I'm no stranger to Caro Ramsay's gritty Anderson and Costello series, having read the first three some years ago and always enjoying it. So I was excited to read this tenth installment THE SIDEMAN, despite not having read the other seven in between. I don't think you lose a whole lot coming into the series midway though it may seem so when beginning this story.
However, because it appeared to have followed directly on from the previous book "The Suffering of Strangers" (which I have not read), I was feeling my way around the story somewhat blindly. It seemed I had missed out on something major by doing so. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. I went back and checked the description and reviews for the previous book...and there was no mention of the story that seemed to have already happened in this one. I think this is just the way Caro Ramsay wrote it. Which was somewhat confusing.
The story begins with DI Costello's resignation letter in which she states that the man she firmly believes is responsible for the death of his wife and son was in fact getting away with murder and the top brass were basically letting him do so. She pulled no punches in her thoughts, handing the letter in person to the Assistant Commissioner, her resignation effective immediately. Having now done so, Costello feels she can now investigate George Haggerty unofficially and without the constraints she had against her as a serving police officer. Telling no one, not even her partner of 20 years, DCI Colin Anderson, Costello left without a goodbye...and disappeared.
Colin Anderson, on the other hand, is worried about his partner and what trouble she may find herself in if she insists on going after Haggerty. He doesn't like the man, thinks he may well have something to do with the murders but his hands are tied as Haggerty has a cast iron alibi - he was stopped for speeding on the A9 some forty miles away. And he couldn't be in two places at once. But Haggerty and Anderson share a commonality. Baby Moses - Anderson's grandson via a daughter he never knew until DNA proved he was. His daughter from a drunken one night stand over two decades ago was also brutally murdered...though I am puzzled as to how she was killed and who by because although she was the adopted daughter of Abigail Haggerty, the murdered woman, she wasn't found at the scene. It appears her murder was separate but I have no idea how or why or even who. I just know that she had baby Moses who she was apparently trying to sell...but upon her death, Anderson then became the baby's guardian. And George Haggerty regularly visits to see Moses.
In amidst all that, a badly beaten body is discovered on a mountain. He was thought to be dead but authorities were surprised to discover he was still alive. The cold weather was on his side, slowing down the blood flow and preventing him from bleeding out from exsanguination. The cold weather saved his life. But who is he? He is in a coma, he cannot speak and there was no ID on him. Then a woman reports her husband, PC Donnie McCaffrey, is missing...having been called out on a job and never returned. Could this man be him?
The Salvos were out delivering warm blankets and food to the homeless in the approach to winter when they come across a dazed and confused woman. She reeks of alcohol, her eyes are glazed and she appears to have a serious head wound. She doesn't speak, so no one knows whether she is English or Eastern European. But she points to the Salvo's epaulettes which appear familiar to her. She is taken to hospital and medical staff are astonished at the injuries she has sustained - not just her head but slash wounds to her back, bruising to her face and defence wounds on her arms and hands. The nurse who has taken a keen interest in her tries everything to communicate with her. Who is this woman? And why won't she speak? It's not until the nurse goes home and is scrunching up paper for her fire that she sees a face in an old newspaper article...a face that she recognises.
And when a large quantity of blood is found lochside at Loch Lomond, further testing reveals one of the samples to be that of DI Costello. What was she doing at Loch Lomond? And where is she now? Could the missing man and injured woman have something to do with her disappearance?
Slow moving with a complex plot that I found difficult to follow, THE SIDEMAN takes the reader out of the confines of Glasgow city to the remoteness of the highlands. The description of the scenery is atmospheric but the story itself was so discombobulated I was thoroughly lost. What didn't help were the endless lengthy chapters which could have easily been cut down to several chapters where there was only one. Each chapter jumped from scene to scene and character to character. These would have been better off as new chapters and would have made the story easier to follow. I found myself lost several times through an hour long chapter, which in my opinion...is far too long. The story did begin to come together somewhere after the halfway point, which I felt was too long to start to make any kind of sense. And despite my initial confusion throughout most of the story, I was able to figure out who was responsible and a few other reveals as well.
As a whole, I feel there was far too much going on in THE SIDEMAN to make much sense and while I have enjoyed earlier novels, this one was just too discombobulated to follow smoothly. And please please please...no more lengthy chapters! Readers don't like them and they make it hard to just put the book down if one needs to in a hurry. Shorter chapters make this easier and helps the story flow better.
Having said that, I won't give up on the series, with Book 11 "The Red Red Snow" on my shelf to read also. Maybe I need to go back sometime and pick up where I left off initially. I must admit, while there was a passing mention of Helena (McAlpine), I did wonder what happen to her as the last book I had read "Dark Water" she was still very much on the scene and Colin Anderson was still very much frequenting her abode. Although readers must begin at the beginning to know who she is and where she fits in. In all, I still believe the first book "Absolution" to be the best book that I have read in this series.
A difficult read for me with its discombobulated (I do so love that word...thanks to Carol Wyer...lol) story, THE SIDEMAN would probably make a lot more sense having read the previous book "The Suffering of Strangers". Although I wouldn't know as I haven't read it.
I would like to thank #CaroRamsay, #NetGalley and #BlackThorn for an ARC of #TheSideman in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Caro was born in Govan, on Glasgow's south side. A graduate of the British School of Osteopathy, she runs a large osteopath centre in West Scotland, treating animals and humans, and writes in her spare time.
Her first novel Absolution was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2008 and her second Singing to the Dead was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2010. The third in the series, Dark Water, was published on 4 August 2010, and the fourth book The Blood Of Crows was published on 30 August 2012. Critic Cathi Unsworth in The Guardian opined that Ramsay's series "excels in sense of place, realism, plotting and caustic humour", describing it as "bleak, black and brilliant".
The Govan-born osteopath and acupuncturist runs a large and successful osteopath centre in the west of Scotland. In between treating patients – both human and animal – she writes dark and gruesome crime thrillers set in Glasgow. She volunteers at a local animal rescue centre, using complementary therapies to heal a wide range of animals, and considers herself to be something of a ‘fox whisperer’.Ramsay started writing her first novel while laid up in hospital with a back injury. She is a member of the Johnstone Writers’ Club. Absolution was recently published by Penguin as part of a two-book, five-figure contract.
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