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Val Penny Strikes Gold again with Murder in Glimerton

  • Writer: Tracey Holland
    Tracey Holland
  • 2 minutes ago
  • 4 min read
Prologue 
Prologue 

East Germany 1968

The last thing Georg did on his eighteenth birthday was kill a man.

He really hadn’t meant to kill the Stasi officer but it was him or Georg and Georg did not want to die.

It was the first time he’d seen a corpse. The streets wereslick with ice. The man lost his balance and cracked his head on the pavement. Georg stared down at the body: his blood and brains spread all over the pavement. He looked into the officer’s eyes. They stared blindly to heaven, but Georg knew there wasn’t a Stasi officer on earth who was going there. He looked away from death and towards his friends in horror, but when they saw what had happened, they scattered. Georg picked up the officer’s gun and began to run. More Stasi officers appeared as the boys fled.

Georg was out of breath when he got home.

“What’s the rush, son?” his father asked.

“Shit, Dad! It’s bad.”

“You’re drunk! No language in this house, boy,” said hisgrandmother.

“Dad, the boys and me were leaving the bar to come home and we saw a Stasi officer”

“So?”

“We were laughing and having fun.”

“And?”

“For a laugh I knocked his hat off.”

“Idiot! You know Stasi have no sense of humour. Ever. So what next?”

“He pulled his gun and told us to stand silently against the wall.”

“And you apologised and complied, I hope.”

“I panicked and punched him. He slipped on the ice and fell over. He hit his head on the ground, and when I checked him, he wasn’t breathing. He was dead. I just took his gun and ran.”

The silence in the room was deafening.

“You did what? You fucking idiot! Did you really punch a Stasi officer? Are you mad?” Georg’s father’s red face reflected his rage.

“And now you are here,” his grandmother added. “You ran home, leading them straight to us. We will all die now. Thanks to you.”



AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 

Val Penny’s crime novels, form the bestselling series of DI Wilson Series set in Edinburgh.  

She is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat. 



BLURB

Behind Edinburgh’s genteel facade, a killer is settling an old score . . .An elderly man is shot dead on his own doorstep in the leafy suburb of Gilmerton.One bullet. Point-blank range. A professional hit on a harmless old man who lived a simple life collecting rare books.Detective Hunter Wilson knows the victim. George Reinbold was once head of Crime Scene Investigations. He’s one of their own.What Hunter can’t understand is why George’s modest flat is fortified with reinforced doors, bomb-blast curtains and a Cold War pistol under the bed.That same morning, a young woman vanishes from a luxury car showroom. No struggle. No witnesses. Just a discarded coat and a missing blue Volvo.Two cases. One killer?In a city where everyone guards their secrets, the past has come knocking.Detective Hunter Wilson must catch a murderer who has waited a lifetime to strike.


 Review

If you are a fan of gritty Scottish crime fiction, add Val Penny’s Murder in Gilmerton to your reading list immediately. Following up on her brilliant debut, Penny returns to the rain-slicked streets of Edinburgh with a gripping, fast-paced police procedural that firmly solidifies Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson as a compelling force in modern crime fiction.

The story hits the ground running when George Reinbold, a retired and widely respected former head of Crime Scene Investigations, is shot dead execution-style right on his own doorstep in the quiet Edinburgh suburb of Gilmerton. Why would anyone want to execute a retired forensic legend? As DI Hunter Wilson dives into his late colleague's murky past, his team is simultaneously stretched thin by a second crisis: a young woman has vanished into thin air from a luxury car showroom. Penny masterfully weaves these two seemingly unrelated threads together, dragging the reader on a high-stakes chase through Edinburgh's historic streets and right into the crosshairs of a dangerous international drug network.

What sets Murder in Gilmerton apart from standard procedurals is the sheer depth of its characters and setting. DI Hunter Wilson is an exceptional protagonist, he has the classic grit, dry wit, and unyielding moral compass we love in Scottish detectives, but he balances it with a genuine warmth and humanity. The chemistry within his police team is a joy to read. Penny doesn't just focus on the macabre elements of the crime; she breathes life into the investigation by exploring the realistic, day-to-day dynamics of a working police squad. And, of course, there is Edinburgh itself. Penny treats the city like a living, breathing character. She contrasts its stunning, historic tourist facade with a dark, shadowy underbelly so vividly that you can practically feel the chilly Scottish mist lifting off the pages.

Murder in Gilmerton is a twisty, addictive, and thoroughly satisfying read. Val Penny has delivered a flawless blend of intricate plotting, sharp dialogue, and atmospheric tension. Whether you are a die-hard fan of "Tartan Noir" or just love a rock-solid mystery that keeps you guessing until the final pages, this book is an absolute triumph. Highly recommended!




LINKS TO BUY 

 

WEBSITE



SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Val Penny’s crime novels, form the bestselling series of DI Wilson Series set in Edinburgh.  

She is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat. 




LINKS TO BUY 

 

WEBSITE



SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS


 


 
 
 

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