Where Demons Hide by Douglas Skelton

Today it’s over to Mandie who is sharing her thoughts on the latest instalment in the Rebecca Connolly series by Douglas Skelton, Where Demons Hide. We’ve both really enjoyed this series and seem to be taking it turns with keeping pace. Mandie’s turn this time around. Here’s what the book’s all about:

About the Book

Something scared Nuala Flaherty to death. When her body is found in the centre of a pentagram on a lonely moor, Rebecca is determined to find out what. Was she killed by supernatural means, or is there a more down-to-earth explanation?

Rebecca’s investigation leads her to a mysterious cult and local drug dealings. But what she doesn’t know is that crime matriarch Mo Burke still has her in her crosshairs. Mo wants payback for the death of her son, and after one failed attempt to hurt Rebecca, she is upping the ante. And this time, it could be lethal.

Mandie’s Thoughts

Where Demons Hide is the fourth book in the Rebecca Connolly series and we find her heading back to Stoirm for her friends Chas and Alan’s wedding but thanks to Chas she is also investigating the mysterious death of a young woman. If that isn’t enough someone is out to do her harm as they still blame her for past events and can’t let go of their grief.

As always Douglas Skelton gives you an opening chapter that not only sets the tone for the rest of the book but also has the reader instantly gripped and wanting to know more. There is certainly a feel of desperation and fear that has you wondering just who or what she is running from. What you do know is that no matter what she will not survive the night.

Rebecca is still finding it hard to trust relationships, but she does have a group of people she can always turn to including her no nonsense boss Elspeth. She may come across as hard, but you can tell that in her own way she cares what happens to Rebecca and wants her to be happy in and out of work. Chaz and Alan are a hoot when they are together, and you can see why their relationship works and that they think a lot of Rebecca and will do anything to help her get her story, often putting themselves in harms way.

As Rebecca digs into this story, links to past investigations are revealed and doubt is cast on the validity of the retreat that the victim had been staying in. On the surface it all looked above board but as one of the other residents starts to doubt the truth about it, its darker side is revealed and others find themselves in danger from what they learn

I liked the fact that Mo Burke is back as I felt that the story between her and Rebecca was not over, and it is this strand of the book that intrigued me more when some shady characters start following Rebecca without her knowledge. What you don’t know until the end is if they are there to harm or protect her. There was something else with them that surprised me but also showed me that you shouldn’t always make snap judgements based on what you read…. There may just be a piece of information that is missing. This also goes for the ending as it was not what I thought it would be.

Where Demons Hide is a brilliant addition to the series that has everything you would want in a crime thriller with a touch of humour added and characters that you love to go back to and locations you would love to visit and I hope that we will get to meet up with Rebecca again soon.

About the Author

Douglas Skelton was born in Glasgow. He has been a bank clerk, tax officer, taxi driver (for two days), wine waiter (for two hours), journalist and investigator. He has written eleven true crime and Scottish criminal history books but now concentrates on fiction. His novel Open Wounds (2016) was longlisted for the McIlvanney Award. Douglas has investigated real-life crime for Glasgow solicitors and was involved in a long-running campaign to right the famous Ice-Cream Wars miscarriage of justice.