DI Rob Brennan is in his mid 40's and has just returned from six months leave following the murder of his brother Andy. His relationship with his wife Joyce and daughter Sophie is collapsing, and his affair with the lovely Lorraine is in meltdown and under immense strain especially as she has just disclosed to him that she is pregnant with his child. His attitude towards his "career orientated" Chief Superintendent Aileen Galloway is at best confrontational and he is viewed with great suspicion by his other working colleagues. All in all it's a bad week for Brennan and to top it all the mutilated body of a young girl is discovered in a wheely bin, it's up to Brennan to get results and to get them fast!...roll over Rebus there's a new kid on the block!! in the crime infested streets of Edinburgh. Brennan rises to the challenge with vigour and an adrenalin fuelled impatience that leaves the reader breathless. There are few words wasted in this 300+ page book...the writing and style is tight and taut..." "It was the infamous Deacon Brodie that best summed up the city for Brennan, though. The respectable businessman persona Brodie adopted by day contrasted starkly with the burglary trade he plied by night. The deacon seemed to embody the schizophrenic air that the city choked on still. It was a mix of stoic kirks and grand cathedrals, of bold achievements and great plans; but it was also the place where innocent-looking teenage girls wound up, beaten and bloodied, in grimy piss-smelling back alleys. They just didn't put that stuff in the tour guides" .....The pace is relentless and the excitement never ending, I read and evaluate many crime books so much of which is plodding and mundane, "Truth Lies Bleeding" is fast, brutal and furious and totally renews my faith in the crime genre...with a lovely little twist in the final pages! Well done Mr Black I look forward to reading book 2 in the series and give a warm welcome to the troubled DI Brennan and the lonely streets of a gritty city...
