I haven't read much of Aline's books, but did enjoy this one immensely. The plot is gripping, complex, and keeps you glued to the book until the end. I will definitely read more by this author in future.

Police procedural with good,interesting characters. Story was unusual and moved along nicely with plenty of twists.

It's the first book I read in this series and I found it entertaining and compelling.
A good police procedural featuring interesting characters and a solid mystery.
I liked the descriptions, the sense of the place and the solution was satisfying.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

While taking a break visiting an old friend DCI Kelso Strang hears the sound of a wolf. The local laird is keen to re-wild his estate & introducing wolves is part of his plan although he needs more land. Whilst he is staying in the area an old man asks him to look into the death of his friend Flora- he is convinced she sis not go over the cliff unaided! She has left her croft & cottage to her niece who has come to stay in it & is causing quite a stir as the local young men vie for her attention & the local laid & Strang's host try to persuade her to sell her land. Things move quickly when her car is blown up & when shortly after there are signs of a struggle & blood in her cottage. Being close to the action Strang cannot be SIO of the case but tries to lend a hand.

I have not read any of the previous books in the series, but this worked well as a stand-alone. The author captured the area very well. I did get a bit tired of the younger detectives angst but that apart it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

EXCERPT: The windless night was very still. She was used to the silence here, the sort of silence that was oddly unbroken by the gentle swishing of the waves below or the sudden cry of a startled bird, but tonight it almost seemed oppressive, as if it was waiting for something to shatter it. Nerves again, she told herself, but she did look back over her shoulder.

ABOUT 'OLD SINS': On a clear, moonlit night, DCI Kelso Strang hears the unmistakable howl of a wolf. A disturbing sound, but not the only unsettling thing about the remote town of Inverbeg, where he is taking a break with an old army friend.

Sean Reynolds is obsessive about rewilding his Auchinglass estate and there are rumours that he has taken illicit steps to hurry that on, much to the anger of local farmers. There are other tensions too. An elderly lady died some months before, officially in a tragic stumble off a cliff path, but she was burdened with many secrets and her closest friend believes it was murder.

When horror strikes in Inverbeg, Strang fears further retribution is at work and as he gets closer to uncovering the ugly truth, he finds himself in more danger than ever before.

MY THOUGHTS: Although Old Sins is #4 in the Kelso Strang series, it is easily read as a stand-alone, which is just as well really, as I haven't read any of the previous books.

Old Sins is an easy read and the plot compelling. The characters are well developed, and there's a good mix of mystery and police procedural. The outcome was not at all obvious, and suspicion is cast upon several characters before the vital piece of evidence is found that reveals the truth.

The title of the book 'Old Sins' is taken from the saying, 'Old sins cast long shadows,' and is wonderfully apt for this novel.

Templeton captures the atmosphere of this remote Scottish village brilliantly, bringing both the landscape and the characters to life, exposing the many tensions seething under the surface of the small town as people go about their ordinary lives.

My favourite character is Angus, a born and bred local who lived away for a bit but who has returned to his roots and his croft. It is Angus who has raised concerns over his friend Flora's death, sure that she would not have wandered off the path to stumble over the cliff edge to her death. Angus is aware that Flora had 'a bit of a rackety past,' but doesn't know the specifics.

Two local landowners had been trying to buy Flora out, each wanting her land for their own purpose, each prepared to go to great lengths to get it. On Flora's death the land passes to her niece and protege Danni, a young lass who 'could cause trouble in an empty house,' and the landowners turn their attentions on her, using whatever means available to try and pressure her to sell. Then, after a couple of unsettling incidents, Danni disappears....

An evenly-paced 'whodunit' that will keep you guessing to the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#OldSins #NetGalley

I: #alinetempleton #allisonandbusby

T: @AlineTempleton

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #mystery #policeprocedural

THE AUTHOR: Aline Templeton grew up in the East Neuk of Fife and was educated at St Leonards School, St Andrews and Cambridge University. She has worked in education and broadcasting and has written numerous stories and articles for national newspapers and magazines. Templeton was a bench Justice of the Peace for ten years and is a former Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, now living in Edinburgh. She is married with a grown up family.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allison and Busby via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Old Sins by Aline Templeton for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Old sins by Aline Templet.
Di Kelso Strang book 4.
This is a new author for me. Even though this is book 4 I was able to read it and get into it even though it was slow to begin with. I did like the cover and blurb. Will definitely look into the others in this series. 4*.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of Old Sins, the fourth novel to feature DCI Kelso Strang of the Scottish Rural Crimes Unit.

Kelso Strang is on holiday in the North of Scotland when he thinks he hears a wolf howl. Rewilding is not the only hot topic in the village of Inverbeg, there is Flora Maitland’s deadly fall. An accident according to the authorities, murder according to her best friend. Kelso doesn’t know what to think until another death sharpens his focus.

I have not read this series before, so I didn’t know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the plot and the easy to read style. I thoroughly enjoyed Old Sins, which is a fairly standard police procedural with a good mystery attached. There is no way I could have guessed at the start where it would end up, and it does it in logical fashion, piece by piece.

As the title suggests the motive for much of the crime in the novel lies in Flora Maitland’s less than lily white past, but that is only the beginning. The team has to sort out who did what, when and why. I didn’t find it obvious and my need to know made the read compulsive, especially as there are several suspects and a lot of misdirection. It is well done. And then, of course, there is the wolf. Despite being Scottish I have little interest in rural affairs so, while I know that there is discussion about reintroducing wolves, this novel fills in the large gaps in my knowledge.

It is obvious that some of the team have worked together before, but the novel still works well as a stand-alone. Noticeably the friction is between the female detectives while the men just get on with the job. I’m not saying that it isn’t realistic, but the author makes it an integral part of the novel and the contrast between the sexes is stark. It’s not a particularly good look.

Old Sins is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Book 4 of a series, I haven’t read the previous ones, but loved the Marjory Fleming series and some stand alones
by this author. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the small village, both its physical description and that of the villagers life there. DCI Kelso Strang needs to step back and watch others investigate a murder that may be linked to another death some months ago, he was an army mate with one of the key suspects. There are several suspects, plenty of tension and secrets between family members and officers. It did get a bit slow for me but picked up again when Stang begins to play a larger part. Definitely looking forward to returning to books 1-3.

I enjoyed this book. For some reason I never got into the 2nd book in the series but this one pulled me in immediately.

Interesting story with familiar characters - they just get better and better

I have enjoyed previous books in this series featuring DCI Strang, but struggled to get into this one. It works well as a stand alone. The pace was very slow, the plot was a bit lacking in anything really and I figured it out early on. The characters are well developed but I failed to empathise with any of them and this detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. Not the best in the series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Old Sins is the fourth installment in the police procedural series featuring DCI Kelsey Strang and the members of the All Scotland Regional Police Force. This force is called in to supplement local resources in smaller, more remote areas of Scotland no longer manned for serious crime investigations. I have enjoyed all the books in the series. These are well written police procedurals with a strong sense of place and was a quick read. I did feel the plot was a bit thin in this book, I figured out the motive early on, but it did not take away from my reading of the story. My one hope is that now that the background story of the major players has been well developed the author will let her characters become more secure in their roles. I recommend this series and look forward to reading future books in the series

Packed With Atmospherics….
The fourth in the DI Kelso Strang series finds Strang taking a break, with an old friend, but the remote town of Inverbeg holds tensions and secrets that he could never have imagined. Packed full of atmospherics, an intriguing and well told tale making for a solid, immersive read. A worthy addition to the series.

As could be expected, an excellent read from an excellent author. Always enjoy her books and look forward to the next one.. Recommend.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I haven't read the first three instalments in this series, but this one stood alone fine. The writing and characterization were strong and I read it more or less in one sitting. I am a bit bemused as to why Flora chose to 'hide out' where she did - surely there was more than one person who might have recognized her... My other issue with this novel was the way the male police officers were a) perfect in every way (Strang) or unimaginative but reliable (Erskine), whereas the female officers were a) incapable of heading an investigation despite being ranked Inspector (French) or b) immature and stroppy (Murray).

What a great book!! Very atmospheric.... the town of Inverbeg is wonderfully described. DCI Kelso Strang is back however he has to take a step back as one of his old army comrades is one of the suspects in a murder of a young girl.....who's aunt had a fatal accident....are the two linked and have "Old Sins" come home to roost? Strang's subordinates have to take over and the dynamic betweeen the two women is true to life. A page turner in every sense. Kept me guessing right up until the end.