Another gripping, adrenaline fueled and highly entertaining addition to this excellent series.
It's a fast paced page turner, a story that kept me reading till late and I thoroughly enjoyed.
Great plot, solid mystery, excellent character development.
I can't wait to read the next book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the fifth book in the DI Clare MacKay series… I love that it started with Clare and her partner, DCI Alistair Gibson at the wedding of Clare’s ex, I’m glad they finally got their act together! Clare gets a call to inform her of the death/murder of Russell Fox at Lamond Lodge where he had been celebrating his birthday with his friends. His sister Gaby was at the same wedding as Clare and she is shocked at the news. Clare is finding it hard to delegate as Alistair persuades her to trust her team to start the investigation rolling…

This was yet another great police procedural story of a “who dunnit”… with plenty of suspects and too many alibis, can Clare get to the crux of the story, a few twists that blew my mind and a great finale, what more could you ask for, I love this series and cannot wait for the next instalment.

Marion Todd's narrative style is warm and relatable. When reading Next in Line, you feel like you are in the hands of a classic writer who really knows what they're doing. Very impressed!

This was a very a solid addition to the DI Clare Mackey Scottish crime procedurals. Much of the setting took place between St. Andrews and Fife and I never tire of the descriptions and dialect of that part of Scotland. The set-up to the story is clever and sneaky. Todd has incorporated some of the major players while simultaneously hiding them in plain sight. The murder mystery was tricky with so many suspects and switchbacks that I kept doubting my cutting edge powers of deduction (can you just seen my tongue in my cheek?)

My only criticism is more of a “How about” softening DI Mackey’s personality just a wee bit to allow herself to not have to handle every small detail personally. Sometimes it is OK to get into the office an hour later.

I totally loved the dedication - that was nothing short of brilliant.. Thank you NetGalley and Canelo Crime for a copy

Having read the other books in this series, I was keen to read the next installment.

DI Clare Mackay enjoys a rare weekend off attending ex boyfriend, Tom's, wedding with her partner, DCI Alistair Gibson (so nice to see them back together) Unfortunately, they are interrupted with a call about the murder of Russell Fox at Lamond Lodge. He had been celebrating his birthday with a group of friends. His sister, Gaby, is a popular tv presenter and had also been attending the wedding.

Once again, Marion Todd drip feeds information to the reader and the book is well plotted with details revealed at just the right time. There was a good balance between the new narrative and the original characters. I love the small quirks like Zoe and her baking, Clare's dog Benji and the relationship between Chris and Sarah.

This is part of a really engaging police procedural set and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks indeed to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Why have I never heard of this fabulous author before now? I absolutely loved this book.

The characters are very realistic. The plot has many twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end.

I devoured this book in two sittings as I just didn't want to put it down.

Highly recommended and I'm definitely going to read the earlier books.

Thank you Canelo for the ARC and letting me discover a new favourite.

Gaby Fox is known to many due to her successful TV career, so when her brother Russell and his pals hire the salubrious Lamond Lodge for his 40th birthday celebrations, it is noted by the St Andrews locals. A ripple of shock goes round the town when Russell Fox is gunned down on the premises. DI Clare Mackay is attending the wedding of her ex when she sees Gabrielle receive a phone call then flee. Soon after, Clare learns why when the news of the shooting reaches her. Clare gets to work on uncovering the facts surrounding Russell Fox’s death. The guests at the lodge have secrets to hide, but even when Clare begins to unravel the deceit, it doesn’t bring the answers.
This is the fifth outing for Clare & it’s easily read on its own. I really enjoy this series & look forward to each new book & this book didn't disappoint. There are lots of suspects as well as twists & turns, which kept me guessing. I also love that with each book a little more is learnt about Clare. A well written, engrossing read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Though this was a No 5 in the series, it does well as a stand alone.

A murder takes place in an exclusive boutique hotel, in isolated gardens in Scotland. The victim and his
family are well known and reporters are all over the place. The family had faced tragedy before when they
lost another sibling in the tsunami in Thailand and this murder is resurrecting a lot of old memories.

Celebrating his 40th birthday Russel did not expect to be murdered on his birthday. The marksman who shot him
was an expert shot and Detective Claire has to whittle down her suspects - the immediate ones are cagey, careful
and extremely smart. Further widening her net, Claire discovers many extraneous strands to the initial story
and now she is looking at people far beyond her initial line up.

Family complications galore in the victims family, treachery amongst friends of decades and keen and slow
methodical detection makes this a best seller read.

The setting too added a lot of atmosphere to the story.

This is the latest instalment in the DI Clare Mackay and I’m happy to report that this remains one of my favourite series. I saw a review comparing this to putting on a pair of comfy slippers and I totally get that idea as there is comfort in the familiarity of the characters. Clare Mackay comes across as efficient and likeable and we get a good mix of her work on the enquiry and her home life. I highly recommend this book and the series and I hope there’s plenty more to come.

I've been a big fan of all of Marion Todd's DI McKay books and Next in Line does not disappoint. There are likeable characters, shady characters and a number of twists and turns, making for a really enjoyable read. There's also a great amount of home life story for the heroine, and if you've read the previous books, you're really routing for her to have some good fortune!

I gobbled this up over a weekend, as the pace and the action kept me thoroughly hooked.

This was a terrific addition to DI Clare Mackay series. All of the characters were more interesting than usual as was the mystery's main premise. Looking forward to the next one.

The brother of television celebrity Gaby Fox has been found shot dead at Lamond Lodge after celebrating his birthday with a group of friends, are they involved or is it an outsider it is up to DI Clare Mackay and her team to investigate. As the investigation goes deeper into the past and financial history it seems that this is more than just a revenge killing.
Definitely worth a read this series is well written and captures your imagination and draws you in to the book from the start.

What a clever mystery!

Russel spends his 40th birthday with his best friends. He wakes up early and goes for a walk. He looks around and admires beautiful Scottish sunrise... and he gets a bullet in the head.

DI Clare Mackay is on her ex' wedding when the murder is discovered. She'd like to follow the lead when it's hot but she's stopped by her partner. They go to the crime scene the next day and start to unravel secrets...

I was tricked, and the cover up story was the one I thought is the real one. I was excited when I got to the part when it was introduced, but of course it wasn't the real reason behind the killing.

Smart plot, twisty, with interesting characters. I liked it so much that when I was half way through the book, I bought all other parts of the series which I was missing.

I truly enjoyed it and I definitely want to read everything else that Marion wrote and will write in the future.

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

DI Clare Mackay and DCI Alastair Gibson are guests at Clare’s ex-husband’s wedding when she has a phone call from DS Chris West that a man, Russell Fox, has been shot dead at Lamond Lodge while celebrating his fortieth birthday. Anxious to leave the wedding, and despite having a team perfectly capable of working without her, Clare drives to the scene of the crime to take charge of the investigation with Alastair by her side.

‘Next In Line’ is another exciting police thriller being investigated by DI Clare Mackay and this time with her boyfriend DCI Alastair Gibson in the background. As with the previous books in the series, the story is set in Scotland with Clare’s team of Chris, Sara and Zoe supporting her, and the unpopular DCI Tony McAvettie making an appearance to supposedly take charge. The plot has been well thought-out with plenty of drama, suspense, intrigue and twists and turns, as Clare and her team try to sort through the possible suspects to identify the person responsible and the motive behind the shooting. I did at times get a bit confused with the number of characters involved but yet again it’s been an exciting and entertaining read that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

A man, standing in a tree-house watching the dawn, is shot by a sniper. DI Clare Mackay and team have an interesting case - it was his birthday, he had been diagnosed a fatal illness, his sister is a TV celebrity, his friends have dark secrets. A well-written police procedural set amidst lovely country. Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and sufficient development of Clare and team characters to engage but not swamp. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another gripping instalment featuring DI Claire Mackay. I stumbled across Marion's series a couple of months ago and have been eagerly awaiting Book number 5 in the series so was delighted to receive an advance copy from Netgalley. I would highly recommend. Hope we don't have to wait too long for number 6.

I loved this book. It was as good as her others and I didn’t expect the ending at all which made it even more enjoyable. This was the fifth one in this series and it was like slipping into a comfortable pair of slippers. Hope for more from this author. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Clare MacKay #5

Gabriele Fox is known to many due to her successful career, so when her brother and his pals hire the salubrious Lamond Lodge for his birthday celebrations, it's notes by the St. Andrews locals. A ripple of shock goes round the town when Russell Fox is gunned down on the premises. DI Clare MacKay is attending a wedding when she sees Gabriele receives a phone call then flee. Soon after, Clare learns about the shooting.

Clare and DCI Al are attending the wedding of her ex-boyfriend when Russell Fox is shot. But she takes over investigating the shooting the following day.

I really like this series. There is lots of suspects and curve balls thrown in to keep you guessing. I like that we get a little more backstory to the characters with each new book. There's elements of humour alongside the investigation. This is a well written and entertaining read. I hope we don't have long to wait for book 6.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Canelo and the author #MarionTodd for my ARC of #NextInLine in exchange for an honest review.

🔍Another great read with DI Clare Mackay on a sniper's trail🚨

I am hooked on this series; each new book is a pageturner and none more so than Next in Line. The motive for the killing is murky, with plenty of suspects ranging from the victim's closest social circle, to shady business owners, grudge-bearing ex-cons and hard to pin down hired assassin candidates. The victim is the beloved brother of a famous television personality and, public scrutiny notwithstanding, DI Clare and her crew pull out all the stops to get the family justice.

Some of the story's strongest elements for me:

Clare herself, driven to solve the case but a good pal and mentor to her team. Author Marion Todd gives her just enough of a personal life, with nothing too angstful or unsettled on the home front. She's an ordinary woman, with a man friend after a few failed relationships, a dog that needs walkies and a cozy cottage, with a challenging profession.

The investigation techniques. They never get too bogged down in technical descriptions although they rely on intuition and science. I find that the pages speed by no matter how painstaking and thorough the interviews, technical checks and background follow-ups. And, yes there's violence and death but the descriptions are never too gritty.

The writing. The prose is easy to follow and, even as the number of characters add up, somehow each is readily identifiable when the action returns to him/her. And just enough twists, surprises and urgent chases to keep it exciting.

The setting. What a lovely region of Eastern Scotland mostly heavily associated with St. Andrews golf course and University.

This is an unequivocal recommend for British crime readers.

Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I have to rein myself in, for this review. I mainly read romantic fiction, but enjoy certain thriller writers, and Marion Todd is in my all time top five. I have waited, impatiently, to read this book, and I haven’t been disappointed.
As the synopsis explains, the scene is set when the brother of a high-profile television personality, Gaby Fox, is gunned down whilst enjoying a weekend away at a house near St. Andrews. DI Clare Mackay is attending a wedding where Gaby Fox is also on the guest list.
Feeling at a disadvantage, because she wasn’t first on the scene, Clare is determined to work her way through the twisted tales of the other house guests to discover who murdered Russell Fox. Slowly, the odd word here and the occasional misstep there, helps Clare and her team to build a picture of what happened, and it’s not as straightforward as any of them hoped.
The tension builds steadily, until it’s impossible to take a break. The story picks up speed and rockets to a shocking conclusion. There are a couple of characters from previous books, and it was great to see that Clare and Al have gone from strength to strength.
One of the traits that I really enjoy, with Marion’s writing, is that the reader keeps apace with the case. There’s no element from the culprit’s point of view, we are kept in the dark and guessing. Marion’s characters are wonderfully three dimensional. Fully developed and robust.

The way the storyline unfurled, revealing each new morsel of information, kept me hooked through to the final pages. Marion has crafted a fine cast of characters who simply work. From Admin Assistant, Zoe to the return of DCI Tony McAvettie, there’s plenty going on, with heroes and villains aplenty.