This is the first book I have read by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a wonderful sense of the amazing Scottish setting and a very well-written and strong lead character, it was easy to like, and root for DCI Caplan. I probably should point out that this is the third in a series, and whilst it works as a standalone, I feel there are details that, had I had prior knowledge of, would have made the myriad of characters easier to follow and place - there are so many characters to remember. I feel that the author could have made keeping track of the characters easier by being consistent with their names, sometimes referring to them by surname and then other times using their Christian names - this aided my confusion. I also found the tale hard to follow, even though the story runs at a slow pace, there is such a lot going on – historic murders, current murders, a missing girl and a domestic abuse case to name a few elements.

In conclusion, I think the storyline has potential and there are some exceptionally evil characters, but even they weren’t enough to keep my mind from wandering.

Out of the Dark is another solid mystery in the DCI Caplan series. Easy to read as a standalone or part of the ongoing series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House for the eARC of this book. It's the third installment of the DCI Christine Caplan series.

For a change, Christine's homelife is on an even keel. A relocation to the countryside has helped her husband's depression and her children are off living their lives. There's less focus on her personal life in this book and I'm happy about that. I prefer my police procedurals to focus on the crime, or in this case, crimes. Christine, and her small team, are on scene of what appears to be a double suicide when Christine is pulled away. She's driven in secrecy to a Ministry of Defence plot of land where there lies another dead body. In the midst of the two investigations she's asked by a terminally ill colleague to investigate a death that was shut down by her superior officers. As Christine starts to review it she's struck by the parallels to the MOD case, and soon to other bodies found in Scotland's forests.

Caro Ramsay writes excellent books. I enjoy how she intwines the lives of her characters, and how she weaves the crime story amongst them. I'm coming to enjoy the Caplan series but my preference is still for her Anderson and Costello books. This is a good book. 3 out of 5 stars.

DCI Christine Caplan is called out to a crime scene in a remote area, by a loch, with a body that is naked and with some odd injuries. Injuries that may link it to other cases. At the same time a young woman goes missing. Seemingly vanishing in broad daylight. Caplin is asked to look into her disappearance by a retired cop, and husband of a woman she trained with. A woman that is on her death bed and wants to see her.

This is the third in a series and the first by the author I’ve read. Whilst it works as a standalone there are perhaps details I missed, I might have had more of a clue who the different police staff were. I found myself getting confused and losing track of who was who (“is this the same Rachel or is she someone else?”), not helped by half the characters being referred to with surnames. I was further bamboozled by all the police acronyms and jargon.

Overall it was an interesting idea but just didn’t work for me.

A good thriller, though the crimes do not make for easy reading and the plot is twisty . Set in Scotland, the descriptions give a good impression of people and places. The main detective, Christine, is no nonsense and has her own problems. I enjoyed the book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

This is an excellent police procedural. There are no criminal masterminds at work, no autistic super sleuth pulling stuff out of his backside, just ordinary police officers often caught out of their depth by exhaustion, fiscal restraints and just poor judgment. These are real people on the page doing a thankless job. The writing is sharp and the characters believable. Recommended.

This is the third in a new series by long established Scots writer Ramsay.
DCI Christine Caplan was censured after her last big case and she knows her career, not just reputation is on the line. She is literally trying to rebuild her home life at the same time. An old colleague gets in touch out of the blue, asking her and a couple of others to look into a disappearance. The woman is cryptic, possibly confused - is this the fantasy of a dying woman or a link to a series of unsolved cases that have never been linked?
Of course, it's twisty and dark, and Caplan puts herself in more than reputational peril. A terrific read, and better than the opener in this series (I seem to have missed the second, which I've now gone on to add to the TBR pile). More please!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Caro Ramsay and publisher Severn House for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I have to admit that this one was just not for me. I found there were way too many characters and I couldn’t keep up with who was who. There were times when I was so confused I didn’t even know who the character was.

I found it very hard to follow along. The storyline has great potential if it wasn’t so all over the place with so much going on.

This was my first book by this author and I would like to read another as maybe this was just a one off for me.

I have never read this author and was unaware that Our of the Dark is actually Book #3 in a series featuring DCI Christine Capley. Had I known this, I would not have read this book. Well, that would most likely be a mistake, as this seems to be a pretty good series based on this book. DCI Capley is investigating a missing persons case in Scotland. I am American so I enjoyed the Scottish setting and some of their terms. Google is my friend! The supporting characters, such as some of the other officers are interesting and I do love me a police procedural! Now this is a slower book, but I do not mean that in a bad way. It just means there a lot of slow reveals and that is a good thing. This can definitely be read as a standalone, but I would have loved to know some of the backstories and that could only add to this one! I would like to go back and read the first two in this series.

Thank you to #NetGalley. Caro Ramsay and Severn House for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon the publication day of August 6.

DCI Christine Caplan #3

Caplan’s evening starts with two dead bodies, apparent suicides, in a quiet cul-de-sac and no one hears a thing. DS Craigo is placed in charge of that though both officers know something is off with the crime scene, whilst she is sent to Glen Douglas. After a tortuous and mysterious journey in the dark, close to Ministry of Defence land, there’s another body and it’s a strange one. It’s certainly suspicious and definitely unexplained. As if that’s not enough, Caplan’s dying friend Rachel asks her to investigate a missing person cold case that’s been troubling her final days. Does this have any links to a current missing person enquiry, that Bethany Robertson? As ever, Caplan’s life is a busy one but she has a good small team to back her up. Further dogged investigation reveals the presence of something much bigger and darker than they could ever have envisioned and several cold cases merge into one large distressing one .

I really like the character of Caplan and feel that Caro Ramsay has created someone that you can relate to, who feels authentic and who you can like. Not only are the cases gripping but you got a good blend of the demands of a ranking officer with just the right balance of the personal in order to add to the realism. They are good supporting characters in the police team, Craigo is a fascinating one and Mackie is entertaining! The higher ranking officers stonewall as per usual, worrying about budgets. I’m sure that’s true! Christine‘s husband Aklan features too and he inadvertently provides some pertinent information for the enquiry.

The story is told at a steady pace, it’s never especially fast except towards the end, but I like the reflective way in which it’s told and that aids the readers thinking too. The case is a real puzzle, as the scale reveals itself it becomes increasingly shocking and horrifying. Who is behind what’s been happening and continues to evade capture? Clearly they are clever, obstructive and seem in control as it becomes apparent that a dangerous and deadly cat and mouse game is underway.

The author has chosen some great settings throughout rural Scotland that gives the right of atmosphere to a suspenseful and tense read.

The suspicions Caplan has are proving accurate and the hunt is on. The ending is a good one and my heart is in my mouth in one terrifying scenario.

Overall, this is another entertaining read from this author and if you like Tartan Noir check the series out, it’s a good one.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Severn House for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A dying cop asks DCI Christine Caplan to fulfill her last wish: to investigate a cold case that’s still preying on her mind. The naked body of a young man that was found in a lonely wood, dismissed as a down and out by her superiors. Caplan connects the case to other victims left to die in the bleak Scottish forests, injured and unable to escape. As the scent grows stronger, the cold cases suddenly seem dangerously hot.

Out of the Dark by Caro Ramsay is a combination police procedural and psychological thriller book. It was suspenseful and atmospheric. This is a good addition to the DCI Christine Caplan thriller series.

I will read more by this author and in this series. I would recommend this book. It had solid characters, a good plot, well-planned suspense, and good twists to hold my interest.

#OutoftheDark #NetGalley @severnhouse

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
DCI Christine Caplan is working the case of the home death and hanging of two partners; the disappearance of two young women; and bodies found in outlying areas in Scotland. Plus, a former police officer friend of hers wants her to look into the old cases of some missing and murdered men and girls. She's dying of cancer and it's her last wish. There aren't enough hours in the day for Caplan!
This is a taut, well written and compelling book with some incredibly evil people in it.
But Caplan, Craigo and the others on her team are all terrific. I love Craigo, he's such an undervalued
and fun character. Can't wait for the 4th in this fabulous series! Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this slow paced book.
It was great installment to the series. Would recommend to others as I really enjoyed it

Out Of The Dark is the third in the DCI Caplan series, and probably the best yet. Caplan investigates a missing young woman with family links to a former senior officer. A dying former colleague asks her to visit and alludes to a number of unsolved cases that were not takes seriously. Caplan takes up the challenge ...

The DCI and her team find themselves embroiled in something much bigger than they could have thought. The case takes them across rural Scotland, seeking some very devious and twisted criminals. With elements of police politics, psychological control and a cunning cover up, this is a complex plot.

Out Of The Dark has a relatively slow pace, the case developing from small clues and deductions. It is gripping and intriguing in equal measures as Caplan and co near the solution. Overall, an excellent read.

This is the first book I’ve read by Caro Ramsay. There was no problem with not having read the previous books in the series other than possibly some bits of backstory to some of the characters. I’m not sure whether I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d read the others because I really struggled to form any connection with any of the characters. I found the pace slow and had to stop often for a break which is unusual for me. I did manage to finish but can’t say that any of it particularly stuck in my head. I won’t be reading any more from this series.