A Small Death in the Great Glen (Thorndike Crime Scene) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

It's 1950 in the western Highlands of Scotland. Little Jamie Fraser has gone missing on his way home from school and Joanne Ross's daughters, Annie and Wee Jean, were the last ones to see him alive: "We saw him," she [Wee Jean] explained, "me and Annie, we saw this great big black hoodie crow. He opens the door, all of a sudden like, an' he spreads out his wings . . . and he picks up Jamie in his wings and takes him . . . ." When Jamie is later found dead in the canal and the coroner determines the boy was "interfered with" and murdered, Joanne and her coworkers at the local newspaper wonder--Do the girls actaully know something, or is it just their imaginations trying to make sense out of the death of a friend?

"A Small Death in the Great Glen" is Scottish writer A. D. Scott's debut novel in what looks to be a very promising new series centered around a local newspaper in Inverness, Scotland during the 1950s when the scars of World War II were still red and raw. While the plot of the story turns on the murder of the young boy Jamie, the theme revolves around abuse--child abuse; spousal abuse; alcohol abuse; the abuse of power and position, both civic and religious--and the community's silent acceptance that enables such abuse to continue.

The narrative juggles multiple plot threads that are woven into and around the hunt for Jamie's killer. There's Joanne, a part-time typist for the Highland Gazette, a job of which her husband, Bill Ross, greatly disapproves. Their marriage is one of constant mental and physical tension but divorce is not an acceptable option 1950s rural Scotland. Also, there's Joanne's Italian friend, Chiara, whose family has settled in Scotland after fleeing Italy during the war and now owns a successful cafe in town. She's engaged to Peter Kowalski, a Polish imigrant. Then there's the Polish seaman who jumped shipped hoping to find asylum. Not everyone is eager to embrace those from outside their country's borders. And when Jamie is murdered, the natives naturally look to the outsiders for the killer. The seaman makes a very convenient scapegoat for Inspector Thompson who doesn't see the reason for looking any further when the solution is so obvious. Add in the Tinkers, Scotland's roving band of gypsies who aren't anxious to come forward with their knowledge of events, and the Gazette's editor-in-chief, John McAllister, who has his own mystery concerning his brother's suicide to solve, and you have a constantly shifting flow of action and perspective with a meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch quality that keeps you thoroughly engaged.

While there are some abrupt shifts between storylines that can be somewhat jarring, "A Small Death in the Great Glen" is packed with plots, personalities and all the drama of a close-knit community struggling to adjust to a post-war world. Yet the story never loses sight of the central plot and ties off all the seemingly loose threads neatly in the end. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel that is due to be released in the summer of 2011.

This is an excellent, thoughtful, well-paced murder mystery set in the Highlands in 1956. It deals with the then taboo issues of sexual abuse of boys and spousal abuse. The characters are intriguing and well-rounded. The author clearly was recreating her childhood in the Scottish Highlands of the 1950s, and shows both the beauty and the narrow-mindedness of many of its residents. The Highlands are starting to change, with Poles and Italians moving in, causing some comment among the long-term residents.

The great strength of this book is its very strong sense of place. We get to see small and large towns, the camps of the Travelers, and the great glen itself, emptied by enclosure.

In addition, Joanne, one of the main characters, is very likable and we get to see her moving from being an abused wife to a woman who takes control of her destiny. She works at a newspaper, and the description of newspaper life also helps to drive the plot forward. Obviously, not everyone is going to be able to get the book, but for those with an interest in well-written British mysteries, this is worth your time and money.

This book set in the 1950's in the Highlands of Scotland, is about a newspaper and people trying to move past the War and into the future. The editor of the paper wants it to be more than it is, the part-time receptionist wants to leave an abusive marriage and the cub reporter wants to move on to the big time. In the midst of this struggle, a young boy is abused and murdered and the newspaper employees struggle to find the answer without police help. The author gets the atmosphere of the Highlands down. The only drawback is some of the dialogue is chunky and could use a good editor.