Empty Nets and Promises: A Kinloch Novella

DCI Daley

by Denzil Meyrick

It's July 1968, and redoubtable fishing-boat skipper Sandy Hoynes has his daughter's wedding to pay for – but where are all the fish? He and the crew of the Girl Maggie come to the conclusion that a new-fangled supersonic jet which is being tested in the skies over Kinloch is scaring off the herring. First mate Hamish, who we first met in the D.C.I. Daley novels, comes up with a cunning plan to bring the laws of nature back into balance. But as the wily crew go about their work, little do they know that they face the forces of law and order in the shape of a vindictive Fishery Officer, an Exciseman who suspects Hoynes of smuggling illicit whisky, and the local police sergeant who is about to become Hoynes' new son-in-law. Meyrick takes us back to the halcyon days of light-hearted Scottish fiction, following in the footsteps of Compton Mackenzie and Neil Munro, with hilarious encounters involving ghostly pipers, the US Navy and even some Russian trawlermen.

Genres: Crime, Audiobook, Scotland

100 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2016

About the author

Denzil Meyrick was a Scottish bestselling novelist. Prior to that, he served as a police officer with Strathclyde Police then a manager with Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Argyll. Since 2012 Denzil Meyrick had worked as a writer of Scottish crime fiction novels. He was also an executive director of media production company Houses of Steel.

Reviews

[David Gilchrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cracking yarn from this talented author, takes you back to a time when we could fish our own waters, a humorous tale told in his inimitable way..a great read.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming tale of Kinloch in the late 1960's provides a very early prequel, giving some historical contact to the DCI Daley books which are based there

[Mr David Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read could not stop laughing more please!!!!!

I have read all of Denzil Meyricks books loved all of them read this on holiday in Majorca got a lot of strange looks as I could not stop laughing, this would make a good film.If you want an easy read with a good plot try this you won't be disappointed.

[Jackie Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little story, set in the 60s in the fictional location of the author's contemporary police stories. It revolves around fishing and the scarcity of fish. It is very atmospheric and amusing. Some of the Scottish dialect is hard to decipher but it is great fun.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable deviation from dci daley. It showed scottish folklore off well and gave a great look into an isolated company. I very much enjoyed this novella it was a fascinating story from one of my favourite authors

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful read! This story has everything - young love, a sea rescue, a ghost, repentance, a moral (if not several) and all delivered with the humour and grittiness we've come to expect from Meyrick. What a film it would make!

[Peter Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fishing has been bad all year for the Kinloch fleet and skipper of the Girl Maggie Sandy Hoynes has an inkling of what may be the cause, Supersonic plane testing over Kintyre.
This is not all Sandy has on his plate, there's the small matter of his daughter Maggie's impending wedding to policeman Duncan, and both the Inspector of Fisheries and Exciseman breathing down his neck.
He is however, a man with a plan, not a good one but a plan nonetheless. Can his hare-brained scheme work and will the mythical piper of Piper's Pass play a part?
Another excellent novella spun out the DCI Daley series, this one being set in 1968. It captures the time to a tee and the upheavals the community faced. Its written with warmth and real affection for the area and its people. The dialogue is very funny and the gentle humour runs throughout like an Ealing Comedy.

[Heather Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a neat novella about the past times from Kinloch involving Hamish the fisherman and his hilarious tales. Hamish features in the up to date DCI Daley books as an old man with many a tale to tell, and Meyrick has written several of these short back stories about tales form the old days.
They are neat and quite satisfying with a twist and typical of the sort of things that seem to happen in real life where things dont quite go according to plan, it all look s like a disaster and then gets sorted out satisfactorily.
Enjoyable quick read - not a literary classic, hence the 3 stars, but fun none the less.

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DCI Daley book without DCI Daley! Empty Nets and Promises is a Hamish story, one of the two prequels in the book One Last Dram Before Midnight published in 2017. The US Navy, a Russian trawler, a promised wedding and rainy Scottish weather intertwine to introduce us to Hamish and his buddies.
Included in the book One Last Dram Before Midnight in addition to Empty Nets and Promises is Dalintober Moon, Two One Three, Single End, One Last Dram Before Midnight, The Silent Man and Strangers. 5 of the stories were previously published as ebook shorts or exclusives. The other 2 are new and take place in the present time, 2017.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely novella of Kinloch in the 1960's. A much younger Hamish is involved, but this is mostly a yarn of a fishing community and the people who live on the sea. Yes, there's an off-the-books octopus, some illicit whisky, a wedding, a legend, and an international incident (almost). I very much enjoyed this lovely tale.

[Edna Margaret Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I'm not a Scot, but I married into a family from those parts & I enjoy reading about the fishery and learning the local dialect, which I can understand a bit more now. Thanks

[Geraldyne Greenwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Magical Tale From Kinloch

I love these wonderful short stories, a mixture of history and humour. Each of the characters are beautifully developed, would recommend these to anyone.

[Ian Betteridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little novella that filled a gap I had in my book schedule. Again, I recommend these light-reading crime books.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining novella featuring Scottish fisherman who nearly turn a scheme to resolve their problem into an international incident.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these little short stories.

[Dawn Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather sweet little tale of fishing, love, whisky and Russians. I've never read any of Meyrick's books before so had no knowledge of the place or people but that didn't matter. I was quickly drawn in to the gossipy wee world of the varied characters. I may even revisit Kinloch again for some of his darker crime stories.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I'd been able to fly in Concorde!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little story full of humour and folktales.

[Jane Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy successor to Neil Munro's Para Handy tales. Accurately depicts the gentle humour to be founding west coast ofScotland

A worthy successor to Neil Munro's Para Handy tales. Accurately depicts the gentle humour to be found in the people of the west of Scotland.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of promise

What a lovely light hearted and amusing little tale, just right for an evenings reading by the sea side provided their isn' t a storm blowing.