The Devil Stone

by Caro Ramsay

Overview

A macabre massacre of a wealthy family brings DCI Christine Caplan to the Highlands in her first thriller in a new series

In the village of Cronchie, a wealthy family are found brutally murdered. The Devil Stone, an heirloom rumoured to bring death if removed from their home, is the only thing stolen. The key suspects are known satanists. But when the investigating officer disappears, DCI Christine Caplan is pulled in to investigate.

Caplan knows she is being punished for a minor misdemeanour when she is seconded to the Highlands, but she's confident she can quickly solve the murders and return home to her fractious family. But as she closes in on the truth, it is suddenly her life, not her career, that is in danger.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838858889
Publisher:	Canongate Books
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Caro Ramsay was born and brought up in Glasgow, and now lives in a village on the west coast of Scotland. She is an osteopath, acupuncturist and former marathon runner, who devotes much of her time to the complementary treatment of injured wildlife at a local rescue centre. She is the author of thirteen previous Anderson & Costello thrillers and one standalone novel of psychological suspense. This is the first DCI Christine Caplan thriller.

Editorial Reviews

[A] dark, suspenseful and atmospheric thriller starring a charismatic heroine

Booklist (starred review)

To say that this take on rural policing is compelling is putting it mildly. An intriguing crime novel, full of dark menace and twists that will keep you mesmerized until the truly dramatic maritime denouement. Fabulous!

DENZIL MEYRICK

I have loved them all but this, in my opinion, is far and away Caro’s best novel to date! I see a brilliant future for DCI Christine Caplan and look forward to the next book already. Luscious setting, masterly writing and of course fiendish plotting!

ALEX GRAY

Dark, compelling and with enough atmosphere to keep the Meteorological Society busy for years, Caro Ramsay’s new series not only promises but delivers

DOUGLAS SKELTON

The plot is fast-moving and complex, the characters quirky, with plenty of foibles, and the outcome is both satisfying and surprising

Booklist

A cracking story, complex and intriguing, with a great new female character, DCI Christine Caplan, at the helm

LIN ANDERSON

As ever, Caro Ramsay’s authorial voice is always distinctive, characterful – and hypnotic

BARRY FORSHAW

A multi-faceted plot, complex characters, and plenty of suspense

Red Snow Booklist on The Red

Intricately plotted . This riveting police procedural is sure to please fans and newcomers alike

Publishers Weekly on On an Outgoing Tide

This is both an outstanding police procedural and a complex and intense psychological cop drama, with danger and dark humor that also shows the vulnerability and resilience of human beings in the face of unspeakable tragedy

Booklist on The Silent Conversation

Top-notch

Financial Times

Fans of contemporary British police procedurals will want to have a look

Publishers Weekly

An attention-grabbing procedural with unsettling surprises

Red Snow Kirkus Reviews on The Red

Intriguing characters people a challenging mystery fraught with peril

Kirkus Reviews

The plot is fast-moving and complex, the characters quirky, with plenty of foibles, and the outcome is both satisfying and surprising

Booklist on On an Outgoing Tide

Ramsay debuts a new series with this dark, suspenseful, and atmospheric thriller starring a charismatic heroine

Booklist Starred Review

2022-11-16
A Glasgow police detective whose chaotic life has pushed her to her limits catches a case that will change her forever.

Health problems prevent Christine Caplan’s husband, Aklen, from working. Her son, Kenny, has dropped out of university. Only her daughter, Emma, seems to be on track. Already demoted from DCI to DI for mishandling evidence, Christine, who lands in more trouble when she’s accused of causing the death of a purse snatcher, suspects she’s being targeted. She’s supported only by her friend Lizzie, with whom she’s bonded over their dislike of “The Bastard,” Lizzie’s ex-husband and Christine’s ex-lover. When DCI Bob Oswald vanishes after viewing the scene of what seems to be mass murder, Christine is sent off to the Highlands to help with the shocking case. Two young troublemakers have broken into Otterburn House and come upon the long-dead bodies of five members of the wealthy McGregor family in a Satanist setting. One of the troublemakers is so traumatized that he has to be hospitalized. Christine doesn’t exactly get a warm welcome from the team led by DI Kinsella, who seems over his head and bent on proving the youngsters guilty. A search is launched for the renegade youngest McGregor son, now the only heir to a large fortune. He may be hiding on the island of Skone, which is owned by the liberal Allanach Foundation. A lot of Christine’s best information comes from disrespected local DC Craigo, but she quickly learns that she can’t trust her own colleagues when her investigation turns up both a drug operation and the body of the missing DCI.

Intriguing characters people a challenging mystery fraught with peril.

Kirkus Reviews