The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-HomeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once in a while a book like The Sea Detective comes along that is just so different. The genre of crime fiction is bursting at the seams and it must be very difficult to think of something new to bring to it. Well, for me this is it. This is one of the most unique crime novels I have read in a long time.
"The Sea Detective", first novel in the series featuring Cal McGill, an Edinburgh-based expert oceanographer and marine tracker, courtesy of Flotsam and Jetsam Investigations, is certainly different. All the elements you would expect in a book that deals with, well - with a murder investigation - are just not there. McGill uses shipping records, ocean currents and prevailing winds to track objects, including human bodies - at sea. And this is an intriguing story that grips from the opening page. And it starts in a grisly fashion - a Bedia girl from India is being trafficked by her family in exchange for money and there are some horrific scenes that I won’t go into. In the following pages McGill is being chased by police for something he has done wearing his eco-warrior mantle, but the story really begins when two severed feet wash up at two different locations off the coast of Scotland. Cal McGill’s expertise comes to the fore with his analysis of ocean currents but he soon ends up entangled in something far more sinister.
Cal McGill is an intriguing character, has little respect for the authority. Intelligent and unable to accept injustice in the world that he sees as hurtling towards another cataclysmic climate change. As an eco-investigator he finds himself out of his depth as the story develops. Becomes involved in circumstances beyond his standing. And as such he is a thoroughly likeable character.
The Sea Detective is a refreshing read for those who enjoy crime fiction. Yes, it is certainly different. Well done Mark Douglas-Home.
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