Murders At Blackwaterfoot

by Miller Caldwell

Based at Lamlash on Arran, PC Rory Murdoch has a minimal caseload, giving him ample time to think about his daughter, Ella, and her special needs. Then three murders occur in close succession. His supervising officer, mainland-based D.I. Samuel Grant, is not supportive. Can Rory stand up to this bully and undermining superior?Rory receives a letter from Belgium and Ella has a remarkable insight both of which lead to High Court trials in Ayr. How can Rory cope with three murder trials while his mind is preoccupied on greater matters? This is a fast-paced story set in the stunningly beautiful island of Arran with elements of humour, pathos, romance and great sadness."This was a marvellous story and I even shed a tear or two". Morag Ritchie

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2021

Reviews

[Nagma (Take A Look At My Bookshelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murders at Blackwaterfoot was a quick and surprisingly emotional read. As the title states, this book follows a number of high-profile murder cases. While one would expect this book to revolve around the crimes and the lengthy investigation, it mainly focused on Rory’s character and was not very crime-heavy. The book was definitely fast-paced, enjoyable and there was a bit of romance at the end. The ending seemed somewhat to come out of nowhere and I felt the characters could have been developed more while sticking to the novella format.

Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

[Dougie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not a big fan of crime fiction, so went into this with low expectations, really only interested in the connection with Arran however even with this in mind, this was quite astonishingly bad.

There are many, many mistakes in the text. Basic grammar errors, misuse of words, sentences that tail off, mixing up of tenses and of subjects and objects.

Further to the basic errors there are issues with how the story is constructed and told. Our protagonist has no agency, things just happen to him. He solves none of the titular murders. The other characters are just one or two basic traits with a name. Rory undergoes immense tragedy and success with barely a hint of a change in demeanour. There is no development in him whatsoever despite the major events happening around him.

Finally, of special note are the two court scenes which deviate so wildly from both actual court proceedings and more typical dramatic representations of court proceedings that they are quite astonishing.

I understand the author is self published and has no editor to help with his books, but the issues here are so various and fundamental that I don’t believe there’s a decent book in here to be uncovered even with the much needed help a publisher might provide.

[Mrs Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like the book, this will be short. Astonishingly bad.

[Steve's Book Stuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murders at Blackwaterfoot is a novella set on the island of Arran on Scotland's west coast. Arran is a picturesque island that attracts lots of tourists, a sleepy kind of place dotted with friendly villages like Lamlash, where we first meet Constable Rory Murdoch. He considers himself the luckiest policeman in Scotland, given the beautiful setting he works in and the low rate of crime on Arran.

But one morning as Murdoch is pouring himself his favorite Guatemalan coffee his phone rings with a vacationer reporting that he's found a body outside his holiday cottage rental. Over the next 140 pages we follow Murdoch as he investigates not just this one murder, but three.

The book's billing as a "crime thriller" is not quite right. This is not a book where we are following a fearless crime solver, uncovering clues as we wind our way through every twist and turn until the final denouement when the murderer is revealed.

There are actually two separate cases to solve, and Murdoch solves them more by capitalizing on lucky breaks than by demonstrating his crime solving prowess. On the job he's hounded by his callous boss, while at home he is dealing with a disabled child as a single parent. The book does have humor, sadness and, at the end, an unexpected romance. It's really less of a thriller than it is a view into a season in the life of Constable Murdoch, with a few murders thrown in.

The author Miller Caldwell is Scottish. He took up writing after having retired from a career in education, social work, and as a Reporter in Scotland's youth justice system. He has a number of books already under his belt, though this is his first foray into a crime story.

Scotland, and Arran, are ever present in this story. Miller does a good job of evoking the island atmosphere, both its scenery and its slow pace of life. There's also a good deal of Scotland in the way the sentences are put together, and in the phrases Miller uses. As an American reading the book the cadence and phrasing seemed a bit of a challenge to me at first. Then I imagined Mark Bonnar (you may know him from Masterpiece Mystery's Guilt) narrating the book to me with his Scottish accent and suddenly it all made sense!

In the end I give 3 of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐ for Murders at Blackwaterfoot . I was disappointed that the crime thriller wasn't really the thrill ride I was expecting. But it was a nice visit to picturesque Arran and a pleasant way to spend an evening with a hot tea in my favorite reading chair.

NOTE: Thanks to the author and Love Books Tours for the opportunity to read this book. I received a review copy in exchange for providing a fair and unbiased review.

[Georgina Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murders At Blackwaterfoot follows PC Rory Murdock who is based at a quiet station in Lamlash on the island of Arran, who happens to become involved in a number of high-profile murder cases which have occurred within close succession. However, Rory’s home life is starting to affect his job and his Detective Inspector is far from supportive to him. The story follows Rory in how he is able to juggle his home and work life, trying to be the best father he can be whilst also solving these murders that have
occurred on a stunning island with minimal crime.

This is a very fast paced and quick read, and I was able to complete the novel in one sitting, this book
managed to have me experience a number of emotions, such as; anger, heartbreak as well as some
chuckles, and I recently found out that this series has been commissioned to be adapted to TV which I am very intrigued to watch and see how the book has been used for a script.

However, despite this book being a quick read I found that for it being a crime novel there was not much time spent on the crimes and the court cases were very quickly and easily solved, which seemed maybe a tad unrealistic, plus I feel that other characters could have been given more development especially Wendy, as the books ending really through me as I feel it came out of nowhere

I really like Rory as a character and I feel his development was really focused on and he really carried
the book, plus I loved the diversity found in this book, for Rory being a single father and for Ella who
suffers from Spina Bifida – I feel that was handled really well. I also like the author’s Q & A and found that to be very informative. I am very interested to read the two sequels

1.5

[Latisha’s Low-key Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Tour Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murders at Blackwaterfoot
Miller Caldwell
Murder Thriller
Novella 189 Pages

Murders at Blackwaterfoot is about three murders that happen on an island I. Scotland where this kind of thing never happens.

Along with this, we follow the life of Constable Rory Murdoch. He suddenly has three murders in his neck of the woods and no experience solving them.

Rory is widowed and has a teen daughter with spina bifida. Her mother died giving birth to her so her care is on his plate.

My Thoughts

Murders at Blackwaterfoot is a quick read. It almost feels like you are part of this island community as you read. The love between father and daughter is a special touch.

Rory is a good man who is down to earth and loves his daughter. He has a jackass of a boss who is forever putting him down and is not at all sympathetic about his daughter’s needs. Many can relate, I am sure!

The plot flowed well. It was evident the author knew the area well. I enjoyed learning a bit about Scotland.

This story was as much about Rory’s life as it was about the murders. The murders weren’t gruesome and I loved how the cases were solved.

The little guy wins in so many ways by the time the story ends. I love the outcome.

Thank you to Love Books Tours, the author, and the publisher for a spot on this tour and for providing an ebook to read and review.

#Ad #Gifted

Read more nifty reviews at Latishaslowkeylife.com

[Tracy Thorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a Scottish crime drama that is atmospheric and dark but unfortunately this wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t get any feeling of suspense, and it seemed to move from one thing to the next really quickly, with events like legal proceedings being over in a matter of pages. I felt it had no depth and was very flat and too simplistic. Everything was all a bit too easy. Rory is nice enough but there wasn’t enough there for the reader to be able to get to know and empathise with the characters. I was disappointed as it all felt a bit unbelievable and neat. Saying all this, I’m not a lover of novellas as I like something I can really get into but I’m sure novella fans would get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a beautiful Scottish island, we find constable Rory Murdoch in this first book of the Arran Trilogy.
A very easy & short read, this novella eases the reader gently in to the Scottish crime genre. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a cosy crime but it isn’t blood & gore either.
Arran is a tranquil place & crime is virtually nonexistent, so when three murders occur in close succession, PC Murdoch finds himself in the spotlight.
I could have done with more detail in places, coincidence & quick policing does sometimes grate. However, humour, love, sadness & lots of coffee are all here in this book. It’ll be interesting to see how things develop. Overall, a good read.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly an emotional read! I was not expecting that when I first started! I would be surprised if there was anyone that read this and didn't find themselves crying at one point or another! I really enjoyed the setting! Such a beautiful place! There's a little bit of everything for everyone here! Mystery, humor, even some romance and a great pace! Great read! I liked the pace of the story. It's not nonstop but a comfortable pace! It will be interesting to see what the next book brings us!

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rumour has it that this is a series that's coming to Netflix soon, I'll definitely be watching, will you?

A fast paced, gripping crime thriller, my only disappointment was that it was novella sized, I felt that it could have gone on for longer.

Very well written, it had some fantastic characters that I can't wait to see on screen, wonder who'll they'll be casting in the roles of Murdoch or Grant?

Many thanks to Love Books Tours for my tour spot & gifted copy.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

[Ash Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Novella following Arran policeman trying to solve 3 murders.

Overly simplistic, lacking any tension, relationships progress at genuinely insane pace, and the dialogue has its moments of feeling very genuine however mostly very poor.

A few issues with place names being mixed up, and some grammar issues but with self published books I can totally see how it can happen.

Best part was the pictures at the end

[Amanda Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murders at Blackwaterfoot
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Book Review🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Murder,Police and a wedding!!

Murders at Blackwaterfoot is the first book in a series of novellas by Miller Cauldwell.The story is based around Constable Rory Murdoch,his family and friends as well as his life as a policeman in Arran.
I really like the main character of Rory as well as his daughter Ella,both these characters I felt were believable and I enjoyed reading about their story.
I did enjoy the murder plot within the story,although I felt this was more of a sub plot,and the story was dominated by the personal life of Constable Rory Murdoch.I also found the story a bit rushed towards end,maybe a few more pages of explanation would have been useful.

In saying this I am looking forward to reading the follow up novellas in the series.I would recommend this book to people who love reading Crime Fiction.Whilst reading the book ,it was very easy to imagine the characters on television,so I’m looking to viewing the television series on Netflix in 2022.

Bookworm rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read which follows the life and activities of Rory, a police officer on a remote Scottish Island. The plot centres around the first murders that Rory has had to investigate on an Island where nothing exciting usually happens! I really enjoyed the different sub plots that were built into the book and how they allowed us to see different aspects of Rory’s life. As the plot develops we are made to feel a rollercoaster of emotions and connect with the character of Rory. I felt that the final sub plot and some of the characters could have been a little more developed, however I liked how the end has been left open… I look forward to reading more from this author!

[margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remind me of the hamish Macbeth stories