The Rough Collier
A
Gil Cunningham Mystery
Pat McIntosh
Soho Constable (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-507-5 (1569475075)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-507-2 (9781569475072)
Publication Date: May 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Gil Cunningham, a young notary, has escaped a life in the Church to become the Archbishop’s Questioner only to be accused of causing a man’s death by witchcraft. Gil and his young wife must solve the crime to save him.
Review:
Gil Cunningham, legal advisor to the Archbishop of Glasgow, sets out to
find answers surrounding a dead body in The Rough Collier,
the fifth medieval mystery in this series by Pat McIntosh.
Due to the red hair on the otherwise badly decomposed body, it is
thought to be that of Thomas Murray, a landowner missing for more than
a month. When Gil examined the remains, however, he assured everyone
that they were wrong. The hands were those of a laborer and besides,
the bones were clearly much older than just a month or so. Gil and his
wife Alys then begin a journey following what should have been Thomas'
route to collect rents on his land. But the questions remain: whose
body was found, and where is Thomas?
The mystery deepens after Gil and Alys locate someone who had seen
Thomas recently and they ultimately discover his body in the home of
his friend. Both are dead, presumably poisoned. It seems that several
other members of Thomas' family had also been poisoned. Was this just a
coincidence? And why would anyone want to kill them? Gil and Alys know
they are close to a solution when Alys is lured into a mine shaft with the intent to keep her silent - permanently.
The Rough Collier
is a credible whodunit with plenty of red herrings and well-placed
misdirection. The rolling hills of the countryside and the small towns
around Glasgow are beautifully depicted. However, in an attempt at
authenticity, the characters' speech is written in a local Scottish
brogue and likely to be unfamiliar to most readers. While most of what
is said can be reasonably accurately interpretted (translated
into the King's English as it were), it is likely that some of the
nuances of the plot are completely lost due to the incomprehension of
some of the dialog. Still, those readers willing to make do with the
dialect will be rewarded with a fine mystery novel.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Rough Collier and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
The Harper's
Quine
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), July 2004
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1349-6 (0786713496)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1349-3 (9780786713493)
The Nicholas
Feast
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), June 2005
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1570-7 (0786715707)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1570-1 (9780786715701)
The Merchant's
Mark
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), June 2006
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1741-6 (0786717416)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1741-5 (9780786717415)
St. Mungo's Robin
Carroll & Graf (Hardcover), February 2007
ISBN-10: 0-7867-1903-6 (0786719036)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7867-1903-7 (9780786719037)
The Rough Collier
Soho Constable (Hardcover), May 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-507-5 (1569475075)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-507-2 (9781569475072)
Omnimystery keywords for The Rough Collier
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Location(s) referenced: Glasgow, Scotland.