Point of no Return

DCI Harry McNeil #8

by John Carson

An old mystery solved after thirty-five years. And a new one just beginning...Millionaire Murdo Wolf took off in a small plane from the island where he lived, and neither he nor the plane was ever seen again. Until now.The Wolf family have gathered on the island they used to call home. They're celebrating the life of their father, Oliver Wolf, who died six months ago.Now, one of Oliver's sons has been murdered. And when his body is discovered, so is the body of his grandfather. Did the son know where his grandfather was hidden? Did he die because of it?DCI Harry McNeil is sent to the island to investigate the cold case and track down a killer who may or may not still be there.Helping with the investigation are two detectives from Glasgow, DCI Jimmy Dunbar and DS Robbie Evans.This isn't an open-and-shut case and they discover the killer is still lurking on the island, and the body count is increasing. But with no clear motive and no direct links to the patriarch going missing all those years ago, this is going to be one of the hardest cases Harry has ever worked on.Point of no Return is book number 7 in the DCI Harry McNeil series.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Fiction, Scotland, Contemporary, Procedural

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2020

About the author

John Carson is the author of the DI Frank Miller detective series. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and lived there most of his life. In 2006, he emigrated to New York State with his American wife and two daughters. They now live in a small town in the Hudson Valley where his wife was brought up, with a German Shepherd, a Beagle mix and four cats.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does anyone read this before publishing?

So many mistakes make the book difficult to read. The most glaring error is starting off a chapter describing telling a character about another character's death, then ending the chapter saying it was time to inform that character about the death. Sorry about the constriction of that last sentence, but I had to do it without spoilers. Basically though, there are a lot of distracting mistakes. The resolution was quite a stretch, but in general the book trees interesting.

[Jennifer Hopson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written

[Susan E.]

Disappointing.

Too convoluted for my taste. The author lacks the extraordinary wit and three-dimensional characters of Harrod-Eagles' Bill Slider series, Pete Brassett's DI Munro series or JD Kirk's DCI Logan. Also, f***ing need not appear in every other sentence as a sign of grittiness.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an excellent addition to the DCI Harry McNeil Scottish mystery series. With a small cast of long-standing characters and an interesting murder mystery plot this book was a solid addition. Best of all while I do feel readers who have read some of the previous installments will get a deeper understanding from the book, the characters and setting is well-laid and explained fully enough that readers should feel comfortable picking this up and reading it as a stand-alone.

I greatly enjoyed the “closed room” aspect to the mystery plot. The murder occurs on a small Scottish island – off the Isle of Mull – with a limited number of local inhabitants and the members of a wealthy family who have gathered for the patriarch’s funeral service. This lent the whole book the air of an older style who-did-it sort of mystery with a limited number of people who could possibly have committed the crime – with the rich family members right at the top of the list.

Indeed, I strongly feel the characters and their interactions are what make this story so wonderful to read. The author does a really good job to my mind of writing the Scottish police characters in a realistic and relatable manner, without being too cliched or over-the-top. I found the main characters to be particularly vivid and enjoyable, their camaraderie and clearly solid relationships were really well handled and made the reading quick and pleasurable for me. While the other characters and suspects were also very well drawn I was pleased a large part of the story focused on the police investigation and interactions. This might make the plot feel a little slow moving for some readers – those used to high-octane and strongly action orientated novels – but personally I enjoyed the deeper characterizations and slightly slower pace.

Readers who enjoy closed room murder mysteries – or smaller town settings like, say Agatha Christie or more plot and character centric novels with a little less action and adrenaline, should find this book really fits the bill. I found the mystery to be interesting and well handled, though admit there is an equal – if not slightly greater – focus on the main characters and their interactions and investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

[barbara jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this author. Won't be my last. The story keeps you on your toes deciding who the killer is.

So many people on the island confused me. But so many killings takes care of a lot of the suspects. Bits of laughter helps to explain some of the dialogue. Otherwise I might have needed a sub title switch to understand what the he'll they said. Aside from that, I am looking forward to reading many more books by John Carson. Where do I begin?

[Linda Chesher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great crime series

I have read all of the DCI Harry McNeil series and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The books aren’t long, but neither do they end abruptly, in case you’ve had shorter books before that have guilty of this. So, get book one of this series and keep going. You’ll really enjoy them all.

[Barry Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the book, I felt like I was more aware of who was probably responsible for the murders fairly early on. The other issue I had with regards to this book is the complete lack of knowledge of how air traffic control works, especially around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. It kind of works for a story, but it’s lacking of actual knowledge hurt it for me

[Lilly Hi Way · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated

I like DCI Harry McNeil mysteries but they keep getting more and more complicated as he introduces more characters on the police side as well as on the victim's side. That makes them a bit hard to follow reading late at night. As I read I was wishing he'd include a list of characters in the book like the old time mysteries used to do.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant humor.

The banter alone between the detectives working the murder case makes all of Carson’s novels worth reading. Good plot with multiple suspects and a unique setting add to a must read. Can be read as a stand alone but much better to read all of them in order.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Terrific series---- this one is great! Mc Neil and Dunbar and their teams investigate a murder on an island off the coast of Scotland. This becomes very messy, involving 3 generations of missing people, deaths, and inheritance. It is all about money!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!!

John Carson is one of my favorite authors. I love the humor that he adds to the books. The mysteries are among the best. I didn’t figure it out until the end. I highly recommend this author and his books. Check out his Frank Miller series, too.

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story in the Harry McNeil series along with all his cronies. Plenty of action from start to finish and guide a body count.Lots of twists and turns and an exciting ending. Keep them coming please.

[Tracey Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not long enough...

I love these characters and the stories but damn I went thru one a night and am on the last one now. Can't you write a bit longer stories. I don't want these to end 😂😂

[Rick Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like these stories, but

There are too many “wee” whatever’s. This story was a bit fractured, and suffered from some discontinuity, such as where the tubby guy was notified twice about his wife’s death.

[christine arlott-clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great detective story. Totally recommend this series, I'm on book 9 next

Where there's a will, there's a relative. That's what they say, and this was no exception. A murder, and a body holed up in a wall.

[JM · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I really have enjoyed previously read books by John Carson, I had a struggle trying to finish this book. In a nutshell, it was simply too convoluted.

I did finally finish the book, but it was quite a struggle and I really didn’t enjoy it at all.

[Glynis Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Point of no Return

Another terrific book in the Harry McNeil series. I laughed out loud so many times especially at the reference to Cliff Richard and DC Evans tennis racquet. Looking forward to starting book 9.

[Lora King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how the Edinburgh team and Glasgow teams keep working together...this time on an island where a wealthy family is gathering for a memorial to their patriarch, the will has been read and property doled out. So why are family members dropping like flies!

[Nancy]

Go to island because of a murder. All 4 siblings dead. Other half siblings are murderers as is the lawyer and the boxer.

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not care for the plot...it the characters this time.

[K Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining read

I just love this series. Great characters, great banter, entertaining and keeps you guessing. Looking forward to the next one.

[Jacquie Jerrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from one of my favourite authors.

All the hallmarks of a truly wonderful book, characters and scenery along with murder, keeps you on edge until the end.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thrilling tale from John Carson, the humorous and great characters pursue the truth from a complex and on going set of murders.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series! I thoroughly enjoyed this set of characters and plot progression!

[Chris & Phil Butterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

Not the best but good enough to enjoy. I think I’ve missed a book but it didn’t stop me reading could pick up the story

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read

I did enjoy this book in the series but of as much as I have the previous ones.It's a good easy read with some good twists.

[Richard Cole, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dastardly Deeds Up North

Well written and constructed with many a twist and turn.

Murder most foul and more besides in this excellent tale based up in the wild north of the UK.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it reminded me of an episode of Scooby-Doo. Easy to solve while being funny 😄

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought of all of this series that I've read, this one was the best. The guy in the wall - now that was interesting.

[Bobbi Stoffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading!

The book was exciting and full of suspense. It was a book I couldn’t put down. This series is one of the best!