Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: In Plain Sight by Marion Todd

Marion Todd is a Dundee, Scotland, native with a diverse work background, which helps inform her crime fiction. Her first book about DI Clare Mackay of the St. Andrews police was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year in 2020.

Her second book about Mackay and her team is In Plain Sight (Canelo Crime, 2020). Mackay is all set to participate in a race with a crowd of runners to raise money for a philanthropic cause when the race is delayed by a group of protesters blocking the course. The ensuing confrontation stops, all but forgotten, when a young mother screams that her baby is missing. She had parked the stroller slightly to the side of the crowd to keep the baby safe and walked away for only a few minutes, which was long enough for someone to take her.

As the lead detective onsite Mackay takes charge of the investigation until a DCI can be appointed. A comprehensive sweep of the area begins immediately: cars are searched, the whereabouts of likely criminals are looked into, the associates of the parents are checked, hospitals are advised to watch for babies of the right age, news releases beg for the baby’s return, and on and on. A hugely complicating factor is that the little girl has a chronic medical condition and needs medicine to stay alive. The pediatrician estimates 48 hours is the longest the baby can safely go without her prescriptions. Mackay and her staff work around the clock in a tireless attempt to bring the child home safely.

A day into the search the only available DCI arrives to take charge, a self-aggrandizing prat who views the missing child as a step up the corporate ladder. Instead of helping with the limitless work, he spends his days filling out paperwork for the promotion he expects to receive after the baby is found through the efforts of others.

The addition of the useless supervisor is a nice touch of realism in an immersive, tightly plotted, and fast-moving police procedural. I raced through this book in a single sitting. Placing this series somewhere besides Glasgow or Edinburgh gives the stories a bit of novelty. I really liked Mackay. She is committed to her work but still tries for a personal life. She also looks out for her staff while observing appropriate supervisory boundaries. Readers who enjoy this one will be happy to know there are four more. The sixth in this series is scheduled to be published in July 2022. Recommended especially for fans of police procedurals.

 

 

·         ASIN: ‎ B07ZGL6B1B

·         Publisher: ‎ Canelo Crime (February 20, 2020)

·         Publication date: ‎ February 20, 2020

·         Language: ‎ English

·         File size: ‎ 3783 KB 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.