Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Murder Tree, the fifth book in the DI Christine Caplan series, by Caro Ramsay. Big thanks to Zoë O'Farrell at Zooloo's Book Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.
The Blurb
Individually, the deaths of three elderly people aren’t suspicious. But when DCI Christine Caplan discovers the victims are linked and the truth of their identities twists the investigation ever‑darker, one question haunts Caplan’s every step: who needs these people dead… and how many names are on their list?
Four siblings. Three dead bodies. One twisted bloodline.
DCI Christine Caplan should be celebrating her daughter's wedding. Instead, a journalist gives her a lead on a potential murder case with four whispered words: Witness protection. Suspicious death.
The dead woman is Juniper Greene — a recluse found alone in her cottage, the doors locked from the inside. Officially, nobody cares. And since Caplan's team is days from being shut down, she has nothing to lose by following the faintest trace of evidence.
What surfaces is a family that shouldn't still exist. Four estranged siblings—two buried, two vanished or living under names that aren't their own. One by one, these relatives are being picked off.
It isn't a family tree.
It's a murder tree.
And someone is chopping it back to the roots.
Caplan has to save the survivors. But can she find them before the killer?
The book came out on 15th October this year and is published by Severn House (Imprint of Joffe Books).
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/murdertree-zbt
I have the absolute pleasure of knowing Caro in person. I have read several of her books but this is the first of her Christine Caplan books I've read. I will need to go back as I always prefer to read a series from the beginning for a richer experience, but The Murder Tree worked fine as a standalone for someone jumping in at book five.
The first thing I should say is that Caro's trademark humour shines through. Yes,it's a murder mystery and a police procedural, but there are plenty of funny moments.
Caplan's ragtag team is in danger of being broken up and she really doesn't want that. She loves where she is and fiercely loyal to her team. But she needs a case. So when a journalist suggests she look into the death of an elderly recluse a year previously, Caplan figures she has nothing to lose.
We also meet Doro, a young woman with a disabled son, who works as a carer at a local care home, where she looks after Bernie, and relay on three old ladies who live across the square from her for childcare. She's a sweet girl who loves her son, her elderly friends and her patient. But somehow she finds herself in the middle of something she doesn't really understand.
What starts with one body and an investigation into a cold case turns into an intricate tale of resentment and revenge. A single family being targeted, and Caplan a team race to solve the mystery whilst keeping at bay those that want to shut them down .
The Murder Tree is the best kind of police procedural. One with an intricate storyline, seemingly unrelated deaths and a mystery to solve. The writing is great, there is plenty of tension and peril, laced with a dose of humour. I liked the characters, Caplan, Craigo and Doro especially, but they were all well rounded. It was a really enjoyable read with a satisfying denouement and I m looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.
The Author
Author Social Media Links
Instagram - https://www.facebook.com/CaroRamsayAuthor
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CaroRamsayAuthor
X / Twitter - https://x.com/CaroRamsayBooks
Website - https://www.caroramsay.com
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