This was a strong sequel in the Detective Corstorphine series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the previous entry in this series. Andrew James Greig has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this. It uses the crime elements perfectly to tell the story and had characters that I cared about during the storyline.

The Devil’s Cut by Andrew James Greig is exactly the kind of book I gravitate toward. Atmospheric, layered, and full of morally complex characters. It’s a slow-burn crime thriller with a gritty, almost noir feel that draws you deeper with each chapter. From the ominous opening to the final reveal, Greig builds a strong sense of tension that never fully lets up.

The setting is vivid and moody, perfectly matching the tone of the story. I appreciated how the mystery unfolded gradually, giving just enough away to keep me hooked without making anything feel predictable. There’s a psychological edge to the writing that adds depth beyond the surface crime plot, and the lead characters are flawed in a way that feels human rather than forced.

That said, there were a few pacing dips in the middle where the momentum slowed more than I would’ve liked. But overall, the payoff was worth it. If you enjoy darker thrillers that lean into atmosphere and character as much as plot, this one delivers.

This kind of story is right up my alley. Brooding, twisty, and just unsettling enough to stick with me after finishing. I’ll definitely be checking out more from Greig.

The Devil’s Cut by Andrew James Greig
Detective Corstorphine #2

Fascinating immersive story that swept me up and carried me along as I eagerly waited to find out how all the puzzle pieces would fit together to solve this complicated tale of brutality and murder.

What I liked:
* DI Jim Corstorphine: widow, still feels his wife’s presence at times, strong leader, cares about and utilizes staff to their best potential, focused, a bit lonely, might have met a love interest
* Getting to know Corstorphine’s team better as they work together ~ fun to watch the team develop
* That I was quickly immersed in the store from page one
* The complexity of the case with its twists and turns as the clues were found
* Thinking about the volunteer mountain rescue team and their difficult job
* The complexity of the case and how all of the pieces of the puzzle were finally found and slotted in place
* That the characters had depth and I felt I got to know them well by the end of the book
* Shamilla Mallick: forensic psychologist, consultant, strong, intelligent, uncovered issues that needed to be dealt with, possible love interest
* The complexity of the McCoach family dynamics and finding out why they were targeted and by whom
* That I didn’t really KNOW for sure what was what till the end
* That I have been to Scotland so could visualize the setting
* That no loose strings were left dangling
* Knowing that there will be another book in the series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how cold the McCabe Matriarch was
* Knowing that there are people as evil in the world as some in this book

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

There is kind of a horror vibe going on in this book and its a bit gory at times bit the thriller aspect I liked. Not for the faint hearted!

There is a LOT going on in this book and it is a delicate dance that the author is partaking in.

DI Corstophine and his constables have their work cut out for them when a man dies on the top of a remote Scottish mountain - and his sister insists that he was poisoned. Furthermore, the family is at risk of further injury. There is no proof of this, but when the sister is viciously attacked in her home, the team start to examine the family in more detail.

Pretty dysfunctional family, the McCoach's, and trying to figure out who was behind the attacks on the various family members and the why of it all, had me intrigued.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This was a very enjoyable follow up to the small town yet mind blowing crimes that DI Corstorphine has to investigate in the Scottish Highlands. And I grew more fond of DC McKenzie.

The multiple POVs slightly threw me off this time but I am happy to read more of this series.

I anyone gets a chance to listen to the audiobook do not hesitate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Storm Publishing for letting me see an advance reader's copy of The Devil’s Cut by Andrew James Grieg.

The Devil’s Cut is the second in the DI Corstorphine Scottish crime series. This time, an acquaintance of Corstorphine meets his end atop a mountain, whilst DC McKenzie is investigating a suicide.

I’m really enjoying this series so far. I love the characters, I love the setting, and I love the tartan noir.

The detective’s name isn’t an easy name to read to oneself and I shorten it to Corsto inside my head, or use his first name James.

I also found too many similar sounding names again too confusing. We have Jack, Jimmy, James, John and June, and there was a June in the first book in the series. There’s a Robb and a Cobb, a Keir and a Keith, a Phil and a Bill as well as a Paul and a Patricia and a Phoebe, and a Sarah, a Sandy and a Shamila.

The writing is a tad old-fashioned, with long and complex sentences instead of short, simple and punchy ones. Americanisms are used instead of Anglicisms, such as sneakers instead of pumps or plimsolls. And there are some unnecessary expressions such as ornate ornaments. Ornaments are usually ornate.

There are continuity issues, such as going backwards and forwards in time, a lot, with the different viewpoint characters. Plus pages and pages of science to prove the author has done his research really aren’t necessary. I skipped over that part.

Overall, though, I do love the stories. They’re dark, gritty and disturbing. Wonderful!

Four stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a fantastic follow up book to the first this one is although it can very easily be read as a standalone. Great to see all the main police characters back again so it was just the storyline characters you needed to know and they were enjoyable to the character played! A great storyline that really has you salivating tyring to figure out who is behind it all. It really kept me glued and wanting to read on - my sign of an excellent book! Definitely a book to highly recommend and I hope we get more too!

A gripping read. DI Corstophine and team has to investigate a family of distillers, the son of whom is also a friend. Dad has a fatal heart attack while climbing the local Munroes. Following this a daughter of the family is attacked brutally and with a lot of gore, losing her sight, but at least still alive - she had visited Corstophine after her brother's death, saying he told her it was murder. Another daughter suffers mental issues that have been hushed up by the family so she is kept in the family pile, heavily drugged, but perhaps not so heavily as expected. The climbing partners and son take the ashes to spread on the Munroes but are, themselves, attacked, leaving one dead, another injured and the third in fear of his life. What on earth is going on? Corstophine keeps thinking outside the box and he, along with his fabulous team eventually tie the loose ends to come to a satisfactory conclusion. The descriptions of scenery are delightful and real, the characters well crafted. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

We are returned back to the Highlands of Scotland where DI Corstorphine and his team are faced with another perplexing case.
This writer continues to give the reader suspense and drama bound together with a complex twisting case that leaves the reader eagerly reading the next chapter..
Another fabulous read.

Fast paced sometimes creepy procedure drama, twists and turns right to the end. Totally keeps you hooked. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Another fab read in the series. This one wans't as fast paced as book 1 but equally as enjoyable.

The author has a way of writing that just captures me, it's easy to read, driven, exciting and you just have to know if your guess at who done it is correct.

I highly recommend both the books I've read by Andrew Greig.

I read the devil's cut right after I finished the previous book, the Bone Clock. The plot of this book is as intricate as that of the previous one.
When one of DI Corstorpine's hiking mates dies of what looks like natural causes on a mountain hike he keeps having doubts, even though the victim was not in a physically good condition. Then the victim's sister is attacked and barely survives but looses the sight in both her eyes, after she has told the DI that she believes her brother had been poisoned.

When the hiking buddies, including Corstorpine, go on a two-day climb to scatter their buddies ashes they are under attack by someone who is trying to kill them. Corstorpine by that time has already returned to the valley because he couldn't take more time off and also he didn't want to spent the whole time with the group. On his way down he finds victims the drinking bottle. After analyses of the contents it turns out that the sister was right, the bottle indeed contains a lethal distillate from the taxus plant, made in the families own distillery. Will there be more deaths before he discovers the murderer?

Well written, very evocative of the Scottish landscape and mountains. Makes me want to revisit that area.

I want to thank Netgalley and Storm publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Another fast-paced procedural drama that kept you on your toes with all it's twists and turns. The team was awesome, the plot twists lasted until the very last minute and the book is very descriptive and sometimes creepy.

#TheDevilsCut #NetGalley

Wonderful! I love this author and will read anything he writes. And this book! Wow! Twisted and fast paced! An amazing, jaw dropping read.

This one did not do it for me. I wasn’t as intrigued as I was in book one. The story is okay for me. I will probably still read more from the series but this particular story was not my favorite.

When a distillery owner’s body is discovered on top of a remote Scottish mountain, forensics confirm that he died of natural causes. DI Corstophine’s concerns are raised, however when the dead man’s eccentric sister receives a message, apparently from beyond the grave.
The police are dismissive until it appears the devil himself is intent on attacking other family members. Why is his daughter kept locked and sedated in her room in the baronial mansion? Who or what is stalking his son as he scatters his father’s ashes on lonely summits? And what insanity is behind the horrific attacks in their small Highland town?
DI Corstophine and his team don’t know what they’re really facing until it’s too late.
The Devil’s Cut is an exploration of what constitutes sanity and how delicate that state really is; how such a perfect emotion as love can completely destroy a man.
This is the 2nd book in the series and I enjoyed it very much. The characters were well drawn and kept me engrossed and I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended!

Minor spoilers!!!!!

I enjoyed the first mystery more than the second - that is, the father's death was more interesting to me than the attack on Patricia (and then it turned out they weren't even committed by the same person). I also found the depiction of a mentally ill woman fraught with stereotypes and it was a bit unpleasant to read her perspective. I know it's revealed that her behaviors were because of a misdiagnosis but I felt it could've been handled a bit better. Illnesses like bipolar and DID are so demonized in media and it's just not fun to see that trope continually played out, especially when you know someone being treated for one of them. The final reveal was good though. It was just the mental illness depiction that brought down the rating for me. Otherwise it was a nice mystery!

Complex and taut mystery, a great follow on to The Bone Clock! Same team, great fleshing out of characters, solid and complex mystery with twists and red herrings everywhere - you will not guess everything going on. And the ultimate lesson, greed is indeed bad.

Number 2 in this series. Also good, but pacing at times too slow. The crimes here are also intricate and twisty. I did more or less guess the main twist in the plot this time. The main team are still as thorough and there are a couple of references to the previous book. Told from different points of view, which adds to the interest, I did think that some of the storylines were left hanging a little. The location in the highlands and small town life is described beautifully .
I do enjoy this author's books and this one is certainly not bad, but I didn't think it was his best either. Look forward to reading more from him.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC