Marion Todd was a new author for me, but as I enjoy Scottish crime fiction I decided to give her a try. I was certainly not disappointed with What They Knew.
I found it a most enjoyable read, perhaps more so as it was littered with expletives in an attempt to make it real to life, with the story and characters unfolding nicely.
I will certainly read more of Marion Todd’s books and the continuing story of Clare Mackay.

What they new by Marion Todd is the fourth book in the Scottish Detective Clare Mackay series and what a great epilotssode it is.
It’s New Year’s Eve Alison Reid is at home and its nearly midnight when she gets a visitor to her home. The next day she is found dead drowned in her bath by her neighbour. But looks can be deceiving, when the pathologist arrives, they find marks on her neck due to strangulation. Alison was murdered, not drowned. Soon another body turns up with the same marks Detective Clare Mackay has a huge task and a race against time with her team to find out who the killer is before they try and strike again. It seems that it is connected to a dating app that both women are on.
There are also problems in her own personal life. he feelings between her boyfriend and her boss.
I really enjoyed the 4th episode in the series. I have followed this series from the start and this series does not disappoint. This is a gripping episode with lots of twists and turns and I love the camaraderie between the members of the team. It shows they are there for each other and makes the characters more realistic. 4 stars from me

Another brilliant read from Marion Todd. This is a well written police procedural set in St Andrews, featuring D I Claire Mackay. Excellent plot with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Likeable, relatable characters make for an entertaining and engaging novel.
My thanks to NetGalley the author and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having taken two weeks off over Christmas Detective Inspector Clare Mackay hadn't wanted to start the new year with an unexplained death, unfortunately the body of Alison Reid is found and she is called in to investigate. The details are discovered to be eerily similar to a body found a few days earlier and Clare and her team know speed is of the essence if they are to prevent another young woman dying in the same manner.

Also dealing with a shoplifter working their way through the town and some decidedly shady behaviour from the ex-partner of one of their victims Clare already feels as if her holiday was months ago,

This is the fourth book in this brilliant series and they just get better and better. I was totally in the dark about whodunnit this time until almost the moment it began to fall into place and it was a very satisfying denouement. I hope there will be more of this series as I love reading them and the relationship between Clare and her team adds another realistic and human face to the storytelling.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This book is easy to recommend unreservedly.

Book 4 in the DI Clare Mackay series and another cracker from Marion Todd. This series brings everything I want in a police procedural, plus it has the added bonus of being set in the wonderful St. Andrews & surrounding area. What They Knew is a great read, I loved the plot and as with all others in this series it’s great to catch up with all the fantastic characters. Another 5 star rating!

At the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay, Alison Reid opens the door to an old acquaintance. The next morning, she’s found dead in her bathroom in what looks like a suicide attempt. However, when a link is found to another mysterious death just the week before, DI Clare Mackay realises that she may have a serial killer on the loose – one who seems to be targeting single women and being the last person they see.

This is a very well-written book, full of twists and turns. The characters are delicately-written and likeable, and you’re left guessing for most of the book who the perpetrator is. A solid four-star book for me!

Another gripping instalment in this well established series with the of several characters from previous books. A well written crime novel with interesting characters and just a smidgen of Scottish humour.

This is the fourth in Marion Todd's Scottish crime series featuring DI Clare Mackay, based in the freezing cold and snowy blizzards of St Andrews. This is my first taste of the series, and to be honest it took me a little while to settle into it, the pacing felt a little laboured at the beginning, but once I did, like so many other readers, I loved it. For 33 year old accountant, Alison Reid, who lets in a late night visitor on Hogmanay, it all ends in tragedy with her death, and for Clare, and her trusty partner, DS Chris West, and her team, it brings a suspicious suicide of a woman in her bath. This has her delving into the life of Alison, her ex-husband, Miles Sharp, and his current wife and business partner, both of them clearly being less than truthful upon being interviewed.

Matters become a little clearer when the earlier death of another woman with a similar MO is bought to Clare's attention, raising worries and concerns that they many have a serial killer on their hands who is drugging victims with Rohypnol and murdering them using methods that require specialist medical knowledge. The police team look into connections between the two victims, they are both the same age and attended the same primary school, but St Andrews is a small place, these factors could arguably just be coincidences. However, both women were on the same dating site, Attracto, could someone be preying on women signed up to the site? Clare is delighted at long lost that she has at long last been granted a admin assistant, Zoe McManus, who proves to be worth her weight in gold and provides mouth watering home baked cakes for the team too. In a complex and intricate case, Clare and her team hunt for a killer before they can claim further victims.

Todd's crime series has Clare firmly at the centre of the series, a more than competent DI who endeavours to look after her team and clearly cares about getting justice for the murdered victims. Her personal life is firmly intertwined with her professional life as she despairs about ever being able to form a long lasting relationship. She finally makes the decision to throw off the shackles of a relationship with no future with Geoffrey Dark who has moved to Boston, and is plagued with regrets about a potential relationship with DCI Alastair Gibson that she jettisoned earlier. This has turned out to be a Scottish crime series that I have found both entertaining and engaging, and I look forward to reading the next in the series! Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

323 pages

5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Clare Mackay series, and it is a real winner!

DI Clare Mackay and DS Chris West catch a case of a suspicious death. A woman was found in a bath full of water, but something about the death seems off. Then another similar death is mentioned and Clare and Chris are intrigued and begin to step up their investigation.

Soon it looks like they have a serial killer on their hands. Following an exhaustive investigation, they appear to have their man – or do they?

This book has some surprises, but what struck me the most was the fine job of writing and plotting by Ms. Marion Todd. I liked the major characters. They weren't cookie-cutter cops. They were individuals with their own lives. I liked the way that the author included personal scenes with various characters. They were not overdone and did not in any way intrude into the story line. There were moments of humor and some very nice action scenes.

I want to thank NetGalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this most excellent book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Todd keeps getting better and better; she loves her characters and the workplace feel and need for hardwork is not underestimated. A diligent, patient soul is Clare Mackay. One of my favourite discoveries of recent years

This is the fourth in what has become one of my favorite police procedurals. It’s like taking a trip to Scotland and hanging out with a savvy detective and her team as they investigate the latest murder. The secondary characters are interesting, with just enough substance to add to the overall world inhabited by DCI Clare MacKay. DCI MacKay is a smart, single woman who is in charge of her small unit. Recurring characters include Chris, her DS, Sarah, his now fiance, Jim the desk sergeant, and several others who work with the Scottish police force either in Clare’s precinct or in other units.

In this book Clare is alerted to a body which initially looks like a suicie, although a very awkward one. As the postmortem is completed, the coroner suspects murder, and Clare begins her investigation of the woman’s life. Before she can get too far into the investigation, there’s another murder using the same method and Clare begins looking for connections between the two cases. As things progress, there is a third murder and Clare becomes certain they are looking at a serial killer who is targeting a group of old primary school friends who have been out of school for over 20 years.

The plotting is tight and the writing is well paced, offering the reader the opportunity to accompany the detectives as they investigate. Local businesses and people are introduced as the investigation progresses, adding substance to the story and also pulling the reader through the book and a reasonable pace. There is just enough information rolled out in an on-going fashion to allow the reader to explore the town, it’s inhabitants, and the surrounding area in a way that allows for becoming comfortably acquainted in a way that feels totally natural.

There is a lovely twist at the end, and while I anticipated it, I still enjoyed the reveal. The solution unfolds at such a measured pace, it is enjoyable whether you’ve solved it or not. There are also just enough personal relationships that advance to leave you looking forward to the next book for both solving a new mystery and to learn what is happening in the lives of some of the primary characters.
For more Complete review, see link below

DI Clare Mackay is called out when Alison Reid is found dead in her bath. First indications are that the woman was drunk and fell asleep, drowning, but something isn't quite right and the PM soon uncovers that she was murdered.
The pathologist then tells Clare that he recently carried out a PM on another woman who was found face down in a Burn who had similar marks on her body to Alison and Clare realises that there is a good chance they were both killed by the same person.
Digging into the women's pasts the team find some connections but not enough to give them the reason they were killed. If the reason does lie in the past there is a good chance that others could also be in danger and Clare must find the killer before anyone else dies.
The character of Clare Mackay is brilliant, good at her job, but not a machine, she is relatable and very likeable. The story is very well written, with twists and red herrings.
My favourite Clare Mackay book so far.

Another excellent book in the Clare Mackay series. I was hooked from the first page, plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and a couple of times I thought I had guessed the murderer but turned out I was wrong. If you have never read any of this series or any by this author you won’t regret reading them, you are in for a treat. I can’t wait for the next instalment, please don’t keep us waiting too long!

What they Knew is the fourth book in the DI Clare Mackay series by author Marion Todd.

After a foray into thriller territory, Marion Todd brings her series back to its police procedural roots.

A new killer plagues the Scottish town of St Andrews. Returning from winter holiday, DI Mackay and her team have to deal with the murder of two women strangled in a very specific manner, and left in bodies of water after having been drugged with Rohypnol. They're apparently unrelated, but for being the exact same age.

A complex tapestry is weaved all along the book, with a shifty ex-husband and even worse new wife, a dating website, a string of shoplifting incidents, offering either leads or deadends. DI Mackay leads a detailed investigation. Her team would need to delve deep in the past of the victims, in search for links or motive to the serial murders. However, the victims mostly kept to themselves. What is buried might remain there, while the killer may strike again, maybe even praying onto a new addition to Claire Mackay's team.

Marion Todd offers us another very enjoyable book, full of the usual charm of great Scottish procedurals. The author's intimate knowledge of the area is particularly present this time around. The chill of the Scottish winter can be felt while reading, and the sceneries alternate between white beauty and depressing sludge, setting the mood of the characters, and of the book.

What they Knew keeps advancing the lives of the ensemble of characters in an authentic way, leaving us wanting them to return for yet another mystery.

Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

Marian Todd never fails to deliver with this series. Claire and her team are always on the go and make a fantastic read!

When DI Clare Mackay is called to a woman found dead in the bath at her home she is asked whether it is accidental or suicide, then the post mortem shows that it is murder. A dating site is connected to the victim and upon investigation more victims with other connections appear .but with no obvious suspect.
Once again Marion Todd brings to life the story os a crime team in St Andrews making this a very enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this publication in return for an unbiased review.
I've been on the journey with DC Clare MacKay from the first book and the level of story telling from Ms Todd just keeps hitting a high level, in fact this book is possibly my favourite of the lot.
Read over the course of two evenings......it was a hard job putting it down on the first evening.
Bodies start turning up in St Andrews and fairly quickly the connection is made that they are being killed by the same person but who is it and is it really connected to an online dating app ?
As well as the obvious investigation, we are treated to further developments in the personal lives of the main characters Clare and her trusty sidekick Chris.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and already looking forward to the next one

This is the 4th in the Clare Mackay series set in Scotland. D I Clare Mackay and her team look for a killer who struck on New Years Eve, strangling a young lass. It is not until the autopsy that Clare is informed that her murder has the same hallmarks of an earlier murder. Faced with a serial killer murdering young single ladies, Clare has to dig deep to find this killer. Marion Todd is one of my favourite authors and she has not disappointed. Lots of twists and turns, a bit of romance and personal problems thrown in make this a highly readable novel. Recommended.

What they Knew is the fourth book in the D.I. Clare Mackay series.
New Year’s Eve in St Andrews Scotland and Alison Reid admits a caller, a few days later she is found dead in her bath by a neighbour, Clare and her team have much to investigate when the post mortem shows this was no accidental drowning and soon after another body is found in similar circumstances. Racing against time to prevent further murders where there appears to be ties between the victims they have their work cut out for them.
This is a well written crime thriller leading to a great conclusion when the culprit is exposed.
As usual all the characters come into their own with some cracking dialogue and humour. We have more in this book of Clares personal life which I felt at first was an intrusive sideline but it did have a purpose and developed well.
Another winner and all round good read. My thanks to net galley and publishers Canelo for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I love this series and really enjoyed seeing the mystery unravel. All the great characters are back and there were twists and turns aplenty so I whizzed through this pretty sharpish.