Fabulous!! This was a great story which I could not put down. Would recommend this to everyone who loves this genre.

✒Poison pen Mungo is no saint!

The Scottish Western Isle setting drew me to this novel and gave the murder mystery a lot of atmosphere. With a fairly closed and isolated community of Uist islanders and their joint histories, it seems a perfect kettle to brew friction, jealousy and revenge. And the remoteness adds to the logistical headaches involved in getting evidence and victims to the technical experts.

The villain was definitely not predictable and the story, with a number of red herrings, had plenty of action. Torquil McKinnon and his colleagues are led a merry chase, with poison pen letters ending up on numerous doorsteps, a voluble local newsman pushing his way in and eco-warriors concerned about local salmon farming making waves.

So, it was a good whodunit, just had a bit too much scientific, pharmacological and forensic detail on occasion. Having read the afterward note to the reader and learned about the author's medical background, I now understand why he's so knowledgeable.

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

Another entertaining and well plotted mystery in this series. I enjoyed, it kept me turning pages and guessing.
Love the setting and the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

For a small community on the Outer Hebrides, West Uist sure has its fair share of murders. Not just crime...but murder. And this seventh installment of the Inspector Torquil McKinnon series is no different. In fact the bodycount is somewhat in excess as the island contends with some local eco-rights activists protesting a local salmon farm's methods just as celebrity-singer-turned-soap-actor Declan O'Neill and his entourage disembark the incoming ferry, seeking out some much needed R-and-R...apparently.

Just as soon as the foray is sorted, Torquil is called to the salmon farm where the discovery of owner Arran MacCondrum's body is made in one of his fish pens, seemingly by his own hand. It appears he had received some poison pen letters which have been circulating the island recently, with the reappearance of "Mungo", making threats and accusations that set not only tongues wagging but hearts racing. Who could do such a thing?

But it seems no one is exempt from Mungo's poison pen. Torquil himself receives one as does the Padre, his uncle Lachlan. And the words are brutal. Everyone, it seems, receives a letter. But that aside, no sooner is Arran's death revealed to be murder (and not suicide), than one of Declan's entourage succumbs to a drug overdose while another finds himself in hospital on life support. And then there's another death...this time, it really does look like it's a suicide.

Torquil has his hands full with the investigation as well as his plans to marry Lorna whose been seconded to Lewis with their Superintendent seeing no reason why the island needs another sergeant when they already have Morag Driscoll. And just what is Declan O'Neill's real reason for being on West Uist?

The seventh in the Torquil McKinnon series, if you have missed any never fear because each can be read as a standalone easily enough. Each mystery is engrossing taking in the beautiful windswept and unforgiving coastline of the Outer Hebrides. There are a few red herrings, several twists and even I didn't pick who Mungo was. So that was a real surprise.

Overall, DEEP AND DEADLY is a quick and entertaining read with a cast of likeable (and some not so likeable) characters.

I would like to thank #KeithMoray, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #DeepAndDeadly in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Deep And Deadly", the latest in the Inspector Torquil McKinnon mysteries.
Poison is the theme running through this one, which starts off with Torquil preparing for his upcoming nuptials, whilst dealing with protests over a local salmon fishery, which activists claim is poisoning the environment due to their methods of dealing with threats to the salmon.
And then, the owner of the fishery is found dead, drowned, presumably by his own hand, in one of the salmon pens. While suspicious, this does not immediately reach the level of a possible murder investigation.
At the same time, a series of 'poison pen' letters are being received by the residents of West Uist - including Torquil and his beloved uncle, the local newspaper publisher and his fiancée, and other prominent citizens. This isn't the first time, either; 'Mungo' was famous for sending poison pen letters in the past, and now he/she seems to have re-surfaced. But the reason is not immediately apparent.
At the same time, a celebrity arrives on the island, along with his entourage. And they seem to have some kind of ulterior motive behind their visit, as they have dossiers on many of the locals, and are putting out feelers in regards to purchasing some of the businesses.
And then poison strikes again.
At the same time, clues seem to point to the original suicide not being so, and Torquil and his team begin to get to the heart of the matter.
Revenge is the name of this game.

‘The old writing box had a musty odour and was unremarkable to look at.’

The island of West Uist in Scotland may be remote, but it is not immune from protest. The local ferry is blocked by eco-rights activists who are protesting about seals being shot by local fishermen. While the protest is peaceably dispersed by the local police, they then discover a celebrity disembarked from the ferry and has caused quite a stir amongst the locals. And, just as singer and actor Declan O’Neil is escorted away, Detective Inspector Torquil McKinnon is called to investigate the discovery of a dead body.

Arran MacCondrum, owner of the salmon farm which has led to the protests, has been found dead in one of the fish pens. Initially, his death is thought to be suicide but investigations reveal that he was murdered. But by whom, and why? Could his murder be connected to the protest?

Meanwhile, several islanders have received threatening poison-pen letters from ‘Mungo’. Torquil McKinnon has his hands full with the investigation (not to mention that he is about to marry) and while some of the islanders mean to help (especially the intrepid reporters of the West Uist Chronicle), danger abounds. And what is Declan O’Neil doing on the island?

This is the seventh instalment in the Torquil McKinnon series (note to self: you’ve missed a couple), and is every bit as entertaining and engrossing as the others I have read. A few(!) red herrings to sniff out, some unexpected twists and quite a bit of information about fish farming. Alas, while I had my suspicions, I didn’t work out who ‘Mungo’ was before the end.

Mr Moray is a prolific author, and I’ve enjoyed quite a few of his books across different genres. Highly recommended. Excuse me while I hunt down a few books in this series that I have missed.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

West Uist. D.I. Torquil McKinnon is called to the salmon farm as a body has been discovered. Does this have anything to do with the eco-activists on the island. Meanwhile it seems 'Mungo' the poison-pen letter writer has started their campaign again. Soon the incidents accelerate.
An entertaining, well-plotted and well-written modern Scottish mystery. Another good addition to this enjoyable series with its cast of likeable and varied characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s an usually busy day on the remote island of West Uist. The only transport on and off the island is the local ferry, and there is uproar when it is blocked by eco-rights activists, protesting against the shooting of seals by local fishermen. While dealing with that disturbance, the police are amused to find actor and singer Declan O’Neil has disembarked from the ferry and is causing a stir among the locals. Detective Inspector Torquil McKinnon is called to investigate a dead body. Fisherman Arran MacCondrum, owner of the farm that is being protested against, has been found dead in one of his fish pens, seemingly by suicide. But with a spate of threatening poison-pen letters making their rounds on the island, it soon becomes clear that Arran’s death was not by his own hands.
This is the seventh book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. It’s been a while since the last book so I was looking forward to this & I wasn’t disappointed, plenty of twists, turns & red herrings kept me reading well into the night to finish it. I didn't work out who the villain was, which is also a bonus. The pace was good & never lagged, the characters had depth & were well portrayed, all in all a very well written engrossing read. I just hope there’s more in the series & sooner rather thanlater
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for an advance copy of Deep and Deadly, the seventh novel to feature DI Torquil McKinnon, set on the fictional Scottish island of West Uist.

Ecological protesters are blocking the harbour in protest at the local salmon farm’s methods just as a celebrity, singer turned soap actor Declan O’Neill and his entourage are trying to disembark. With that sorted Torquil is called to the fish farm, where the owner, Arran MacCondrum, has apparently committed suicide after receiving some of the poison pen letters circulating on the island. And then he discovers that Arran was murdered.

I thoroughly enjoyed Deep and Deadly, which is a whirlwind of events with several twists and a totally unexpected perpetrator. Well, let’s just say, totally unexpected to me as I was blindsided by the reveal, just as I was surprised by the identity of Mungo, the poison pen letter writer, even though he is given a voice in the narrative. I was very impressed by the author’s ability to keep so much under wraps.

So, it’s all go on West Uist with not just one, but several more murders and attempted murders, Mungo’s nasty letters and a spate of poisoned birds, there’s even a fire bombing, never mind what Declan and his crew are up to. All this activity and its pace left my head spinning, but it’s not difficult to follow, rather it makes the reader want to continue to find out what is going on. Obviously, it’s not exactly realistic, but it’s entertaining and held my attention throughout.

As I said it’s a whirlwind of events, but the author leaves time for some gentle humour, often revolving around local reporter Calum Steele and his ardent desire for scoops. I also learned more than I ever want to about salmon farms and how to determine death by drowning as the author embraces his inner geek. One balances the other.

Deep and Deadly is a good read that I can recommend.

I really liked the setting of this book, on a fictitious island off the west coast of Scotland. it's well written, part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone. There is plenty tension as the body count rises for Inspector Mc Kinnon and the characters are certainly interesting! It's a good thriller with drugs, poisoned birds, fish farming and a good pace to involve the reader. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.