My Guilty Pleasures Binge Read Style: J.D. Kirk's DCI Jack Logan series.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I was on Facebook chatting on one of the online crime fiction bookgroups and someone said they'd just finished a J.D. Kirk book and that it was as good as Stuart Macbride's. Now I'm a huge fan of Stuart MacBride's books. I love the gritty dark humour. Anyway, I thought to myself,, Kirk has big shoes to fill, but I'll give it a go. So, I did and ended up binge reading the first three books in the DCI Jack Logan series set in the north of Scotland. Are they as good as Stuart MacBride? I hear you ask. Well, let's put it this way, there's not a lot to choose between them. Cracking reads!

A Litter of Bones 

Well if the title's not enough to draw you in, wait till you read the blurb:

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Was the biggest case of his career the worst mistake he ever made?

Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process.

Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw.

And what he did.

When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home.

But as similarities between the two cases grow, could it be that Jack caught the wrong man all those years ago?

And, if so, is the real Mister Whisper about to claim his fourth victim?

I love books that link a previous investigation with a current one and A Litter of Bones, lins a particularly evil previous investigation with a current one. DCI Jack Logan, is convinced it must be a copycat, yet still the obvious links to the Whisper Man make him uneasy. This is a great introduction to a new character and a new team. Logan is three dimensional, tough yet fair and a plain speaker. The dark humour I love so much shines through in the banter between him and his second in command. I was hooked and straight onto book 2

Thicker Than Water

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Not all monsters are make-believe.

When a badly mutilated body washes up on the shores of Loch Ness, DCI Jack Logan's dream of a quiet life in the Highlands is shattered.

While the media speculates wildly about monster attacks, Jack and the Major Investigations Team must act fast to catch the killer before they can strike again.

But with Nessie-hunters descending on the area in their dozens, and an old enemy rearing his ugly head, the case could well turn out to be the most challenging of Jack's career.

And, if he isn't careful, the last.

Great to see the team reunited in Inverness. Kirk really makes the team likeable and diverse. Each have their own skills and personality traits and I really feel as if I know them. In Thicer Than Water, Logan is faced with another face from the past iin the form of a Russian gangster who's migrated north from Glasgow and is now on Logan's patch again. The dialogue is excellent and keeps the pace of the novel moving forward. Well- plotted and addictive!

The Killing Code

What would you do if there weren't any consequences?

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After twenty years on the force, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Logan thinks he has seen it all.

He is wrong.

When a nurse is murdered on her way home from nightshift, Jack and his team go on the hunt for her killer.

As more victims are uncovered, Jack finds himself tracking a murderer afflicted by a unique psychosis - one that leaves him free to maim and kill without a shred of remorse.

Facing a new type of killer in an unfamiliar city, DCI Jack Logan is about to be pushed to his limits, before being forced to realise just how little he truly knows.

In this one, Kirk explores the topical world of the dark web in a novel and intriguing way. How can you catch a serial killer who believes there are no consequences to his actions? Again beautifully plotted with a fair few twists and turns Ithat really surprised me. Logan's team each bring a distinct personality to the novel that kept me hooked till the end. 

Glad to see that DCI Jack Logan Book 4, Blood and Treachery is hitting the shelves in December. I can hardly wait.

Here's the blurb:

Blood and Treachery

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How far would you go to bury the truth?

While searching for a missing hill walker, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team uncovers a body - just not the one they were looking for.

Still dealing with the fallout from their last case, DCI Jack Logan and his team venture south from Inverness to investigate a brutal, gangland-style execution in the wilds of the Highland countryside.

As the victim's dark secrets are gradually revealed, Jack uncovers the rot lurking beneath the stunning scenery, making himself the target of a criminal more dangerous than any he has faced before.

If he isn't careful, it won't just be a murder he's dealing with in Glencoe.

It'll be a massacre.