Material Evidence

Detective Chief Inspector Carston is an Englishman in Scotland - and shows a charming appreciation of his adopted country. Thanks to his intelligent, self-sufficient wife, he can work long hours when a case interests him. The case of the gory rape and murder of financial consultant Stephanie Burnham interests him very much. It's just too clear a case of the-husband-did-it. Carston rebels. He investigates, and forces his team to investigate, the whole web of murky relationships surrounding the victim, not only her husband but his mistress, as well as her own lover, numerous business associates and members of the local gun club. Accounts of the victim vary wildly with each person interviewed. Stephanie is a brilliant consultant vs. a clueless drunk, pregnant vs. menopausal, sexually insatiable vs. a cold fish. Carston is intrigued. Although Carson has a middle-aged solidity about him, he's also "at home with vagueness." He likes to invent possible scenarios, explore multiple motives and seek out hidden connections. I enjoy books that take me to unusual places. And this book offers a fascinating glimpse of Scottish law and the Scottish judicial system, which has some unique features. Bill Kirton has a real talent for portraying multi-dimensional characters, and I believe his detective will wear well. I intend to order his other books.

I read this book and was thoroughly thrown from the start to the end, which I may add I did not ever expect. Mr. Kirton certainly has a devious mind for plots and story lines and I will be looking forward to his next release which I hear should be out soon. Thanks for the great work and looking forward to much more.

This book is the start of a realist detective series, which is a breath of fresh air. No quirky or weird personalities, nothing improbable. Just a good mystery to solve. The characters are very believable. He fooled me completely on the solution, and I was sure I had it right. I'll be getting the next when it comes out.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was well thought out and well presented; so much so that I want to read more of this author's work. Compared to Ian Rankin's mysteries of which I've read most, there is a hugh difference in the types of people they write about. Ian seems more interested in presenting the seedy side of life in Scotland with his primary character's personality of someone whose ego seems to know no bounds.