Payback by Claire MacLeary

I am thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Payback by Claire MacLeary and I loved getting to know Maggie and Wilma. Huge thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for The invite and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb:

When police are called to a murder scene at the home of Aberdeen socialite Annabel Imray, they find themselves under pressure to get a conviction, and fast. Meanwhile, local PIs Wilma Harcus and Maggie Laird are at rock bottom, desperate for income. As Maggie contemplates replacing Wilma with an unpaid intern, an eccentric widow appoints them to search for her lost cat – and Wilma goes off-piste to negotiate a loan, with terrifying terms.  As the fear caused by a series of sinister break-ins escalates, Maggie blames the aggressive language in public discourse for inciting violent crime. But before long, she finds she is in the danger zone herself.

Will Wilma manage to save her?

Payback will be published by Contraband on 23rd April 2020 and is available for pre-order now.

Pre Order/Buy Links:

Amazon
Waterstones
Saraband


My Review:

This is the fourth book featuring Maggie and Wilma, but it's the first one for me (I know, I'm hanging my head in shame). There are references to events that took place in previous books, but everything I needed to know to enjoy this one was there.

Maggie and Wilma are private investigators in desperate need of cash. So they're looking to take on as much work as possible, even resorting to searching for a lost pet. And Maggie is wondering if she needs to sell the house and downsize. Meanwhile, the body of socalite Annabel Imray has been found and DI Allan Chisholm and his team have been tasked with finding her killer, as well as dealing with a spate of recent burglaries.

Maggie and Wilma are fabulous characters. Next door neighbours turned best friends, they are chalk and cheese. Police widow Maggie is nicely presented, well spoken and polite. Wilma, not so much. I winced at some of her outfits! She made me laugh out loud in places, often with her filthy mouth! She's an absolute delight.

The supporting cast are all brilliantly described too. I definitely like the sound of Allan Chisholm, but wanted to give Douglas a good shake - that man needs taken down a peg or two!

The story moves quite slowly, simmering away before hotting up towards the end. The different main threads are weaved carefully together with one or two other wee story lines until it all becomes clear at the end. And I didn't see that ending coming. There is humour throughout, often from the exchanges between Wilma and Maggie. Great chapter headings too, although I was slightly thrown when I read 'A Six Foot Oiler' as 'A Six Foot Otter'! Lock down fever, clearly!

But this is all about Maggie and Wilma. Two fabulous, feisty, funny, ballsy and brave women of a certain age. It's fantastic to see two such well drawn, engaging and entertaining female protagonists  - a wonderful partnership that is a credit to MacLeary's writing. Payback was a joy to read.


The Author:

Claire MacLeary lived for many years in Aberdeen and St Andrews, but describes herself as “a feisty Glaswegian with a full life to draw on”. Following a career in business, she gained an MLitt with Distinction from the University of Dundee and her short stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies. She has appeared at Granite Noir, Noir at the Bar and other literary events. Claire’s debut novel, Cross Purpose, was longlisted for the prestigious McIlvanney Prize, Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award 2017, and Burnout was longlisted for the Hearst Big Book Award 2018. They were followed by Runaway and Payback is her fourth novel and continues the Harcus & Laird series.