Picked up at Tesco charity book swap, an unusual occurrence as normally I'm depositing books - as I indeed I was on this occasion too! Oh, perhaps it was at the church coffee morning this was picked up (both on the same day this time), I'll ask Mr Flutterbies9.

Synopsis : "Cal McGill is an Edinburgh-based oceanographer, environmentalist and one-of-a-kind investigator. Using his knowledge of the waves - ocean currents, prevailing winds, shipping records - McGill can track where objects came from or where they've gone. It's a skill that can help solve mysteries ranging from disappearances to murder.

Two severed feet wash up on two different islands off the coast of Scotland. Forensics shows that the feet belong to the same body. As Cal McGill investigates, he unravels a web of corruption, exploitation and human trafficking, which threatens many lives across the globe - including his own....".

This book has already had two readers as both Mr Flutterbies9 and myself have read this.

Mr Flutterbies9 chose this one at a church coffee shop morning and read it almost straight away. At first he was a little underwhelmed but got more into it as the pages progressively turned under his fingers and ended saying "you really must read this, good storyline rolls along nicely after the first 100 or so pages and familiar places for you as an added bonus".

This is an unusual angle for a 'detective' story and I rather enjoyed this book on the whole. It did take a while to get going as characters were introduced and situations explained but a solid basis has been laid for future stories. The main character, Cal, is an oceanographer and is a very individual quirky type of principled, stubborn, determined character and although not what I would call a 'detective', he has many of the known characteristics that one possesses. The second main character in this book is Helen who comes across as another determined, principled and individual character who looks like becoming Cal's contact into the police. For me it is great to have such a Scottish flavour (place and politics!) about the storyline - though I'm glad of the map of where the invented place should occur as that is not where I had envisaged from either the descriptions or the assumptions of moving across the landscape and what you can see from where!! (ie. it may well make sense from an ocean movement point of view but not from the scenery or proximity to Glasgow points - very much a telescoped west of Scotland !).
The book is also unusual in that the Asian girls story is sympathetically told and the resolutions to the mystery of the body parts floating in from the sea and how it may have occurred seem much more rooted in today's detection methods. I would happily read the next from this author to see how the back stories progress.

There is a plan for this book ....(to be continued very soon)

Sent off to another reader who may well find this entertaining as well as being based where she lives!

Enjoy .

Thanks both to Flutterbies9 and honorary bookcrosser ‘Mr Flutterbies9’ who suggested rainbow3 will be keen to lay hands on this auspicious start to a thrilling new investigatory series ingeniously crafted round an exclusive and unusual profession! You bet! MV Hjaltland as it motored up the East Coast of Scotland from Aberdeen arriving in Kirkwall at 23:10 on Sat would have been a neat maritime release location, but no way was this leaving my paws without being read! So it awaits my attention back in Aberdeen for a couple of weeks at least! Thanks Flutterbies9 this arrived on Mon 29 May but not had a minute to give it a JE till now when I’m in Dounby, Orkney!
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THE SEA DETECTIVE by MARK DOUGLAS-HOME (2015) | ISBN: 9781405923569 | Publisher: Penguin

OK this book is travelling - in some senses – though it’s not left my hands. We are now together in Edinburgh where I have both, secured further interested readers for it* and as of today picked it up to start in on it!

What an auspicious start to a book series, locked into the storytelling in the first paragraph, hooked into the plot before page thirty, and truly delighted with the humour by page sixty and keen to sign up to read anything - anything at all - by Douglas-Home. However, I am especially thrilled to know that this book is first of a series from this writer. What joy! I simply had to phone to thank those concerned today for putting this book my way. I sense I will not be putting it down again till it is finished!

Further interested readers*
Earthcaroleanne
Cassandra2020

Rollicking good read, gripping plotting I thought this was brilliant and… other notes MIA so that will have to do! Offering special thanks to Flutterbies9 who directed this my way in the first place!
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Sunday was the Edinburgh BookCrossers Xmas Bash at The Filmhouse and so I took the opportunity to pass this to Earthcaroleanne, and so the wee book ray begins!

Passed to me at the Old Gang Meetup.

I agree with everything Flutterbies9 and Mr Flutterbies9 said so I'm not going to repeat their review. I will add that I found the ending and epilogue very sad.

I'm sorry, I didn't realise this was a mini-bookring or I would have read it sooner. I only read previous journal entries once I've read the book because I don't want to risk spoilers - or even know the plot. I was saving it for a themed bookring but I can't add it now. Fortunately it's the Edinburgh Christmas meetup on Sunday so I'll pass it to Cassandra2020 (a year later)

Taking to the Old Gang Christmas Meetup for Cassandra2020.

Picked up at the Old Gang pre-Christmas meetup. I don't actually remember showing interest in a mini-bookray, but the blurb looks interesting so happy to read it sometime soon.

Thanks

The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home - Good

This was passed to me as a mini bookring and for the life of me, I don't remember expressing interest. Anyway, I read the first chapter three times before I steeled myself to read the rest and I'm glad I did.

I don't generally like books which include child abuse or child prostitution, so the first chapter turned me right off with the story of two indian girls sold into prostitution and shipped off to the UK. But once you get past that, the rest of the book is very readable.

Cal McGill is an oceanographer and environmentalist based in Edinburgh. When he isn't guerrilla planting arctic plants into MSP's gardens at night, he is studying the currents of the oceans and plotting backwards the items that make landfall. Mainly to help prosecute oil spillages but also to trace back lost cargo..... and then severed feet wash up.

Running alongside this story is the background of how Cal first became interested...trying to trace where the body of his Grandfather may lie having been lost at sea during the war.

I believe this is the first of a series and I think I could get to quite like the character of Cal and would be happy to see Detective Sergeant Helen Jamieson feature again too.

Posted out to a friend who sounded interested

Although this book is registered at www.bookcrossing.com, you don't have to be a member. It's perfectly OK to just take the book and enjoy it. Of course, if you can visit the website and let us know that you've picked it up, that would be even better - you don't even have to join, you can add your comments anonymously - you can also post your review when you've read it, then return it or pass it on to someone else.

If you do join Bookcrossing, you'll be able to see what happens to it afterwards - for ever!

Passed to me as part of a mini book ring by Cassandra2020. Thank you!