The body of a young woman is uncovered in a shallow grave, with a creepy twig figure placed in her mouth. At a nearby campsite, another young woman is missing and a twig figure has also been found in her camper van. While Rhona McLeod and her team are on the case, the missing woman’s life is on the line and a serial killer targeting campers is suspected. Meanwhile, accusations of sexual assault by police are rocking the foundations of the force, and the latest accused is DS McNabb. Does Rhona have to doubt an old friend and colleague, or is someone targeting him for removal?

The Wild Coast is the 17th book in the Rhona McLeod series, about the eponymous forensic scientist and her team, and set in Scotland.

This series is well established by now, and I like dipping into it from time to time. While they are British crime procedurals and have that kind of attention to forensic detail and sense of place, this series is more thriller territory than mystery. It’s nice to revisit these characters, who all feel well rounded and have their own interpersonal histories. While some past events or entanglements may be alluded to. This is definitely a series that can be enjoyed as standalone books or as one you can read in order, equally enjoyably.

As I read this one, the season was starting to change and get colder, and I really liked sitting somewhere cozy with this chunky tome and reading about the cold, ancient wilds and windswept landscape of Scotland. The author refers to “machair” a lot, which is a local term for a type of fertile plain in that region. I liked that detail. The coldness of the place and season lends itself well to the chilling scenes of bodies found on the coast and camping gone wrong. I personally find camping a little scary, so that was an added chill down the spine for me.

Although this book, as mentioned, is a thick one, it’s not really a long read in a way. It gets into the action pretty quickly, and soon things are moving and the investigation is progressing nicely. The subplot with McNabb felt a little slow to me. He picks up a girl at a club and she later accuses him of raping her. It is tied in later to the plot as a whole, but it felt a bit like it wasn’t going anywhere for a while there. Some of it felt a bit like filler for the main plot. The themes in this book of the dark web and an incel or male supremacy like group feel very of their time and may date the book in future. But on the whole, it works as an entertaining plot.

With this story being more of a thriller than a mystery, the story is more about putting the pieces together and finding out who knows what, and the race against time to catch the killer, rather than there being a big whodunnit or mystery, a big end reveal. In a way, I think this is refreshing and sets Rhona’s series apart because you’re not going to guess all the plot details or where it’s going, there are surprises, but it’s also not focused so hard on being contrived as a way to fool you. Some mystery series have really jumped the shark on the elaborate murder and twists. This long running series still feels fresh to me.

Read It If: you’re looking for a UK set crime story or you’re already a fan of the series. Great location, attention to forensic detail and nice pacing, as well as well developed character relationships make this an entertaining thriller read.

Thank you to PGC Books for the copy of this book for review.