Sticks and Stones: A DCI Harry McNeil Crime Thriller, Book 2

I had to check a couple of times to make sure I was reading the first book in the series as I just couldn't connect with the characters. On several occasions they had a bit of banter but it came out of the blue - it was as if we were supposed to know the characters already and understand the dynamic between them, almost as if they were mid conversation and the reader only gets to read half of it. There were several flaws in the book that, having read many books in this genre, I noted - no clear indication of any forensic protection, i.e., wandering into potential crime scenes without stating that they'd donned any protective gear etc. Generally it was a tough read and the characters had no depth. Based on this book, I wouldn't add any further Harry McNeil books to my collection.

I thought that the story line was poor and the writing was even worse. I made the mistake of also buying Crash Point and Old Habits before reading Sticks & Stones. I really do wish I had not - both were even more infantile than the first!

After reading all the Frank Miller books I didn't think a new DCI character would compete favourably but this story was fast paced with lots of twists and turns and a very surprising ending. Full of John Carson's humour too which is a bonus . DCI Harry McNeil is a winner!

When I saw this book on my kindle I thought,brilliant another Scottish detective series of which I love,the likes of Rankin,Kirk and McBride,I read some of the reviews which didn't bode well but I will always make my own mind up,after the first few chapters though I could see why they were such poor reviews,the writing seemed amateurish ,the story line didn't seem to flow and the banter was a little tedious at best but I read it through and the characters did begin to grow on me to the point that I wanted to find out the ending but sadly that seemed to be a little rushed,will I buy the next book in the series,possibly just to see if it improves although I would be surprised if it does,would I recommend it,well if you have nothing else to read for a while then give it a go but sadly there are far better detective stories out there.

Mediocre at best. I did like the main Characters but I thought the storyline was poor with lots of inconsistencies and very poorly edited. There were words and lines crossed out from the final edit but just left in the book. I am going to read the next one as sometimes the author gets better as they progress! Although I believe he has written lots of other books so this might just be my optimism. IF I had bought the book and spent £7 or £8 I would be furious at the read but it was only a couple of pounds so hey ho! If the second book is as bad I will be giving it one star!

This was a very poor read which I just about managed to complete. Characters very weak, I just could not develop an image of any of the main characters in my mind. The so called banter between the characters was very childish. There seemed to be no reference to any serious police procedure. The plot well was there one? Sorry I will not be reading any more from this author.

What should be the best day in their lives turned out to be the worst for a newly wed couple. The scene was set in a beautiful hotel, the bride and groom went missing. What could have happened to them and who would want to kidnap them?There were plenty of twists in the plot of this novel. Very easy to read by a new author in my reading collection. Highly recommended to fans of Ian Rankin and Lee Child.

What a great introduction to Harry, Alex, Karen and Simon. Sticks and stones gave us a hint of what was to come from this small unit, Harry and Alex in particular. I must admit I wondered at first if Harry was one of the two traumatised children but it soon became clear that he couldn’t be. The story had a good plot with a few surprises. Will definitely be reading more from this author.