Murder most foul in the East Neuk of Fife

But DCI Gilchrist, with six gruesome cases from this area under his belt already, knows better.

The highly capable cop is the creation of Lenzie crime author Frank Muir, who is looking forward to a signing session for number seven in his bestselling DCI Gilchrist series.

It’s called The Killing Connection.

In this book a woman’s body is washed up on the rocks by the castle ruins in St Andrews, showing evidence of strangulation.

There’s no ID on the corpse, but two days into the case a call from another woman claiming to be the victim’s friend could be DCI Andy Gilchrist’s first solid lead.

However when she fails to turn up for an interview, Gilchrist fears the worst and sure enough next day her battered body is discovered.

Gilchrist’s focus centres on his prime suspect, a local handyman with a reputation of being a ladies’ man, who seems to have no history beyond three years.

That’s the length of time he’s been living in the East Neuk.

But before Gilchrist can bring him in for questioning, he disappears.

Commenting on a previous book in the series, “The Cutting Room” author Louise Welsh said it was “everything I look for in a crime novel”.

Plaudits also include praise from Mick Herron, a winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award, who said the Gilchrist character made for “a truly gripping read, with all the makings of a classic series.”

If you’d like to meet the author himself and get hold of a copy of this latest tartan noir thriller, Frank is holding a signing session at Waterstone’s in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street on Thursday at 6.3pm to 7pm.

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