I really enjoy Marion Todd’s DI Clare Mackay series and Dead Man’s Shoes is a real cracker. This time a fair bit of the action comes from around Dundee and I had no trouble at all identifying with the storyline involving drugs, a dodgy nightclub and a particularly slippy customer that the Police have been trying to pin down for their crimes but to no avail.

In the midst of business as usual, DI Clare Mackay is asked to lead her team in identifying a serial killer who preys on gay men. It’s got to be an undercover operation, because the Serious Crime Agency is keen to make sure that their perpetrator has no idea that they believe he’s in Clare’s area of St Andrews. Without a picture to go on and only the sketchiest of details about his likely occupation and mode of transport, Clare must use her skills and local knowledge of the area to track this man down, working in conjunction with an old acquaintance at the NCA. It is believed that this killer, whom the press have dubbed ‘The Choker’ seeks his victims out at weekends and kills them.

So, when a young man is found strangled earlier in the week, Clare chastises herself for not anticipating an earlier kill, but remains unsure as to whether this young man is actually a victim of The Choker or someone else’s target. The young man was a member of a local family with ties to criminal activity and so other leads need to be investigated, stretching the team to capacity.

One of the reasons I like this series so much is its authenticity. You do get a feel for how police procedure works and for the careful planning that goes into an operation like finding a serial murderer.

Clare has a good team around her and is mindful of their mental and physical well-being – though of course it doesn’t stop her nicking their biscuits! She does though, throw a lot of herself into her work and that means she can be a little forgetful of her home and family life, though she does her best to balance things out, she is not always successful. Her beloved dog, Benjy, though ensures he is never far from her mind! Clare’s life partner. Alastair Gibson, whom she refers to as ‘the DCI’, on the other hand, has to bide his time until she has the headspace to listen to his news as Clare’s investigation ramps up.

Marion Todd does a great job of creating tension and excitement and of throwing in the odd piece of misdirection here and there to keep us guessing. Her understanding of forensics is excellent and provides her with the fodder for an excellent plot line and denouement. The pacing is good, and moves from an even flow to fast paced when things start to really heat up.

Verdict: An excellent read and a terrific police procedural. Marion Todd writes her characters with deftness and brings them to life as rounded individuals, especially in Clare’s team. These are likeable characters with the kind of domestic issues we all have and though the crimes feel all too real, there’s no gratuitous violence or overdoing the gore. I have no hesitation in recommending the whole series to new readers. Dead Man’s Shoes can easily be read as a stand-alone book, but if you read the whole series, you’ll really enjoy the character progression.

My thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’, Book 9 of Detective Clare Mackay series written by Marion Todd, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The Chainlink Choker has been choosing his young male victims from around the North of England until police intelligence hears that he’s moved on to the St Andrews area where DI Clare Mackay is based. With DCI Ben Ratcliffe involved, can Clare and her team catch the killer before he finds another victim?

‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ is an exciting Scottish police thriller where DI Clare Mackay joins forces with DCI Ben Ratcliffe to find a prolific killer before he claims another victim. Although it has a rather slowish start it soon gains momentum and with a plot that’s well thought-out and has lots of drama, suspense and twists and turns, you get a thoroughly enjoyable thriller that’s easy to read and impossible to put down. As Clare finally brings the investigation to an end and looks forward to a well-deserved rest, her boyfriend DCI Alastair Gibson springs a surprise leaving her with a dilemma, but we won’t know what she decides until we get to read book 10!

Another instalment in the quite brilliant series of books by St. Andrews based novelist, Marion Todd.

Again, our heroine, Clare Slater has to overcome a battle of personal and professional dilemmas in a well-paced and narratively twisting tale.
As always, Slater must rise above and lead her team, this time with the pain of a back injury sustained in the line of duty while attempting to solve another case of murder in her small town.

Todd writes with such verve and enthusiasm, as ever this reader could not put the book down.
A great start to the New Year of reading for fans old and new.

DI Clare MacKay has a murderer, who targets and chokes gay young men, to apprehend. One young man does not seem to be quite the same as the others and Clare determines that there are two killers out there. One, the Choker, the other seemingly related to the drugs and people slavers of Dundee. It's so good to see teams working together well, for them to have some sense of humour in a pretty horrible job, for the boss to be supportive. Clare's personal life is also normal feeling - elderly parents, a supportive partner whom she does take for granted rather a lot and so on. Well written as expected, enough red herrings, twists and turns and satisfactory ending. Another definitely good read - bit of a relief that since I've had rather too many 3* ok for a while, read, finish, forget. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Dead Man’s Shoes is book 9 in the D I Clare Mackay series, but it can easily read as a standalone.
Intel has been brought it that a serial Killer called the choker is heading to St Andrews way. Clare and her team plan to catch the killer before he strikes again. The killer kills men and hokes them with a chain. They get news that a body is found with the M.O. of the Choker and the police think that he has killed again but Clare has her doubts,
When they delve into the investigation that the person killed is linked to a night club and a case of wrong identity. When another person goes missing is he going to be next or is it something else entirely.
Although the storyline a bit slow at first. It became another gripping read from the author. Clare as usual doing all she can to find the killer. Its not easy for her as she also has things in her personal to deal with too. This is a great read. 4 stars from me.

Dead Man's Shoes by Marion Todd is a highly recommended procedural and the ninth novel set in Scotland featuring Detective Clare Mackay.

There is a serial killer on the loose targeting men. He is being called the Choker since he drugs his victims and then chokes them to death with a chain. Police intelligence believes the Choker is moving into the St. Andrews area. He drives a white van and is thought to be a decorator or painter. He usually strikes on a Friday or Saturday night. DI Clare Mackay and her team are tasked with setting up a widespread surveillance trying to catch the killer.

When a young man is found dead before the weekend, it is thought it might be from the Choker, but Mackay has her doubts. The victim has ties to some local criminals in the area. The surveillance plan continues and another man is found injured. It seems that the Choker is still active and there may be more going on than the police realize.

Dead Man's Shoes is a well-written, detailed, even-paced procedural. It did seem to move a little slowly at times, but those who enjoy procedurals will appreciate all the details carefully provided. The focus is on the facts of the investigation while avoiding a lot of grisly descriptions of the crimes.

For those not following the series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. Even though there are some personal things happening in the lives of the character, the focus is really on the police work. You won't have all the background information on the characters, but you will still be able to follow the investigation. Thanks to Canelo Crime for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Really enjoyed this Clare Mackay novel. It was consistently fantastic through the whole book. Kept wondering was was coming next. Plenty of suspense. Great characters. What more do you need. Definitely will read the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Another excellent read from the author in the DI Clare Mackay series, set in Scotland. I really like the characterisation and the team dynamics, as well as the insight into their personal lives. The pace started off at a steady pace and felt very believable as the murder investigation intensified. The writing is good and it was great to catch up with the whole team again. I hope we don't have too long to wait until we find out where life is going for Clare, her partner and her elderly parents. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Dead Man's Shoes is a good addition to the DI Mackay series by Marion Todd. I think the first part of the story is slow going though and it took a while for me to become fully invested in this read. Mackay and her team search for a serial killer believed to be in their area and also investigate a murder. I like following the team in their investigations and love the banter they have. The glimpses into the DI's home and personal life are a nice touch. My one gripe is that I wish Mackay would stop referring to her other half as the DCI ... I find this quite irritating. Dead Man's Shoes does begin to gain pace after its slowish start, I think the authors writing is good, the story flows well and the plot is all too believeable and realistic. It hasn't wowed me as much as the previous books did - but I'd still recommend Marion Todd and this series and if you're new to this author you need to read the books in order to know the characters and their histories from the start.

3.5 stars

DI Clare Mackay is summoned by her seniors in Dundee and asked to get together a task force to try to prevent a serial killer nicknamed The Choker, who targets young gay men, from striking again. Intelligence suggests that the killer may be making his way to Clare’s patch over the weekend, and the pressure is on to work out which areas he may focus on and to stop him from murdering again.

When a young man is found dead before Clare’s team has assembled, and the killing appears to have the hallmarks of The Choker’s methods, it seems that Clare has missed the boat. However, she becomes convinced that this murder has been committed by someone else and that The Choker may still be at large in the area, but has to persuade her seniors to allow the original operation to go ahead.

This was the first book I’d read in the Clare Mackay series. Clare and her colleagues made an interesting, likeable cast and I could see this series working well on TV. There was some focus on Clare’s home life as well, and the risk that she was losing touch with important developments with her parents and her partner as things intensified with her work.

My initial sense was that this novel was going to be tightly focused on the weekend in question and that this would give it a lot of tension. It turned out to be less tense but perhaps more realistic than that, with the storyline bringing in other, related cases as well. This is an enjoyable police procedural with a relatable cast of characters and I’d happily read others in the series.

Well, this is the first Marion Todd book I've read and it definitely won't be the last.
Filled with down to earth officers , each with their own personalities and relationships as well as criminals daring to think they can pull the world over Claire Mackay's eyes in this tale of drugs, homophobia and criminality.
Fast paced and authentic. I loved it.
Now I'll have to catch up on the others in the series.

I’ve really enjoyed the previous books in the Detective Clare Mackay series and this is one of the best yet. The action gets going on page one and never lets up – a killer is suspected to be heading towards St Andrews and Clare and her team are required to find and trap him before he can hit again – and the characters are now so well established that it all flows very naturally. Even the background of the underworld of the area has been built up so they have become part of the series themselves and keep reoccurring, which feels very realistic to policing. I particularly enjoyed the writing around Clare’s personal life – her struggle to deal with aging parents was beautifully and very sensitively portrayed – and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Another great book in this excellent series. I love the style of writing and the characters are so likeable. If you like police procedurals you will love this. Plenty of twists to keep you reading. Although it can be read as a standalone I really enjoyed reading the series from the beginning. A great 5 star read.

Book 9 in Marion Todd's very successful Detective Clare Mackay series sees Clare and her team chasing a prolific serial killer visiting St. Andrews from England. Alongside this she is also investigating the death of a young gay man initially thought to be a victim of the serial killer.
Wow!! A fast paced story I just couldn't put down. The twists and turns came thick and fast. The characterisations were perfect. Just like stepping back into a group of old friends. A wonderful read that I would happily recommend to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own

‘Dead Man’s Shoes’,by Marion Todd is the ninth book in this consistently very enjoyable Scottish based series.In the plot this time, D.I.Clare MacKay and her team are tasked with stopping a serial killer who is responsible for the murders of young gay men.Police Intelligence reports that the Chain Lock Choker is moving their activity from the north of England to the St.Andrews area.There is the difficult task of surveillance of a large number of white vans in the search for the suspect,which heralds the start of a complex case.The latest installment of this series maintains the highest standards of fictional crime writing .The familiar well drawn characters continue to shine as they attempt to establish just who is responsible for acts of violence that could well be linked.As far as police procedural investigations go,this feels very realistic and is also so well thought out.Skillful storytelling that manages to be gritty ,gripping,human,warm hearted,and incredibly compelling all at once.
Many thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for a pre release copy.

Dead Man’s Shoes by Marion Todd is book 9 in the DI Clare Mackay series. It is published on 9 January. Thank you to Canelo Crime, Netgalley and the author for the advance copy to review. Word is out that a serial killer is on his way to St Andrews. When a young man is found murdered it is thought to be his first victim in town, but Clare is not so sure. And so begins an investigation. This was such a great story, full of tension and some surprising twists and I could feel the pressure building as the hunt progresses. Clare is very driven, and she has a great team behind her. Clare’s partner, DCI Alastair Gibson, is there for her but he has some news of his own. An old nemesis of Clare’s could also be involved. This is a fabulous read. If you haven’t read any of this series, and it is worth reading, it is best to start at book 1, See Them Run.

This was my first D.I. Clare MacKay series but won’t be my last. Although the ninth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
It gripped me from the start and I found it a very easy read.
A serial killer is in the loose and Clare’s team have limited time to catch the so called Chainlink Choker, who preys on gay men.
However when a body is found with strangulation marks, Clare is convinced it is the work of another killer.
Thanks to the publisher for an opportunity to read and review.

A definite five star read. I have always enjoyed Marion Todd’s books and she is on my must read list of authors. Recommended.

This is #9 in the DI Clare Mackay series but can easily be read as a standalone.

I love this series, definitely one of my favourite police procedurals.

Clare’s DCI tells her that there is a serial killer – nicknamed the Choker – operating in the north of England but it seems that he’s now moved up to Scotland and in Clare’s territory. The body of a man has been found with marks around his neck, almost certainly a victim of the Choker.

Once the investigation gets going, Clare discovers that the victim had links to local criminals, both male and female. Then another man is found, fortunately not dead but seriously injured, so Clare and the team have to find the perpetrator before there are any more deaths or casualties.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.