The Blood is Still: A Rebecca Connolly Thriller

Description

When the body of a man in eighteenth-century Highland dress is discovered on the site of the Battle of Culloden, journalist Rebecca Connolly takes up the story for the Chronicle. Meanwhile, a film being made about the '45 Rebellion has enraged the right-wing group Spirit of the Gael which is connected to a shadowy group called Black Dawn linked to death threats and fake anthrax deliveries to Downing Street and Holyrood. When a second body - this time in the Redcoat uniform of the government army - is found in Inverness, Rebecca finds herself drawn ever deeper into the mystery. Are the murders connected to politics, a local gang war or something else entirely?

Douglas Skelton was born in Glasgow. He has been a bank clerk, tax officer, taxi driver (for two days), wine waiter (for two hours), journalist and investigator. He has written several true crime and Scottish criminal history books but now concentrates on fiction. Thunder Bay (longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize), The Blood Is Still, A Rattle of Bones and Where Demons Hide are the first four novels in the bestselling Rebecca Connolly thriller series.

'Set in Inverness, a refreshing change from Glasgow or Edinburgh...the author's background' * Scottish Field * 'Once again great characters, we hear more from reporter, Rebecca Connolly and the tension just keeps you on your toes all the way through. It's also full of Douglas Skelton humour too which just makes it a marvellous read!' * Independent Book Reviews * 'Excellent. Credible, multi-layered characters enhance the intricate, high-tension plot. Skelton's growing legion of fans will avidly await brave, dogged Rebecca's next outing' * Publishers Weekly US * 'Incorporating concerns about the spread of populism and the downsizing of news reporting, Skelton's intriguing premise keeps you reading avidly to see how he's going to tie it all together and make it work' * The Herald * 'A corking read... Skelton's talent is casting his descriptive eyes on the familiar and rendering truthful characters with a believable backstory' * The Scotsman * 'Once again this is a book that delivered everything - great characters, mystery, tension, atmosphere and a myriad of emotions and I loved it' * Jen Med Reviews * 'The Blood is Still is Tartan Noir at its most tartan, and noir: and a book we'd highly recommend' * Undiscovered Scotland * 'one's absolute attention is demanded right to the last. Thunder Bay was a fine book; The Blood is Still is several rungs higher' * Journal of the Law Society of Scotland * 'While the action keeps coming like blood from a severed artery, Skelton show us the souls of his characters ... A stand-out thriller' * Scots Magazine * 'It would be so easy to romp through The Blood is Still - the plot is compelling and the characters are so darn realistic, but I advise you to hold fire and take time to savour some of the gorgeously lyrical prose that's sitting there in among all of the drama' * Crime Fiction Lover * 'Skelton's years as the editor of a local newspaper make for an intrinsic, pitch-black depiction of the competition between the police, the press, and the powers-that-be in the scramble to construct and control narratives... [Skelton's] first-hand experience of real-life crime enriches his writing, as the book's complexities gradually increase and the finer details of the murders become ever more important' * Dundee Courier, Scottish Book of the Week * 'I was only a few pages into this new novel before I decided on the phrase I would use to describe it. It's a corking read' -- Kirsty McLuckie * Scotland on Sunday * 'If you don't know Skelton, now's the time' -- Ian Rankin 'The Blood is Still is a compelling read with characters you care about and a layered, intelligent plot that captures both the heart and the mind. Absolutely unmissable' * LiveandDeadly.net * 'A captivating, intricate and thoroughly satisfying thriller' * LoveReading * '[I]t shows how versatile a writer Skelton is and that he is just going from strength to strength. It's a triumph. I absolutely loved it and everyone should read it!' * SimplySuzeReviews * 'An intricately plotted thriller ... Lyrical and thoughtful' * The Library Journal (US) *