I had such high hopes for this novel, being intrigued by the prospect of a crime novel set in and around St Andrews and the Fife coast, but ultimately it failed to deliver.

It opened well with Detective Chief Inspector Andy Gilchrist being summoned to attend the scene of an abduction. A three-year-old girl has been taken from the house where she and her mother lived. It transpires that the girl’s mother is the estranged daughter of a former MSP, who had recently been disgraced following reports across the media that he had physically abused his third wife. Having been outspoken on a number of issues over the years, it seems quite plausible that enemies might have sought to get at him by abducting his granddaughter.

Early in the investigation, however, the police identify a potential suspect – a previously convicted paedophile who upon his release from prison in England, had returned to Fife following the death of his mother, whose house he has inherited. He is taken in for questioning but subsequently released in the absence of sufficient evidence to warrant his further detention. The plot thickens, however, when the suspect is found murdered in a local park.

So far, so good, and a gritty and gripping plot is developing. Unfortunately, as with so many current crime writers (and particularly those operating in the ‘Scottish Noir’ field that has become so popular of late), the author just can’t help himself, and has to over-egg the pudding by throwing in a rather fatuous sub-plot between DCI Gilchrist and one of his Detective Inspectors. This implausible back story detracts too much from what might otherwise have been a commendable addition to the field.

Wishing to be generous, I would concede that it is the best novel set in St Andrews that I have read all year, but I might not go much further than that. ( )