I found The Devil's Cut to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. The twists kept me guessing until the end, and the richly drawn characters added emotional depth to the mystery. The interplay between the haunting setting and the characters’ inner turmoil made the story feel both intimate and expansive. It was a book I didn’t want to put down – tense, atmospheric, and satisfyingly layered.

What do a dead distillery owner, a blind girl who jumped in front of a train and a mentally unstable girl have in common?

Detective Corstorphine and DC Frankie McKenzie are back with a bigger and more complicated case. Distillery owner Jack McCoach is dead. His body was found near the summit of Sgurr Thuilm. His death is ruled a natural death until his sister Patricia McCoach seeks out the police because she believes her brother was poisoned. No one believes that someone is out to get the McCoach family until Patricia is violentlt attacked in her home, and Robb McCoach, the son, is shot at while out in the summit spreading his father's ashes.
Who from their past has a grudge against the McCoach family? What secret does the wife, Emma McCoach, hold that could have put the family on harms way?

The Devil's Cut has all the ingredients needed to keep you at the edge of your seat with too many deaths and even more suspects! 💫💫💫💫💫


Thank you, Netgalley and Storm Publishing, for my thrilling ARC!

The Devil's Cut is book #2 of DI James Corstphine and DC Frankie McKenzie. The story of the family McCoach is depicted after his death. Some other deaths that aren't natural but murders get into an intricate mystery involving drug distribution. Also, family mysteries are kept from the police as the investigation progresses. At the end, DI Corstphine and DC McKenzie solve the murders despite the dissimulations from family members.

This is the second instalment in the series and another great read. I read this soon after finishing The Bone Clock, and while not necessary, as this works perfectly as a stand-alone read, it was great to be able to catch up with the characters and their subplots, not to mention the lovely comment about the main character’s mantelpiece clock keeping better time than it ever had before.
The book opens as a climber experiences a fatal heart attack as he nears the summit of a mountain. An open and shut case, or is it? When his sister is brutally attacked it soon becomes clear that someone is out for revenge against this very odd, somewhat dysfunctional, family.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that brings suspense, intrigue and a bit of humour too.
You know you'll want to read more from a series when you create a collection for it on your Kindle.

Tragedy strikes 2 families: tension a'plenty😧

Great suspense as an influential local family seems targeted for tragedy, starting with the hiking death of their patriarch, distillery owner James McCoach. Natural causes or suspicious? Corstorphine and his detective crew reel from one attack to the next while the McCoach family closes ranks and a series of thefts, drug trafficking and a suicide on the train tracks hit their small Highland operation simultaneous with the McCoach case.

The pacing's good, with Robb McCoach's journey into the Munros to scatter his dad's ashes offering a slower respite for a while, until even that trek gets taken over with violence.

Although I had guessed quite early on how two seemingly totally unconnected tragedies had similar roots, all of the mayhem still kept me glued to the story right through to the end. And I appreciated more than one twist related to the McCoach family.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 4/27/25 on Waterstones and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble and BAM. To be shared with kobo and Goodreads.

THE DEVIL'S CUT - Another extremely interesting and immersing read with good characters, intriguing story lines, and a constant pace with a bit of twists making this a one-sitting read. I have enjoyed reading the books by this author. I like his writing style and his grip on his previous wordiness. Source: Netgalley. 5*

THE BONE CLOCK - An extremely interesting and intriguing read that had me immersed in the pages until the end. It was easy to figure out the killer but the MOs are unique, at least for me. Good characters, interesting story lines and a variety of reactions and hindrances to the investigations. Source: Netgalley. 5*

THE GRAVEYARD BELL - An improvement over Silent Ritual with the wordiness. Interesting story lines, a variety of characters, a steady pace and interesting descriptions of the locale and people. Source: Netgalley. 5*

SILENT RITUAL - An interesting but wordy book with good story lines and good characters. While an interesting story, the wordiness made it hard to keep my focus reading, too easy to set down. Gruesome crimes but not graphically gory. Source: Netgalley. 3*

This is the second book I’ve read by Andrew James Greg where we meet again the police team in a small town in the Highlands of Scotland. There are mysterious deaths, strange events and dysfunctional family relationships. I liked the continuity of the characters and getting to know them slightly better but felt they hadn’t really moved on from the last book. Some of the descriptions of the scenery, although lovely, were a little long in my opinion and I found myself speed reading through to get to the nitty gritty. Having said all that, I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author.

When distillery owner’s body is discovered near the summit of a Scottish Mountain, he is found to have died of natural causes. However DI James Corstophine's concerns are raised when he is contacted by his Sister. What follows next is another crime occurs and how is it connected with the death?! James and his team must unravel secrets, lies and deceptions within the family to uncover the truth!! It is well written, fast paced, gripping, gritty and full of nail biting moments and plenty of twists and turns. This was an unputdownable read and the ending was a total surprise when all was revealed!!

This is a great sequel. It definitely didn't disappoint. If you like police procedurals with twists then you'll like this series. It's a very good crime thriller that keeps you reading and guessing. A recommendation.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Storm Publishing and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Another great case for Corstorphine.. I love this new series and to see what he gets up to next. Plenty of twists and turns and suspense to keep me hooked. Well rounded characters. Great writing style. Eagerly awaiting the next adventure. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I really enjoyed this crime read, it’s a police detective story, when a man ends up dead in the Scottish highlands they need to find the killer. Dead bodies are turning up, adult children being kept prisoner in their own home and loads more. It’s a quick, fast paced read that is full or death. The author kept you engaged and interested in finding out who did it. A great 5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

The follow up book to what was originally Whirligig now The Bone Clock, finds Corstorphine dealing with the death of a local distillery owner which turns out to be murder and then the rest of the family become targets as well as suspects. Beautifully set especially in and around Glenfinnan, the author describes the area so well that you are there with the characters. They, themselves ,are quite diverse however that just adds to the tale. Hopefully there will be another book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley/Storm for the ARC to review

The Devil's Cut is book 2 in the Detective Corstorphine series by Andrew James Grieg and it was just as great as the first book in the series. Maybe better because I was more satisfied with the ending in this book.

Detective Inspector Corstorphine is drawn into the mystery of why members of a local family, some of whom he knew through a hill walking club, keep dying. The first death was, at first, believed to be natural, but soon Corstorphine is piecing together clues that indicate otherwise.

I enjoyed getting to know Corstorphine and his co-workers a little better in this book and was happy to see him connect with someone after spending so much time alone after the death of his wife.

Like book one, this book is quite dark and has a few disturbingly descriptive scenes so be prepared for that if that kind of thing bothers you.

There were a number of storylines, at least one of which was really sad, in this book that the author cleverly brought together when solving the main mystery. Except for one small subplot, the author had me guessing until the very end. Like book one, this is one of the best mysteries I've read in a while and I would recommend it to any lover of a traditional style mystery.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed 'The Bone Clock', the first book to feature DI Corstophine and DC Frankie McKenzie, I looked forward to their second outing and I was not disappointed. This one has it all- murder, suicide, the occult, peeping tom, drugs- and all set against a beautiful Scottish backdrop. Full of suspense, a well crafted story and well rounded characters 'The Devil's Cut' is a must for anyone who enjoys a first class, five star crime thriller. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an early read. I'm eagerly awaiting book 3.

The second DI Corstorphine book. A suicide, a tragic death whilst climbing, theft, drugs and a peeping tom, the small team have their work cut out. As the crimes increase DI Corstorphine’s team is stretched thin.
This was another excellent read and although in a series is equally a standalone read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Just as good as the first but just as gory can be read as a standalone. Looks like this author will only get better with blood, guts and gore being splayed all over the Highlands and detective Corstorphine on the get go to solving it all.

This is another very good read from the author, the second to feature DI Corstorphine but easily read as a stand alone. I like the Highland setting and the interesting characterisation. The pace is steady throughout, it keeps going with some twists along the way. I like the touches of humour and the sub plots, as well as the main plot. I think fans will enjoy this read and I would recommend it to readers of thrillers. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

|:: The Devil's Cut
By Andrew James Greig
Chapter Nineteen Page 116
TASER TASER TASER
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

{ “The only one pressing charges around here is me. You shouldn't have turned around, should you?”
PC McAdam swept a practised eye over the two of them and decided nothing was going to kick off for a good while.
“Come on you, in the back of the patrol car.”
He glanced back towards PC Lamb and his incapacitated victim. “Keep an eye on him, Phil. I don't think he's going to make a run for it, not while he's still hardwired to a Taser.”
PC McAdam only walked a few steps towards the patrol car before his unrestrained laughter echoed down the street. PC Lamb looked around him. Curtains were being twitched open, and the more adventurous souls had appeared on doorsteps, their faces illuminated by the mobiles they held up like religious offerings. He stood up straighter and adjusted his cap, which had lost its regulation angle. This could make the front page!}

Detective Inspector Corstorphine is thrust into a case that seems to be tied up from the beginning, a mountain walker has died of natural causes, although the DI knows this man.. could this be clouding his judgement, or should he listen to the ramblings of a lady who has a known reputation for inviting mystery by dancing through the night?

A family grieving has secrets that have been locked up for too long. How long will it take for the Devil to take or make his cut? Who is the culprit, and what does a disabled girl and murdered boy have to do with a painting hiding the answers?

During thrillers it's so hard to come across or put across a comedic line because the story is meant to entice your mind and make you think one way and look another, however I found such an easy balance in this book. It was funny but heartwarming, very clever, twisty, and easily natural in the way the story progressed

The way Andrew James Greig was able to portray the beautiful Scottish scenery and able to invite the reader to the mountaintop where anything can happen. I loved DI Corstorphine straight away, with his easy manner and dedication to his job as well as Frankie, who I resonated with the most. It was a brilliant story from start to finish, and the element of mystery around the shadow they chased until the end was perfect.. With such a great ending!!
Love this book!

A huge thank you to Andrew James Greig, Storm Publishing, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. ::|

This is the second outing for Anrew James Greig's DI Corstophine. If you haven't read the first book it's a must read. This was such a great and an easy read. There were so many things going on you won’t want to put the book down. I love how descriptive the surroundings are and all the characters. The mystery kept me hooked but also had a smaller storyline with the characters.

When the body of whisky distillery owner Jack is found on a mountain in the Scottish Highlands, DI Corstophine is not surprised to learn that he died of a heart attack. DI Corstophine, a fellow mountain walker, knows the difficulty of that track. Jack certainly wasn’t exactly the best shape.

When Jack’s sister reports to police that her brother was poisoned. He told her from beyond the grave. DC Frankie McKenzie is hesitant to investigate because of his community status and wealth. DI Corstophine feels that a quick questioning of the wife will end any concerns and make the police look diligent.

As things unravel a huge mystery occurs when two more family members are attacked by what appears to be The Devil himself. It is now a race to see if the killer can be caught.

I would recommend this book. From the beginning to end you will not have an idea where the story line is going. They are so very nicely wrapped up in the end. I give this book 4.5 stars but since there isn’t a half star I am marking it up to a 5 star.

~Thank you to NetGallery and Story Publishing for the ARC.

This series is really one that I am excited about, This book kept the same key team of police officers and this time they have a series of incidents to connect and a murder to solve. There is just the right amount of blood and gore and there is an amazing imagination behind the various strands and occurrences. The takes - personal lives, crimes, police officers stories - are all woven together seamlessly. I was gripped from start to finish and went on the journey with the characters and had that little moment of sadness in my stomach when I got to the end. The sign of a great read.