Bit complex and sadistic - readable. Very frustrating that she repeatedly says On Orkney

THE KILLING TIDE by Lin Anderson is Book 16 in Ms. Anderson’s Rhona MacLeod series.
Our main character, Rhona MacLeod, is a forensic scientist in Glasgow, Scotland.
In THE KILLING TIDE, Rhona is called to investigate a crime scene on a mysterious ‘ghost ship’ in the Orkney Islands. Meanwhile, DS Michael McNab and partner DS Janice Clark are called out to a horrific scene where a young woman has been set on fire.
Are the two cases connected?

The locations in THE KILLING TIDE - Orkney, Glasgow and London - are well-detailed and very interesting. I like the detailed map of Orkney. (I love a good ‘sense of place’.)
The characters are like old friends - Rhona, assistant Chrissy, Sean, McNab, Angus Pirie - all very professional, interesting, realistic and likable (even McNab!).
The plot is tense and moves rapidly.
I am a huge fan of Ms. Anderson’s work, beginning with the first Rhona MacLeod title, DRIFTNET.
Ms. Anderson is also a founding member of the annual ‘Bloody Scotland’ crime writing festival.
A great title in this great series ***** ( )

The Killing Tide – The Brilliant Rhona MacLeod series

A strong storm hits Scotland, and everyone is hunkering down to make sure they are not out in the wind and become a victim to the storms. But in the Orkney Isles where the weather is far worse than down in Glasgow, one farmer goes out to check on his livestock and make sure the barns are still up. When he sees a cargo ship swept on the shore and he does his duty and makes his report to the police.

When the ship is finally steadied and the police can enter this cargo ship, they are not quite prepared for what they find. Besides this ship being one of the many ghost ships that usually litter the Atlantic Ocean, it has been converted into something they are not quite sure of. With the discovery of three dead bodies, Rhona MacLeod is sent for, to try and put the pieces together.

While back in Glasgow a woman has been turned into a human touch, and DS Michael McNab is on the case. His only witness is a lonely old man, who tries to give him all the information that he could. Nobody seems to have any idea of who the dead woman is. When the Met send up his nemesis up to try and identify the woman and gave nothing away.

As the evidence grows, it slowly becomes clear that the two cases are connected and that this is more than about ghost ships. McNab and his team become deeply concerned that the truth about what really happened on the ship and in Glasgow is part of a massive conspiracy that means heading to London.

Ava Clouston, an investigative journalist is back home on the Orkney’s taking care of her younger brother who at 17 is not quite able to take care of himself just yet. While investigating the ship, as it is a story on her doorstep, she does not realise how much danger she is exposed too. But when her former boyfriend is murdered over his role in the story, she knows he needs to run to stay alive,

As Rhona and her team slowly put the pieces together, and her tangled life keeps her grounded. She knows McNab is not telling her everything, until he goes missing. She knows that the only way to solve this mystery is by keeping a calm head and following the evidence.

Lin Anderson has written an excellent twisty thriller that will keep you deeply engrossed until the last page. Truly one of the best crime series in Britain at this time. ( )