Tools of the Trade
About:
AN ANGUS MURDERS MYSTERY - BOOK 1.
Tom Guthrie has recently retired from Tayside Police. He found life after the force difficult to deal with, so he started a private investigation company and is now consulting to the newly formed Police Scotland.
The amalgamation of the old regional forces has left Police Scotland short of resources in Serious Crimes. When the body of Bobby Gant, head of research and development for a local outdoor clothing manufacturer, is discovered tied to the rocks below the high tide line at the foot of the cliffs of Arbroath, Police Scotland find themselves with no-one to spare.
Guthrie’s former Chief Inspector calls him to lead the investigation.
His assignment is not well received by his former partner who now runs the local station. Guthrie’s liaison – Alisdair McEwan, a fresh-faced and sometimes over-enthusiastic officer, desperately wants to impress, but the pair run into a web of lies, and less than helpful colleagues of the murdered man. In the midst of his frustration with the lack of progress in the murder investigation, a fire in an empty warehouse kills a homeless man. This is dumped in Guthrie’s lap – and he’s not too pleased. The second investigation threatens to derail the murder case.
Guthrie now has to juggle two deaths, a young partner, an antagonistic boss, and an unexpected relationship.
Tools of the Trade is the first full-length outing for Tom Guthrie. Set in the atmospheric surroundings of Angus in the east of Scotland, the weather, the buildings, and the people all play their part to help – and hinder – Guthrie in his task of solving a murder.
