Daisychain

Alex Cahill and Logan Finch #1

by G.J. Moffat

Logan Finch has just about everything he ever wanted, including a penthouse apartment and a shot at making partner in one of Scotland's largest law firms. But there's something missing from his he still pines for the woman he thought was 'the one' and who left him without a word of explanation over twelve years ago.
Alex Cahill is one of Logan's clients, and probably his best friend. The profane, gregarious American owns a successful security business but has a shadowy past and a capacity for violence.
Detective Constable Rebecca Irvine, newly promoted to Strathclyde Police's CID, is stuck in a failing marriage. On her first day in the new job she is called to a murder scene in the affluent Southside of Glasgow. The victim is Penny Grant, Logan's former girlfriend. And her eleven-year-old daughter is missing...

Genres: Crime, Thriller

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Lesley]

Moffat has written a strong start with the prologue in Daisy Chain , and I was soon immersed in this captivating book which has a very short time line- only 3 days . But a lot happens in these few days , with the plot set mainly around Glasgow. There are enough twists and turns to keep me interested until the end and I would be keen to read other books by this author. Anyone who enjoys a thriller / police read will find this a worthwhile book.

[Sajid Hakeem]

I think this might be the first book of this writer as there are lot of maturity in the writing. The main character who is such a big professional in his domain sometimes look like dumb.

Otherwise, writer tried to make the book interesting and in someone he got succeed but as a whole it is a normal read nothing extra ordinary

[Angela]

A thriller that almost works. I didn't believe in the main character, which was a problem. However, there was a good deal to recommend it. If the author works on Logan, there is great potential for this Scottish series.

[Katherine Cresine-Leavens]

light read

[Sandra]

I read this book because it was chosen by the book group I am in, which focuses on Scottish crime fiction. The synopsis sounded intriguing and I was looking forward to reading it but was sadly disappointed. The book focuses on Logan Finch, a lawyer, who is doing two different deals, one with Alex Cahill, who runs a security firm; and the other with a work colleague, Bob Crawford. Although Finch is successful at his job he has never forgotten his girlfriend, Penny, who moved abroad 12 years ago without telling him. Recently though, Penny returned to Scotland and is killed during a botched kidnap attempt by people who want Finch to close a deal he is working on. The problem is, he has no idea which deal they are talking about, in addition to this he has only just found out that Penny was in Scotland and, as he later discovers, the people who killed her kidnapped her daughter, a daughter that turns out to be his as well.

Although this is described as a fast-paced thriller I found it to be a bit plodding and not really as gripping as I expected it to be. As with all murders there is a police investigation but this barely gets off the ground and is almost forgotten about in the second half of the book. The book was easy to read and the descriptions were good but I feel it fell short of what it could have been. I know there are more books in the series but at the moment I'm unsure as to whether I will read them or not.

[Nick Davies]

This book made me think a lot about 'pace' in thrillers. It was a very fast-moving book, which did pull the reader in with early hooks and then keep them pretty involved all the way through what transpired over three days in the narrative. However, like some others of this ilk I have read recently, this did seem to come slightly at the cost of detail (both in the sense of lacking description which would conjure up scenes a little more colourfully, and in the sense of there being some small plot holes and gaps which might've been better clarified). Particularly clunky was the ease with which an ordinary corporate lawyer bloke turns out to be a ruthless combat hero - and is allowed to do so by a group of professionals much better suited to such activities. I also thought one of the characters (the female policewoman) served little or no purpose to the story, and was only there to be a potential love interest in future books from the same series. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it as a straight-forward quick and silly crime thriller.

[Joanne]

Had me gripped from the first page loved it

[Kelly]

I don't really know what to say about this book. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. The 'fast paced' story line wasn't very fast paced. Even though the book was only spread over 3 days it seemed to drag on for ages. It may seem like a petty thing to criticise but I felt overwhelmed and lost with the amount of place and street names given throughout the book, I mean I understand mentioning the street names of significant places but there is no need to identify every single street the characters drive through. I finished this book for the sake of knowing what happens but I wasn't on edge or glued to the pages at any point.

[Sandra]

Yet another writer introduced to me via Len Wanner's most excellent crime writer interviews and really one of the most exciting of them, Pacy and a lot of tension, quite a lot of the sort of fighting and weaponry details which I imagine makes a stronger appeal to men rather than women, but very very good on character, relationships dialogue and language.
I rushed out and bought (and read) the second in the series with just as much enjoyment (though I have split the 9 stars I would have awarded in total a little less evenly) and await the next.

[Shannon Shepherd]

This books is one that takes people on a journey that is full of twists and turns. It is a story line that will play with people's hearts strings and will shock everybody. By one person at a time, Logan finds that all of the people he is close to are in the same deal he is...and they all have shocking secrets. This book is one of adventure and is a gripping story right from the start! I love this book and it is a high recommendation to everyone!

[Jill]

'Daisy Chain' by G J Moffat was a real page-turner. A woman is murdered, her child is missing, her former lover a lawyer is suspected, and it's the first case for a newly-appointed detective. The plot unfolds quickly and there's lots of tension in the race against time to find the girl. It all feels very authentic and realistic. There's a bittersweet quality to the story as events unravel, ensuring that the book is not just another action novel.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom)]

It wasn't until I was a third of the way through this book I realised I'd read it before. I kinda knew what happened, but had nothing else to read so kept going.

I liked the book, but felt there were some glaring gaps in the plot / storyline... it felt just a tad unfulfilling - if that makes sense.

[Steve Black]

An undemanding but fairly enjoyable light read. Starts a little slowly, and then moved from bring s detective story to an action adventure with a fairly preposterous plot. The detective character was almost peripheral but I guess is there to provide love interest in future novels, as I believe this is the start of a series.
It is fast moving and action packed and an OK holiday read.

[Julienne]

Started off really well but lost a bit of oomph towards the end.

[Sylwia]

Fast, intense story! Good reading and one that holds your attention till the last page.

[WR]

Fast paced thriller, but I guess I prefer the slow boil Scandic type mysteries more. Good for a light holiday read, but nothing to shout about.

[Vivian]

I couldn't finish this one. I found it boring and I just couldn't get into the story. Probably would not seek out any of the author's other books.

[maggie]

A bit of a clunking tale. All the same old ingredients - international baddies, child abduction, gun action, geographical context - but others have done it with a far lighter touch.

[Amy]

I liked the ending of this book. Very fast paced action then a happy ending tinged with sadness

[Jodie Dickey]

trashy crime thriller, a bit forgettable.