Book Review: Last to Die by Doug Sinclair

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Storm Publishing for letting me see an advance reader’s copy of Last to Die by Doug Sinclair.

Book 2 in the DS Malkie McCulloch series set in the Pentland Hills of Scotland opens with what we can already see is quite a bumbling wannabe murderer. And we know it’s his first time as it says so right there on the page.

This isn’t the only thing going on in this book, though. There is Malkie’s baggage, twofold with the return of Sandra Morton to his life, threefold if you include his budding relationship with Deborah. Steph doesn’t seem to have had a great life so far either.

And, of course, there are several mysteries to solve.

My pet peeve is still apparent in Book 2. Too many characters whose names start with the same letter:

• Louisa, Lillian, Lizzie, Lin, Lundy, (Mc)Leish.
• Claudette, Crawford, Crosbie, Campbell.
• Susan, Shaw, Steph, Sheila, Sally, Sandra.
• Michael, McLeish, McCulloch, Malkie, Montrose, Megan, Maureen, Martin, McGowan, Morton. (Ten!)
• Fisher, Fraser, Ferguson.

Other names are available, but is it necessary to name every single character?