The Special Dead

When Mark is invited back to Leila’s flat and ordered to strip, he thinks he’s about to have the experience of his life. Waking later he finds Leila gone from his side. Keen to leave, he opens the wrong door and finds he’s entered a nightmare; behind the swaying Barbie dolls that hang from the ceiling is the body of the girl he just had sex with.

Rhona MacLeod’s forensic investigation of the scene reveals the red plaited silk cord used to hang Leila to be a cingulum, a Wiccan artefact used in sex magick. Sketches of sexual partners hidden in the dolls provide a link to nine powerful men, but who are they? As the investigation continues, it looks increasingly likely that other witches will be targeted too.

Working the investigation is the newly demoted DS Michael McNab, who is keen to stay sober and redeem himself with Rhona, but an encounter with Leila’s colleague and fellow Wiccan Freya Devine threatens his resolve. Soon McNab realizes Freya may hold the key to identifying the men linked to the dolls, but the Nine will do anything to keep their identities a secret.

Morning Star review: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-b475-From-nerve-wracking-nuclear-depths-to-fateful-Wiccan-woe-in-Glasgow#.V2u6A_krLIV

“This unusual police procedural series has been running for more than a decade but shows no signs of flagging, with its solid plotting and recurring characters who are worth getting to know.“

Herald review: http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/13599895.REVIEW__Lin_Anderson__The_Special_Dead__Pan_MacMillan_/

“Anderson clearly knows what her readers want and how to keep them coming back for more. While those unfamiliar with Rhona MacLeod may benefit from reading previous books in the series first, long-time fans should be very happy with this latest tale, which mixes ongoing character development with an unusual, often unsettling, central mystery.“