Lin Anderson – The Killing Tide

‘The Killing Tide’ by Lin Anderson is the sixteenth book in the Rhona MacLeod series. Although part of a series this is my first Lin Anderson book and I had no trouble diving into the story at all.

We see Storm Burka battering Scotland and the Orkney Isles when an Orcadian farmer spots an unlit cargo ship floundering in the vicious sea. It turns out to be the MV Orlova and as they eventually board the ship safely they discover terrible things. Rhona is called in to help with the forensics of the case. DS Michael McNab in Glasgow has a severely burned body of a woman on his hands, could there be a connection to the MV Orlova?

A story that sweeps the length of Britain from Orkney all the way down to London. The depictions of Orkney serves to make the discoveries on board the ship all the more terrifying. This contrast works well to make this a memorable read. Although I am new to this series I got to know Rhona, Mcnab and Chrissie pretty quickly along with reporter Ava, who has returned to Orkney after her parents deaths. She is left with the decision about the family farm and what to do with it. Her younger brother wants to keep and farm it but he is too young to do it alone. Ava is undecided about permanently giving up her journalist career to go back home to the farm. Ava can’t help but find the case intriguing so she decides to investigate and what she uncovers is much bigger than what anyone could imagine.

Lin Anderson’s characters are, as I would expect sixteen books later, really well developed and this really helped me feel like I was part of the team as they dealt with the horrific things they faced and I learned of their personal lives as well.

A skillfully woven fast-paced story with a plot that is thrilling had me reading as much as I could at one time. I just know I have fifteen books to add to my overflowing to be read list now!

Thanks to Anne Cater and MacMillan books for my gifted copy of this book.