You may know Catriona McPherson’s name from her Dandy Gilver mystery series (entertaining and comical with excellent plots; highly recommend), as did I before reading In Place of Fear. Now I have a totally different novel and heroine to attribute to her, and they were just as excellent. As far as a standalone mystery goes, I’ll happily give it five stars.
At the beginning of the NHS in Edinburgh, newly appointed medical almoner (social worker) Helen Crowther has escaped her future as a worker in a bottling factory and been given her own office at a popular medical practice. She and her new husband have been given a little cottage as part of the deal, and are happy to get out of Helen’s family apartment. However, their excitement is short-lived when Helen discovers a body in the shed belonging to one of her mentor’s daughters. Convinced that the death is not as straightforward as they claim, she makes two vows to the girl: that she won’t let her charges feel as endangered as she felt, and that she’s going to find out what really happened.
If you’ve read any of McPherson’s other work, you’ll recognize that her writing is not very direct and that you have to do a bit of reading between the lines to find out what characters are seeing or what they mean. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s really engaging for me as it makes me pay attention more (I read really fast and sometimes infer rather than read things) and challenges me to explore the material. It can’t be easy to put innuendo into the written word, yet McPherson does it with aplomb.
In terms of a murder mystery, In Place of Fear had everything I was looking for. Helen is an intelligent hero, the secondary characters were quirky and interesting, and the plot was really well done. The weaving of the mystery with the events in Helen’s life and job was excellent, and I was just as interested in Helen’s family dynamic as I was with the case. In fact, I’m not sure that the book would have been half as interesting without them.
I just had the thought that this novel reminded me of the show Call the Midwife; it’s in the right time period with the NHS just being formed, and I can picture the squalid housing situations in the show when Helen goes to visit some of her patients. I feel like the rhythm of the novel is kind of on par with Call the Midwife as well, with a lot of different scenarios requiring resolution. Of course, a major difference (and bonus!) is that this novel also includes a murder mystery. See? Total package.
Is there anything I would change about this book? I don’t think so. It was so crafty, and altogether very well rounded. I’m not sure if McPherson would develop a series off of it, the epilogue seemed to suggest not, but it certainly has potential as Helen’s job could take her into all kinds of situations. If you’re looking for a good standalone mystery full of Scottish dialogue and drama, pick In Place of Fear up. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.