WHEN a bestselling novelist is charged with the murder of
her wealthy whisky entrepreneur husband, the Procurator Fiscal in Linlithgow is
confident that they have a watertight case against her.
But, not for the first time, the Crown prosecutors have
underestimated the dogged determination of sharp-witted defence lawyer Robbie
Munro who is convinced that there is more to this case than meets the eye. And
just as murky secrets start swilling to the surface, Robbie faces a danger too
close to home for comfort.
If you haven’t already encountered William McIntyre’s
long-running Robbie Munro Legal Thriller series, then rest assured that these
brilliantly authentic Scottish courtroom dramas have stayed the course over
sixteen books and, along the way, won an army of adoring fans.
The undoubted key to the success of these thrillers is McIntyre’s (pictured below) decades-long career as a lawyer specialising in criminal defence and his wealth
of courtroom experience. Now retired, McIntyre’s involvement in many high-profile
cases has enabled him to skilfully transform fact into fiction, offering
readers a fascinating glimpse into the quirks and complexities of the Scottish
criminal justice system.
When bestselling novelist Jilly Jean Lyon – real name
Gillian Halkett – is accused of poisoning her whisky entrepreneur husband with
fentanyl, Robbie is pulled into a case that looks, on the surface, to be open-and-shut.
The only part of Tom Halkett’s body that has been found is his arm but
forensics have detected the use of fentanyl in his death and as the evidence
stacks up, his landed gentry family wealth would seem to make the motive clear.
The Procurator Fiscal, Hugh Ogilvie, a man generally viewed
by Robbie as ‘the burst egg in life’s frying pan,’ declares that the Crown is
ready to close in on the murder charge but Robbie doesn’t believe the story is
that simple.
Joined by his father Alex Munro – a former cop not happy
that while his career was spent putting people in prison, his son is trying to
keep them out – Robbie digs into Tom Halkett’s boutique distillery and learns
that the family had set in motion ‘a neat piece of tax avoidance’ that involved
a great deal of ‘trust’ among each other.
Soon missing casks, hidden debts, and a 40-year-old single-malt whisky, point to something far darker than a straightforward murder. Someone went to great lengths to make this look like an open-and-shut case and they’re not finished yet. But when Robbie discovers that Pat Sweeney – a dangerous former client jailed for drug dealing and grooming kids at school gates – is out of jail, has a grudge against Robbie and is asking questions about the lawyer’s 11-year-old daughter, the case starts to fracture…
Renowned for their accuracy in law and procedure, McIntyre’s
character-driven Robbie Munro thrillers have been praised by legal
professionals on both sides of the Bar for their realism, and this new case
blends crime, whisky and social politics into reading perfection.
Whether enjoyed as a stand-alone story or read as part of
the series, these legal dramas cannot fail to entertain, with each book capturing
Robbie’s candid, often sardonic perspective on life and the law, and adding a
welcome vein of dark humour to the rich capillary of crime trails and trials.
With Robbie joined in his enquiries by his ex-cop dad Alex,
some (always) welcome input from his graceless, grunting, long-suffering
secretary, Grace Mary, and guest appearances by Robbie’s psychopathic landlord,
Jake Turpie, this is the ideal opportunity to settle down with a wee dram because
justice has never been so intoxicating!
(Vinci Books, paperback, £9.99)