From the Shadows by GR Halliday

It's my stop on the blog tour for From the Shadows by GR Halliday, the first in the DI Monica Kennedy series. A screen adaptation, The Dark, began on ITV (in the UK) on Sunday night. Big thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me. I read from my own bought copy. 

The Blurb

Seven days. Four deaths. One chance to catch a killer.

Sixteen-year-old Robert arrives home late. Without a word to his dad, he goes up to his bedroom. Robert is never seen alive again.

The discovery of a body on the coast of the Scottish Highlands, plunges Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy into a murder investigation, that won’t begin and end with
one death. As paranoia rises and secrets are forced into the light, the local community becomes aware that there is a serial killer in their midst.

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Nichol Morgan has been missing for days, sending a last, enigmatic text message to his social worker Michael Bach, who can’t quite shake the suspicion that something is terribly wrong.

Soon DI Monica Kennedy finds herself entangled with a cunning killer, who has been meticulously watching and waiting. But as her history catches up with her, she begins
to lose trust in her judgement. Can she find the killer before he claims another victim?

From the Shadows has been reissued this year by Point Blank. It was originally published in 2020.

The Dark, based on From the Shadows, adapted by Matt Hartley, directed by Polly Hill and produced by Poison Pen Studios, part of ITV Studios, is currently being shown on ITV and ITVX in the UK. 

My Review

The action in From the Shadows covers large areas of the Scottish Highlands but the police investigation is centred in Inverness. I'm writing this review looking out over the sea in Nairn, just a few miles up the road from Inverness, where I'm currently on holiday. The sun is shining, the sea looks gorgeous (will be going for a dip later) and it's a million miles away from the darkness in this book. 

The opening chapter really grabs you - it's pretty gripping, with a rising feeling of doom. And that feeling never really goes away as the investigation falters and the team fear there will be more victims. 

The main character, DI Monica Kennedy, is interesting. I didn't find her particularly likeable, but she doesn't go out of her way to make herself likeable. She has always felt like an outsider, doesn't seem to warm to others easily, and struggles to accept help, unless it's on her terms. But she is determined to do the right thing by the victims, determined to solve the crime, even to the detriment of her relationship with her young daughter. Her perseverance was admirable, if sometimes foolhardy. 

I think my favourite character was Michael Bach, a social worker who is worried about a missing client, a young man whom he let down. Another person whose determination to do the right thing shines through. 

I liked the short snapshots we got from the killer's point of view. I'm always interested in where writers get their ideas from for the crimes they present, particularly the more original ones, but reading Gareth's bio gave me a clue here! It's such an unusual idea, presented well. 

And sitting in this beautiful part of the world, I must mention how much the Scottish countryside plays a part in in this book - it is a character in its own right. But it tends to be much darker, bleaker, wilder than what I can see through the window just now - still beautiful, though. 

The plot is dark, but well handled and the denouement is gripping and explosive. From the Shadows is a beautifully written book populated by interesting characters, full plenty of tension and dread. I am looking forward to watching the TV adaptation - it started on Sunday but I'm going to catch up when we get home - but I'm more excited to read the other books in this series. 

The Author

GR Halliday was born in Edinburgh and grew up near Stirling in Scotland. He spent his childhood obsessing over the unexplained mysteries his father wrote about as a paranormal investigator, which have been a major inspiration for his writing. Gareth studied Ancient History at Edinburgh University and is a co-founder of the Caledonian Crime Collective. In 2024, he qualified from the University of the Highlands and Islands as a counsellor and psychotherapist. He works as a volunteer for an addiction charity and has his own private counselling practice. Gareth lives with his partner in the rural Highlands outside Inverness, where he pursues his favourite pastimes of mountain climbing and swimming in the sea, before returning home to his band of semi-feral cats.

Book Blanket 2026 - half year update

A bit of a different post from me today! Some of you might remember at the beginning of the year I decided to crochet a book blanket, inspired by Alexandra Martin (@alexandra.mmartin on Instagram), a young American mum who appeared on my feed having made one last year. The idea is to crochet a granny square for every book I read this year, based on the colours on the front cover, so I'll end up with a unique blanket, and a fun way to remember some of books I've read. I've shared some of the squares on here, on the corresponding review posts.

If you don't know what a granny square is, here's one. It's a traditional crochet design made up of four rounds (in this case) of clusters of three stitches. It's a favourite of mine because it can be plain or colourful, and used for blankets, bags, clothing - anything really! I have plans in the autumn to make a chunky jumper which is essentially two giant granny squares (about ten rounds in thick yarn) with added sleeves!

 

But back to the blanket. The grey single coloured squares will be used to separate the months, as the book squares will be arranged chronologically. They will be joined and the whole blanket edged in the same grey, but I can't start joining them yet as I don't know how many books I'll read, so don't know how many squares there will be in the end.


So here are the squares up to the end of June:

 

I have used three or four colours for each square. I've matched the colours of the yarn to those on the books as far as possible, but it's not always perfect, depending on what I have in my yarn stash. I've often used the colour of the text for the title (and sometimes the author name), other times I've only used colours from the picture on the cover. For one, I've only used the colours from the title (West by Carys Davies). It all depends on the individual book, and what I've read/am reading either side of each one. Outside of some blog tour and  competition reading I had to do, I've tried to be a bit careful with what I choose to read so I don't end up with similar squares next to each other - it hasn't always worked out that way but overall I'm pretty pleased with how it's going. I'm using a range of yarn, whatever I have in my stash, and if I read a physical book with embossing on the cover, I'm trying to use sparkly yarn. It's been a great exercise to pair with reading some of the books that have been sitting on my shelves for far too long! 

Here are the squares, and the corresponding books I've read for each month. 

January

Legacy of Blood by MR McKenzie
The Shadows and the Dust by Allan Gaw
The Hope by Paul E Hardisty
Genesis by Chris Carter
The Binding by Bridget Collins

February

The Death Watcher by Chris Carter
In The Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
Tombstoning by Doug Johnstone
Guilty by Definition by Suzie Dent
The Dry by Jane Harper
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay


March

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
The Smiling Man by Joseph Knox
West by Carys Davies
The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton
138 Main Street by Gavin Bell
Sirens by Joseph Knox
My Mother's Lies by Diane Saxon


April

The Grapevine by Craig Robertson & Alexandra Sokoloff
Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre
Secrets From The Grave by Leigh Lewis
Bluff by Francine Toon
Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Ship of Thieves by Douglas Skelton
The Hollow Boys by Tariq Askanani


May

Rat Race by Callum McSorley
The Bone Mother by Suzy Aspley
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin
Illicit Still by William McIntyre

Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen (unfortunately out of order - correct on main picture)
The Woman Before Me by Ruth Dugdall
The Burnt Moor by Nina Bhadreshwar
The Sacrifical Man by Ruth Dugdall
Diary of Lies by Philip Miller


June

Boy B by Ruth Dugdall
Blood Enemy by Douglas Jackson
Stop Dead by Katrín Júlíusdóttir
The Pinnacle by Abir Mukherjee
Nowhere Girl by Ruth Dugdall
Better the Devil by JD Kirk
Original Sins by Linda Duncan McLaughlin
The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee
Love, After All by Ewald Arenz

The Dark Heart by Neil Lancaster
Bad Influence by Will Carver

Sorry I haven't been clever enough to do a wee montage of the book covers but I'll work on that for the full blanket reveal. 

The squares will now be 'blocked' - pinned out, sprayed with water and left to dry. This will make the squares more even and flat and ensure all of the squares are the same size. I probably should've done that to make sure they were photoshoot ready! Anyway, they'll be put away to wait for the next six months worth which I'll share in early January, and I'm hoping to have the squares all joined up to show you the whole blanket by the end of January. 

So those are my January to June squares. I'm expecting a smaller number for July to December but we'll see! Can't wait to put my blanket together! 

Crossroads: The Price of Truth by Tommaso Piani

The blurb for this one drew me in and I was keen to give it a go. Welcome to my review of Crossroads: The Price of Truth by Tommaso Piani. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the author for my paperback review copy. 

The Blurb

They took his freedom. Now he decides who stays free.

Roberto Edoardo Riva was the golden boy of Milanese finance: a wunderkind moving millions by day and losing himself in the elite's excessive nightlife by night. A penthouse in Brera, a Porsche in the garage, and a future without limits.

Then, one blurred dawn, everything shatters.

He wakes up in a room that isn't his, next to the lifeless body of a Swedish model. A syringe he’s never touched. In less than twelve hours, the predator becomes the prey: arrested, tried, and sentenced to seven years in the hell of San Vittore prison.

Today, Roberto is a new man. Having survived the filth of a cell, he sought refuge in the chaos of Bangkok to disappear forever. But the past has a long reach. An anonymous package delivered to his doorstep contains a devastating truth: medical reports, stolen photos, and a recording that leaves no room for doubt. It wasn't a twist of fate. It was a perfect plan, orchestrated by the only two people he ever truly trusted.

He is no longer running. He is calculating the strike.

My Review

Roberto Riva is a financial wizard who makes millions on the markets. He works long days but at the weekend he likes to party. Really likes to party - drink, drugs and girls. But one morning after hits differently when he finds a dead woman in the bed. After going to prison for the crime, he is determined to find out who set him up, and why. 

This is a short novella which I read in a couple of hours, but the author has packed a lot into 118 pages. It spans several years and we see Roberto change as he learns the skills he needs to survive inside prison, and outside it, in a world where his reputation no longer means anything. We move from Italy to Thailand and back again. I loved his relationship with his prison mentor Salvatore, and his very different relationship on the outside with Lek, the latter changing his viewpoint on life. Until unwelcome news arrives. 

Roberto is a very interesting character whose downfall is described in the first few chapters in short, choppy sentences, which I liked, as the portrayed the immediacy and speed at which everything was happening. As Roberto settles into his prison term, the writing style changes, the sentences are longer. It works. 

Crossroads: The Price of Truth is a small book that packs a big punch. It tells the complete story of Roberto's downfall, a recovery on his own terms, and revenge and payback, with a satisfying denouement. A quick and enjoyable read. 

The Author

Born in Vittorio Veneto, Northeast of Italy, in 1977, Tommaso Piani is a global citizen whose life has been shaped by the ever-changing skylines of the world’s major metropolises. With a degree in Political Science, Tommaso began an international career in 2009 that took him from the vibrant energy of Dubai to the soul of Thailand, and from the vast horizons of Australia to the heart of the UK, where he has lived since 2020.

For nearly two decades, Tommaso has been a key player in the architectural envelope industry, managing the planning and supply chain for the massive glass-and-steel facades that define contemporary skyscrapers. This constant immersion in the world of high-stakes construction and global urban development provided the perfect backdrop for his transition into thriller writing.

The seeds of his debut novel were sown thirteen years ago, but it wasn't until recently that Tommaso decided to pull the manuscript from the drawer and bring his vision to life. His debut, "Crossroads: The Price of Truth" (Crossroads – Il Debito della Verità), is a gripping financial thriller that reflects his international outlook and deep understanding of the pressures within the corporate world.

After its successful launch in Italy - where it quickly climbed the Amazon Top 10 Hot New Releases (Noir) and received critical acclaim from specialized outlets like Thriller Life - Tommaso is now bringing his unique brand of "International Noir" to the English-speaking market. He currently resides in Watford, UK, where he is already plotting his next literary move.

Bloody Scotland Reveals the Longlist for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize

Bloody Scotland Reveals the Longlist for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize
Sponsored by The Glencairn Glass

Winner to be presented on Friday 18 September 2026 on the opening night of the festival.

Bloody Scotland today reveals the longlist for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize which will be judged by author and broadcaster, Sally Magnusson, radio and podcast presenter, Nicola Meighan and crime blogger, Gordon McGhie.

The 2026 longlist includes last year’s winner, Tariq Ashkanani and last year’s debut winner David Goodman. It also includes two other former McIlvanney Prize winners, Chris Brookmyre and Callum McSorley and FOUR of the five women crime writers who have been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2026:

The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)

138 Main Street by Gavin Bell (S&S)
Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre (Abacus)
A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford (Bantam) UNKNOWN by Heather Critchlow (Canelo Crime)
Solitary Agents by David Goodman (Headline)
We Know What You Did by Kirsty Lockwood (Orion)
Rat Race by Callum McSorley (Pushkin Vertigo)
The Diary of Lies by Philip Miller (Polygon)
The Pinnacle by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill)
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin (Viper)
Liar Thief by May Rinaldi (Black Spring Crime)

The list features eight authors who have been or are currently shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, indicative of the important role the Debut Prize plays in developing the careers of new Scottish writers. The longlist is rounded out by Abir Mukherjee, winner of last year’s British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year, the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the 2026 CWA Dagger in the Library; Heather Critchlow on the list for the second year in a row; Gavin Bell writing under his own name having previously been longlisted as Mason Cross and Philip Miller who previously won a major crime writing award in the US but has never appeared on the McIlvanney longlist.

Festival Director Bob McDevitt said:
“I’ve been hugely enjoying reading my way through the books that were submitted for the prizes this year and I’m excited to see that some of my favourites have made the longlist. It’s also great to see smaller independent publishers holding their own against the big guns of London.”

The McIlvanney longlist and the Bloody Scotland shortlist will be promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation on Friday 18 September. The winner will be announced in the Church of the Holy Rude on the opening night of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival and interviewed on stage by BBC presenter, Bryan Burnett. They will then lead a procession to the Albert Halls alongside guest programmer, Denise Mina and the winner of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize.

Kirsty Nicholson, Marketing Director at Glencairn - sponsors of The McIlvanney Prize with the Glencairn Glass, the official glass for whisky, said:

“It’s fantastic to see four of the five women shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize also recognised on this year’s McIlvanney Prize longlist alongside some of the biggest names in crime fiction. Congratulations to all the authors who have made the longlist - it’s a tremendous achievement and we look forward to celebrating this year’s winner."

I will endeavour to review all of the books on the longlist over the next couple of months in the run up to the festival. In fact, the review (and a Q&A with the author) for 138 Main Street by Gavin Bell went up on the blog on Monday, before I knew the book was longlisted, so do check that out.