Driftnet by Lin Anderson

Time for an older one this month, a novel first published in 2011. Driftnet, the first book in the series about Edinburgh forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod, opens with the graphic death of a rent boy. Nothing surprising in this, perhaps: risk goes with the territory. Then we join forensic pathologist Rhona MacLeod as she’s called to the scene. Everything is very matter of fact until we learn that the physical resemblance between Rhona and the victim is so strong that others have noticed it too…

Soon the scope of the story opens out to embrace the upper echelons of those in power in Scotland and the author rips through a gripping tale of power and corruption, set against the very personal impact of crime. All this embedded in a tangle of personal relationships that makes you feel as if you’ve joined in partway through the series rather than at the start — which is a great way to open a series, because it makes it feel as if these characters haven’t just sprung into life for this story.

This is a long-running and bestselling series for Lin Anderson, and it’s easy to see why it has been such a success, and I’ll certainly be returning for book two.