book to feature Clare, it can either be read on its own or, which I prefer as a follow on to the first book. Things have moved on for Clare she’s bought a cottage & has a dog so she’s left Glasgow behind. I once again found this to be a book I found hard to put down, the pace is relentless as the missing child had a heart defect so finding her can’t wait. I loved the first book & I loved this, I can't wait for more, a new author I’m excited about
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is the second book I read in this series and I think this is becoming one of my favorite police procedural series.
It's a gripping read, the story flow and the cast of characters is well thought and interesting.
The mystery is solid and it kept me guessing.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the second book in the series and is just as great as the first one. DI Clare Mackay is working on a case involving a kidnapped 6 months old baby with a defective heart condition who needs heart medication within 48 hours.
The series is set in Scotland which is a refreshing change and the writing sure makes you want to visit.
Even though this is a second book it a series, it requires no background information but can be read as a stand-alone. As a matter of fact it took me a while to remember what happened in the first book but it didn’t require any additional information to be able to enjoy it.
I definitely recommend this book and happily give it 5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyed reading this book. It was my first from this author. It was well written. Kept my interest. Had me on the edge of my seat wanting more. Great mystery read

In plain sight by Marion Todd is the second book in a series which focuses on DI Clare Mackay, even though this is the second in the series it can be read as a stand alone.
A baby is snatched from her pram during a fun run, so this book is based on the search for her.
I found this book a quick and enjoyable read, however if you are looking for a fast paced thriller then this is not the book for you. This book moves at a steady pace and has no shock twists and turns.

4-4.5*
As a charity race begins a group of protesters lie down on the route and halt the race D I Clare Mackay, who was taking part, makes her way to the front of the runners to sort things out. Then a woman screams – her baby has been taken! So begins a race against time when it emerges that Abigail, the missing child, has a heart condition and may not survive more than 48 hours without her medication.

What I like about this book, as well as being such a good read, is that you get a police procedural which is so engrossing, keeps up the tension throughout, feels so realistic, has a few twists that keep you guessing and you are hooked to the last page.

The second in what is turning out to be a cracking series from Marion Todd, In Plain Sight is a really good police procedural and well worth a read.

3.5 stars, rounded up
In Plain Sight is the second book in the Clare MacKay series. I had not read the first book, but didn’t feel at a loss.

This straightforward police procedural takes place in St. Andrews, Scotland. I can’t say I got a real sense of place in this book.

A baby is snatched from her pram during a fun run. The book handles the search for the missing girl. The search has an extra component as the child suffers from a heart condition and could die if she goes without her medicine for too long. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets and Clare is stymied.

Clare is dealing with a new DCI and he’s a real ass, more interested in his next promotion than the case. He also has it in for Clare’s DS

This isn’t a fast paced book. It moves at a steady pace, but never felt like it dragged. Clare was a strong main character, putting job ahead of personal relationships, as seems so often the case with DIs. We get to see some of the personal lives of the other characters as well.

I liked this enough that I intend to go back and read the first in the series and will be waiting to see what happens with the next to come.

My thanks to netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of the book.

In Plain Sight by Marion Todd is the second book in a series focused on DI Clare Mackay, although I venture to say that it works brilliantly as a standalone. That said, I am intrigued enough by DI Mackay to add the first book to my TBR to fully flesh out the background of the St Andrews based detective.

A six month old infant is reported missing and DI Mackay and her team find themselves in a race against the clock to find her. The urgency to find the child is exemplified further when it is revealed that she suffers from a heart condition that will require life-saving medication within forty eight hours.

This is a thoroughly gripping police procedural that ticked all of the boxes for me. It is a fast-paced read that had me racing to the finish line, so invested was I in the race to save baby Abi before time runs out. Ms Todd is a new author to me, but she is now firmly on my radar moving forward.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for this ARC.

Although this is the second book in a series it works very well as a standalone, fast paced police procedural.

The author alludes to the character's (DCI Clare Mackay) past and what has brought her to live in St Andrews - enough to make me want to go back to book one and to also make sense of where we are at in the bigger context of Clare's life.

We get into the action very quickly, as the main characters are introduced at a charity race right at the start and a child is then kidnapped at this race.

What I loved is that the twists and turns weren't masked as deliberate twists to make the reader gasp, its just that the road the plot goes down was really rather unexpected. I was left guessing and trying to work out what had actually happened to the child. It is testament to the author's great writing that I couldn't work out what was going to happen!

I'd like to find out more about many of the characters as I feel we have just scratched the surface here.

Will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced readers copy.

This book had me gripped from the beginning until the last chapter. Well written and paced. Great characters. Suspense filled intrigue. This is the second book in the series and is as good as the last one. I will definitely read the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Text Publishing, for the ARC.

This is #2 in the DI Clare Mackay series and I enjoyed it just as much as #1 - See Them Run. Although you can read this as a standalone I would thoroughly recommend you read Book #1. Set in St Andrews, Scotland. This is well-written and fast-paced, conveying the urgency of a busy police investigation with excellent dialogue. Like Book #1, we understand that Clare's Station is small, and when a big case takes off then an outside DCI is brought in to head the team. This time the new DCI is only interested in this leading to his promotion. Again, though, Clare begins to doubt her abilities.

At the start of a charity fun-run where Clare and her team are taking part, a 6-month-old baby girl, Abi, is taken from her pram. Clare quickly gets things under control and the investigation starts. It becomes increasingly urgent as they are working against the clock due to Abi's heart condition, for which she needs specialist medication.
The mother Lisa subsequently disappears, her sister - herself an ex-drug addict and awaiting the prospect of the return of her child to her from Social Services - had surreptitiously provided an untraceable phone to her - why? the team have to find out.
Are there drugs involved? Why can't they find Lisa's car?
It's a good plot and thoroughly absorbing.
Really enjoyed it!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new crime series. Set in Scotland. this is book two in the Detective Clare Mac Kay series. For background detail, I would read the first novel. This is cleverly written and grasped my attention from the first chapter. Clare is about to take part in a fun run, when a baby girl is abducted. The child has a heart condition and it is a race against time to find her before it is too late. A good solid read with plenty action. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This is author Marion Todd's second book in her DI Claire Mackay crime series. You don't have to read the first (See Them Run) to enjoy this one but as In Plain Sight is only the second in the series it's well worth reading See Them Run first. While In Plain Sight's plot line (a kidnapped baby) is enough to drive the story and keep your attention, for me it is DI Claire Mackay herself who is the driving force. Her character is driven, feisty, determined, focused and funny while retaining the flaws which make her vulnerable. The chapters are fairly short which increases the 'just one more chapter' factor and had me reading through the night several nights in a row. While See Them Run was good, In Plain Sight feels like the writing is lifted another gear. It's not perfect though. For me, DI Mackay's love life intrudes into rather than flows with the story. A few times it felt a little like a side show that I'm not sure we needed to go down. These scenes are interesting in themselves but just feel too 'apart' from the rest of the story. There were also a few times I felt clues or potential evidence were dismissed as not really relevant too quickly, One clue in particular (which I can't mention as it'd be a spoiler), was dismissed early on but never explained. I don't want to be too critical though because this is only the second book in hopefully a longer series and far more experienced novelists make the same errors...if errors they are. I wouldn't say this series is yet in the premier league of crime writing but the potential is there and the best compliment I can give is to say that I can't wait for the next one! I'd have to say that having read the early Ian Rankin Rebus books, I think Todd is, at this early stage in her writing, a better writer than Rankin at the same stage. I'm also glad that as in See Them Run, the writing in In Plain Sight is once more pared back, doesn't ramble yet isn't so sparse that you're left wanting more detail. In my view, the writing/editing process for these books is excellent. I was going to give this four stars, dropping one because of the issues I've mentioned above. Yet this is still early in a series and I suspect to some extent the author is still finding her feet although the plotting is very accomplished. There is also an intriguing autism 'side-story' which, while not part of the main plot, has me interested in seeing where it goes as I have family members on the spectrum. I'm wondering if an autism plot line could be explored further into this series? So given that this is still a new author I'd say the overall impression and the fact I can't wait for the next one, means I'm giving it five stars. Highly recommended.


Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for ARC.

#2 in the Detective Clare Mackay series, but can also easily be read as a stand-alone.

A very young child has been abducted while her parents were watching a commotion at a charity fun run.

Detective Clare Mackay was about to take part in the run so was on the scene immediately, but no sign of baby Abi.

When they find out Abi has a heart condition and needs regular medication to keep her alive, this becomes a tense race against time.

Can they find Abi before it’s too late?

This is a clever, well plotted police procedural that’s so much more involved. There’s a missing child, a thorough investigation with plenty of possible suspects, office politics, an overly ambitious senior officer and well developed characters. A truly gripping and thoroughly entertaining read. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series….

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for a free Ecopy of In Plain Sight. This is my honest and unbiased review.

DI Clare Mackay returns in the second book in Marion Todd’s police procedural series set in St Andrews.

As with the first book In Plain Sight is an engaging and enjoyable read which kept me hooked from the beginning to the end.

The author has managed to create in a very period of time some three dimensional characters but still allowing them scope to breathe and grow.

In Plain Sight sees Mackay and her colleagues trying to find a missing baby who has a potentially life threatening illness but not everything is as it seems.

This is showing signs of a becoming a very good series and I look forward to book three.

Definitely recommended

A twisty police procedural set in St Andrews in Scotland, home of the golf. Nice to see this city getting a bit more attention in a novel and it’s a gripping premise too. A baby is kidnapped from a funrun and then all hell breaks loose. The police wonder what the parents might be hiding and what happened that day. But the story then takes an even more sinister turn as the investigation moves away from the baby’s disappearance and into the murky world of drugs.
I haven’t read the first book in the series and I did feel I was missing out with some references. I feel there was more I wanted to know too but then this is a good sign that I need to read the first book.The writing and plotting are certainly going to make me want to do that. Add the setting and the characters make it.
I enjoyed the read but did feel there were gaps I needed to fill.

A baby girl is snatched from her pram in broad daylight.
Her parents had only taken their eyes off her for a minute to watch the charity run.
So the race to find her starts, intensified by the fact that she has a serious life-threatening medical condition.

I didn't realise this was the second book in the DI Clare MacKay series, but it reads fine as a stand-alone novel.
I liked that it was set in Scotland, a change to the usual setting.
After reading the blurb, I was expecting a thrilling race against time to find the baby, but I'm disappointed to say that the story didn't grip me at all. It lacked tension, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and therefore I didn't feel as invested in the story as I should have been.
It turned out to be just another police procedural book about a kidnapped baby, there was nothing making it stand out beyond the norm.
Sadly it gets 2 stars