Tooth and Claw: A heart-stopping thriller

DCI Mark Lapslie #2

by Nigel McCrery

A MURDERER WITHOUT MOTIVE: Carl Whittley is hard at work. He's just tortured a beautiful, young TV presenter to death and now he's planning to blow an anonymous commuter to pieces. Who will be next? And how will he strike?

A DETECTIVE ON A MISSION: DCI Mark Lapslie needs something to do. He suffers from a rare neurological condition that has forced him to leave his family and avoid the police station. For his superiors, he is nothing but a nuisance to be avoided - and the spate of unconnected murders is just what they need to send him into retirement.

A VERY NASTY LITTLE GAME: Carl needs every death to be different. More violent, bizarre and shocking. But as Lapslie gets on the scent and the force brings in a profiler, Carl makes a new plan. He hasn't killed a policeman yet . . .

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Police

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Nigel Colin McCrery was an English screenwriter, producer and writer. He was the creator of the long-running crime dramas Silent Witness (1996–present) and New Tricks (2003–2015).

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main draw for me is the main character. I think his quirks (quoting poetry, his synesthesia) are interesting and add another dimension to the story without overpowering it. In this book, the antagonist was creepy but not over the top. Overall, the story had nice balance and it moved along a good clip.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series over a decade ago but had availability issues finding other books in the series. It's very different as the main character has a debilitating disability which can be used to advantage as he does in this installment when dealing with an unknown serial killer. It's quite a ride and despite his excellent results one wonders how his career can continue as his condition has destroyed his marriage. But there are four more books in the series. I failed to connect the title to the plot too.

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version of this book 📚- An enjoyable listen , though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous ones in the series

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

DCI Mark Lapslie is one of those grumpy, rumpled detective characters, with a slight twist. He has synaesthesia - sounds instantly trigger taste sensations. Which makes participating in the world profoundly difficult. The condition is so out of control that he's had to move to an isolated cottage, communicating with his colleagues via technology, keeping the noise at bay so that he can at least function a little. His wife has left him, taking their children with her, he's lonely, fraught, struggling to cope with the condition and the restrictions it places on his life.

Carl Whittley is lonely and bitter, struggling to cope with the reality of being sole carer for his invalid father. While he's doing the cooking, cleaning, colostomy bag changing, and all the personal care, his mother has left and is pursuing her career as a forensic psychologist. In some ways it makes a lot of sense that Carl's planning his third murder very early on in the book.

That last observation isn't much of a spoiler as McCrery doesn't write whodunnit style books, rather they are more an exploration of why. Why Carl Whittley would torture a glamorous TV presenter to death, blow up some poor innocent bloke in a railway station, and still be planning more mayhem. Why Mark Lapslie would try to stick with his job of Police DCI in the face of a personal disability that makes his every hour a nightmare. And one of the biggest mysteries? Why Lapslie's Chief Superintendent would think that putting him in charge of two seemingly unconnected events would provide the media pressure straw that would finally break Lapslie's back and remove him from the police force once and for all.

The synaesthesia aspects of the Lapslie series are the obvious hook that makes them different from other British, grumpy, rumpled, cynical and rather world-weary detective stories. The other difference is that idea of the who being known by the reader up front, and the books being less of a journey to the discovery, and more a look at the characters, their motivations, and ultimately, the way in which the detective get's the bloke the reader already knows all about. There's often traces of quite black humour in this series as well, although in this particular book you'll have to dig a little deeper to find it, and you may also need to have a fairly high tolerance for graphic descriptions. To be frank, there's very little about Carl and his activities that can be explained, or even vaguely quantified, and at the same time there's something rather bleak about the dogged way in which Lapslie pursues his perpetrator.

Not that TOOTH AND CLAW itself is bleak, this is really a very readable, absorbing and interesting entrant in a series that is definitely well worth pursing. I suspect it is, however, one of those series that would be best read in order, as the way that Lapslie's synaesthesia affects his life, his ability to do his job, and everyone around him does ebb and flow, and you need to understand how that all works to get an understanding of him overall.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a fast paced thriller! When a detective is called in to solve a murder he uncovers a serial killer who kills people at random in totally different ways. Most serial killers kill in the same way and leave a signature but this killer has no signature. He does have a health problem though and the detective has a rare neurological condition called synesthesia so when he hears a certain sound it is converted to a taste. He can taste the murderer but he has to figure out who it is before it's too late. This thriller is really different and it kept me perched on the edge of my seat right to the very end.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most fascinating main characters ever! A DCI with synesthesia hunting a killer suffering from porphyria-come on! This is brilliant thinking an superb writing. I love when an a mystery is set up so you know who the killer is and you spend the book wondering how he'll be caught-it just heightens the drama and makes for some interesting close calls and twists and turns. This one was really stellar!

[Juliana Jura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another DCI Lapslie crime novel. Very readable if not a little far fetched at times but as I don't usually read this genre of book, don't know whether or not it is a typical thriller. The story moved along at a fair pace. It certainly would tempt me to read another of the authors books...perhaps one of his more famous ones...Silent Witness.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synesthesia is always interesting!

[Vanessa Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never had a book so thoroughly fascinate and disturb me. It's detailed and delightfully (or horrifically) unpredictable.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping & entertaining read, where the lead character suffers from synaesthesia, in this case he tastes noises. The illness is quite well-worked into the tale with it featuring enough to keep it interesting without overdoing it (unlike Parker Jefferson's "The Fallen" where the sufferer saw colours & shapes but it was too underplayed for my liking!) It was easy to work out what had caused Carl to commit the murders (I'm not giving anything away - the cover blurbs tells you whodunit!), but the reason for his fathers health wasn't very credible for me & that's probably my only criticism. Will certainly read more in this series.

[Marli · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I was so uncomfortable for the main character that I couldn't settle into the story. I also didn't have much understanding of the motivation for the protagonist killing spree. The characters were not drawn with much depth and also there was not much empathy for them. It was okay, quick read with very graphic (and to my mind) unnecessary description. The descriptions of the two rare disorders was very interesting.

[Michael Hastings · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand...
None of the characters were believable, not one.
The detective's 'condition' was inconsistent, depending on what the plot required.
Some of the more graphic descriptions were gory for the sake of it.
But on the other hand...
I've read a hell of a lot worse by supposedly renowned authors.

[Gina Rec · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was something different and it was thrilling! I would totally recommend it!

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in this series that I have read and still not sure on it. Will perhaps read another to see how the characters developed.

[Virginia Trent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only someone with a sick mind could come up with those neurological illnesses and incorporate them into a book. However, I must say it did hold my attention.

[Mr Roy Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, looking forward to next one, need to know if he got his dinner date.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

can't put this book down 😍

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too gory for me, but I flipped through it because I wanted to see how they worked it out.

[Jannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very different storyline from your typical thriller/crime and I thought it was very well done. Definitely would read more!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable and unfortunately leaned far to heavily on the syndrome the main character has to resolve the plot.

[Linda Chrisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good - really enjoyed the story! No way I was going to figure this one out. His neurological condition was interesting.

[Khushi Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best experiences

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

random gekozen uit de bieb in zuid afrika maar heel pakkend!

[Jamie Phinyosmosorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! A stunning thriller with interesting characters that made me unable to put the book down! Read more reviews in my blog--> www.jamiesbookreview.wordpress.com

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite television shows is Criminal Minds. The shows follows seven FBI agents who track down and capture, or sometime kill, serial killers. So, I consider myself somewhat familiar with these vicious kind of killers.

In the beginning of Tooth and Claw, I was a little disturbed by the first killing in the book by Carl Whittley. After all, he strapped a woman to her bed naked, and while she was awake, he sliced off all of the skin and muscle down to the bone on her left arm from her elbow to her wrist. That is pretty gross. I was worried that the whole book would be like this and am happy to report that it isn't.

DCI Mark Lapslie is an extremely interesting main character. His struggle with synaethesia, his family, and his job made him really fascinating to me. I had never heard of synaethesia and like most people, I'm sure, am glad that I do not have it. I certainly wouldn't want all sounds turned into tastes on my tongue. Lapslie is a strong character, though, and I quite enjoyed tagging along with him and DS Emma Bradbury as they worked on solving two high-profile cases.

As for the serial killer, Carl Whittley, he is a bit of a freak. He likes to take animals that he has killed out in the marsh, bring them back to his shed, and pose them in the same manner as his human victims. Sure, you have to feel sorry for him too. His father, Nathaniel, is incapacitated both physically and mentally, and at age 25, Carl is responsible to caring for him. His mother, Eleanor, has moved out of the house and doesn't seem to want anything to do with either her husband or her son. She is about as cold-hearted as a person can get.

I did not feel hampered by not having read the first Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lapslie mystery entitled Still Waters. I am sure that there were references in this book to the things that occurred in Still Waters, but I didn't seem to notice. I was able to easily follow this story without having read the first book.

The tension in the last 75 pages or so had me sitting on the edge of my seat while I tried to read as fast as I could. I was just so into the story. The writing style of Nigel McCrery is wonderful and I found myself to be quite engrossed in this fast-paced tale of murder most foul. The grittiness of the story made a cringe a little at the beginning, but I think that author intended his readers to react that way.

Overall, Tooth and Claw is an excellent mystery story with twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night. In fact, last night I wanted to keep reading so badly, I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, no matter how much I wanted to or how hard I tried. I sure hope that there is another Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lapslie mystery book in the future. If there is, I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

I rated this book an 9 out of 10.

[Linda Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story takes place in England; the author is an English writer so there are lots of English phrases. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lapslie is the main character - with his sidekick, Detective Sergeant, Emma Bradbury. Lapslie's suffers from an unusual ailment, synaesthesia, a condition where sound translates as taste, hearing as odors, often in stomach-churning combinations; his disability plays a major role.

Lapslie is separated from his wife because it has become intolerable for him to endure daily family chaos - and impossible for them to maintain the silence that he needs, Lapslie's "constant sensory anguish" has become so pronounced that he cannot work at police headquarters, so he has been working from his home - a quiet country cottage where he connects with the department via technology. But when a particularly brutal murder occurs, a female newsreader who is systematically tortured to death in her home, Mark's supervisor demands his presence as head of the investigation. Although Emma does her best to run interference for her boss, Lapslie is caught in a conundrum: he must be present physically if he is to solve the crime. And to be present means exposing himself to sounds which will translate as "tastes" to him

When another high profile murder occurs, a bombing in a train station, Lapslie is burdened with another case, because he is simply the best man for the job. While juggling autopsies, crime scene investigations and press conferences, Lapslie is overcome, the price of his efforts a severe attack of gut-wrenching odors beyond his tolerance. Although it seems unlikely, Lapslie links the two crimes, but proving the connection is an impossible task. It seems thatLapsie's synaesthesia has taken an interesting turn, and he starts hearing the odor of the killer - he is beginning to hear smells :)

Lapslie's obscure psychological disorder allows him access to the mind of a killer; a thriller with a new twist, a detective who can literally smell his prey, makes for fascinating reading
The killer is a study in emotional damage ... an interesting character in his own right.

[Kay Sachse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Krimis dürfen ja heutzutage nie mehr einfach so mit der Frage beschäftigen, wer´s denn nur eigentlich war, denn Psychodrama ist gefragt. Und ein Hercule Poirot von heute schleppt auch so seine Wehwehchen mit sich herum. Der leitende Kriminale leidet nämlich an Synästhesie, durch die Geräusche aus seiner Umgebung zu unangenehmen Geschmackseindrücken umgewandelt werden. Aber auch der Serienkiller, um den geht es hier nämlich, hat so seine Not mit seinem Körper. Als Whosdunit erübrigt sich hier. Das ist von Anfang an klar, bleibt also die Frage, wie man dem Tunichtgut auf die Schliche kommt.
Der Krimi ist aus der Sicht dieser beiden Personen geschrieben, und das ist nicht immer sinnig. Der Beginn der Ermittlungen verläuft mehr als zögerlich, weil scheinbar jedes Muster für die Tat/-en zu fehlen scheint, und wenn dann auch noch beide Protagonisten ihre Sicht der Dinge schildern, kommt ziemliche Langeweile auf, da hilft auch die grausige Art des Abschlachtens in diesem Roman drüber weg.
Auf einmal aber kommt Fahrt in die Geschichte, sodass sich wenigstens der Schlussteil flott liest, auch wenn einige Dinge nur wenig plausibel zu sein scheinen.
Ob ich noch einen DCI Lapslie Krimi lesen werden.... das wage ich zu bezweifeln.

[Kelly Roll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intriguing concept - detective with synaesthesia. Basically the lead detective tastes sounds and when we are first introduced he is working from home as his condition has become so bad he has problems in the everyday environs of his job. However his boss calls him back to active duty when a high profile news reader is killed. He is then put on a second high profile case when someone is blown up. The detective eventually connects the two cases because he hears a sound which turns out to be connected to a very subtle scent the killer emits. While I found the concept of a detective with this disability interesting I also found some of the plot points to be unrealistic.
If the case is so high profile and the detective's boss expects him to fail would he really put him on the case?
Also we never really get the sense of how the investigation is being run by the many officers involved. Finally, I found the killers "motivations" to be flimsy at best. Better to have just let the killer be a classic psychopath.

[Ladysatel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well done British thriller by a former member of the British Murder Squad. People are being murdered and the police are unable to determine why or who is doing it. None of the murders seems connected.

Detective Chief Inspector Lapslie and Sergeant Emma Bradbury are assigned to one of the latest cases. Lapslie has a physical condition called synaesthesia which causes sounds to become tastes on his tongue. He figures that his superior is trying to get him out of the department because of the trouble his condition causes him when he is around people and noise.

Lapslie is not ready to retire just yet and begins to investigate the case of a news reader who was brutally murdered. Then a bombing occurs at a train station and Lapslie is assigned to that case as well. As it turns out his disability helps him to begin to tie the cases together and he begins to close in on his subject.

[Cathal Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah not half bad.
Most killers in these sort of books tend to have a very strict pattern, that eventually leads to them being caught, so it was refreshing for the killer not to have a pattern at all even if it still made his actions distinctive.
Also DCI Lapslie was interesting because he didn't have some deep-rooted psychological trauma like every other detective seems to. It wasn't something left over from a failed case, it was just the way he worked. You don't see many coppers in these with neurological conditions like this kind of cool form of synaesthesia. Though it did constantly lead me to wonder what my voice would taste like to someone like him. I'd imagine some sort of warming alcoholic beverage topped with a sour tinge; perhaps lemon.

Crappy full review.