I didn’t realise this was a long running series at first but it was quite easily read as a stand-alone with Catriona taking the time to ensure that each of the characters were introduced well. Great storyline

The Property is part of a series and you probably will be a bit confused if you don’t at least read the first book.

That being said for me it was somewhat slow and confusing at times. I was expecting more action and less telling. However, the storyline is intriguing. Definitely give this book a try.

I really enjoyed this thriller (after what I initially thought was a slow start).

The discovery of human skeletal remains in a building begins the investigation by the lead character Marc Craig. Along with his crew in the Belfast Murder squad and his colleagues in the pathology labs they identify the criminal gang responsible but not before discovering bribery, corruption and the previously undisclosed activities of a bent cop. There is an international dimension to the story which contributes additional intrigue and ruthlessness to the ending. Whilst Marc Craig's personal relationship issues are documented alongside the main action, I wondered at various stages what Katy was doing at that point? Overall a compulsive read.

"The Property" is the nineteenth in the Chief Superintendent Marc Craig series, so probably not a good place to jump in if you’re a new reader. Otherwise, it’s a good sit down for friends of the series. Although, as a friend of that series, I definitely had issues with this one.

I admit -- I was pretty much confused from the get-go. A body is discovered in a site where an old hotel is being torn down (later, another body is found, and the story begin to turn very dark indeed). My problem began when Craig and his team are trying to tell the readers when and where and how these bodies came to be there. Was the basement filled in, was the body and/or bodies there before that, was there water there, or wasn’t it. Who owned the building before, during and after. Who authorized tearing up/not tearing up the flooring. There’s lots of intrigue and cover-ups between a bunch of bad people. My head started spinning after trying to keep up. Maybe good for conspiracy theory-type readers, but I’m not one of those. I do understand that the author likes to present a detailed study of a police investigation, and there are many, many leads to follow with both animate (dodgy politicians and foreign governments make good suspects) and inanimate objects (basements that are being used for more than storage), but my goodness, enough is enough.

Readers are also subjected to short scenes whereby clues are given away and bad people are suspected. Could do without those, although the book would have been much longer if somehow these had been treated as chapters, and we didn’t need that.

And in between it all we get Craig’s agonizing over his personal relationship with Katy, his paramour. Oh, boy. I realise this “personal touch” has always been a hallmark of the series, but I do wish everyone would get on with it, though. There’s another member of the “team” (I use the term loosely for this one particular member) who’s found out something really bad about a high-ranking policeman -- another sidebar in the story that didn’t add anything to the main plot. What all this did for me was cause to reflect that these scenes -- there’s another heart-wrenching one, towards the end of the book, for someone close to Craig -- make the book seem to come to a grinding halt at those moments. There are just too many of them, for my taste. And a few of these folks need to grow up, already!

I have to give Catriona King credit for the fictional world she creates for each character. The author describes each one so that readers can “see” them as real people, warts and all.

Eventually, after some real CSI investigations, with the crime lab figuring out extraordinary things about the victims, after days of interviews and foot slogging and group thinks and computer findings and speculations made true, the killings of a mother and daughter are found to be terribly sad and terribly horrible, based on deep-seated cultural morés that have no place in modern times, but exist, nevertheless. And because of the people involved, there will be some justice, but not everything that Craig is hoping for.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Gingersnap Books for a review copy of The Property, the nineteenth novel in the Belfast based Craig Crime Series.

When bones are discovered in a hotel development DCS Marc Craig and his murder squad are called to investigate but with his mind on his troubled personal life Marc isn’t making life easy for the team.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Property which is a long, sprawling police procedural with plenty of twists and turns. I was fascinated by the way the team starts with an incomplete set of bones and through sheer hard work and determination manages not only to identify them but build a case for murder. It has a real ring of authenticity to it as well with the team uncovering other crimes along the way, which always seems to me to be very likely given the people involved. I always like a procedural and this with its myriad sidesteps appeals to me.

The novel has a fairly large cast of characters which seems to grow with every novel. As I said it is a long novel and part of this is due to many of the detectives having chapters devoted to their part of the investigation. It is interesting to see the different perspectives and doesn’t destroy the flow of the narrative overly much but I did find myself getting a little confused between some of the characters. There are also chapters from the perspective of “The Agent” which are well done as they pique the curiosity as to his role and agenda. In some ways I found it the most compelling part of the novel as I was itching to understand these points - no way did I guess correctly!

I also enjoy the office politics and personal dramas in these novels. I must admit that I found Marc Craig’s problems tedious, slightly unbelievable and very first world but I really enjoyed his deputy Liam’s curiosity and thoughts on the subject, but Liam is always a laugh. The office ructions (no spoilers) seem much more realistic in their pettiness.

The Property is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.