A Pound of Flesh: A DCI Lorimer Novel

by Alex Gray

Overview

Named a Best Book of 2017 by Just Reviews

In the depths of a freezing winter, Glasgow finds itself at the mercy of not one, but two serial killers

This is Detective Inspector Lorimer’s worst nightmare and beyond anything he’s faced in his many years on the force. Can he find a link between the brutal slaying of prostitutes in the back streets of the city and the methodical killing of several unconnected businessmen?

When the latest victim turns out to be a prominent Scottish politician, the media’s spotlight is shone on Lorimer’s investigation. Psychologist and criminal profiler Solly Brightman is called in to help solve the cases, but his help may be futile as they realize that someone on the inside is leaking confidential police information. Meanwhile two killers haunt the snowy streets and Lorimer must act fast, before they strike again…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062659231
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/26/2017
Series:	William Lorimer Series , #9
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	384,482
Product dimensions:	0.00(w) x 0.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. After studying English and Philosophy at the University of Strathclyde, she worked as a visiting officer for the Department of Health, a time she looks upon as postgraduate education since it proved a rich source of character studies. She then trained as a secondary school teacher of English. 

Alex began writing professionally in 1993 and had immediate success with short stories, articles, and commissions for BBC radio programs. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers’ Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing. 

A regular on the Scottish bestseller lists, she is the author of thirteen DCI Lorimer novels. She is the co-founder of the international Scottish crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland, which had its inaugural year in 2012.

http://www.alex-gray.com/

Editorial Reviews

Gray has no equal when it comes to unmasking killers and she has excelled herself here . . . Gray is the new master of Scottish crime writing.

Scottish Daily Express

Brings Glasgow to life in the same way Ian Rankin evokes Edinburgh.

Daily Mail (UK)

Gray’s ninth procedural featuring Glasgow’s Det. Supt. William Lorimer andpsychologist Solly Brightman (after 2011’s Sleep Like the Dead) covers well-trodden terrain in a too familiar manner. The Glasgow police must deal with two serial killers—one preying on prostitutes, the other on affluent businessmen. One of the latter victims turns out to be Edward Pattison, Scotland’s new deputy first minister, whose slaying only ratchets up the pressure on Lorimer and his team. Once again, Lorimer asks Brightman for help in getting inside the minds of the murderers they seek. Trite setups include a capable woman who ends up a hostage after making the sort of mistake that would have a movie audience screaming, “Don’t go in there!” The resolution of the two mysteries does nothing to impress the reader with the lead’s acumen. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A new Alex Gray has become something to be keenly anticipated by her growing number of fans, and they'll be well satisfied by A Pound of Flesh. Gray has no equal when it comes to unmasking killers and she has excelled herself here . . . Gray is the new master of Scottish crime writing—Scottish Daily Express

From the Publisher

For several months, a serial killer with a particularly violent style has terrorized Glasgow prostitutes. One vigilante seeks retribution and is stalking johns who drive a certain type of car, thinking the killer can be stopped this way. When a high-ranking politician is killed and his death fits the profile of the other murders, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Lorimer and his trusted psychology professor sidekick, Dr. Solomon (Solly) Brightman, struggle with the puzzle. At the same time, one lonely and foolish detective is lulled into sharing confidential police information with a supposed journalist—with frightening consequences. VERDICT Veteran Gray (after Sleep Like the Dead) brings back Lorimer in his ninth installment, a surprisingly tame procedural. Lorimer's latest assignment as head of the Serious Crimes Squad means he's working with new colleagues, and he seems a bit lost with them. The book succeeds when Lorimer's superb memory and Solly's profiling expertise are put to task. Try with fans of Lynda La Plante and, perhaps, Faye Kellerman.

Library Journal