Runaway

Name: Runaway
Rating: 3.4 (5 reviews)
ISBN: 9781915089410

By Claire MacLeary

Publisher Description

'A brilliant new talent for the lover of crime.' Sue Black DBE, forensic anthropologist

When Aberdeen housewife Debbie Milne abruptly vanishes without trace, leaving behind her two young children, husband Scott is too distraught to sit out the police's 72-hour window and await developments. He turns to local detective agency Harcus & Laird.

Put off by previous "domestic" cases, Maggie Laird isn't keen, but is cajoled by partner Wilma Harcus into a covert operation. Together they comb through meagre scraps of information, eventually trawling the city's women's refuges and homeless squats, in spite of the deadly danger.

Then a woman's body is discovered in a Dundee builder's skip. With the clock ticking and the police struggling to make identification, the race is on. Claire MacLeary fashions a surprising, gritty, fast-paced tale with the warmth and wisdom of ‘women of a certain age'.

Praise for the Harcus & Laird series:

"Gripping." Good Housekeeping

"A terrific writer." Kirsty Gunn, Scotsman

"This is a thoroughly entertaining series that could run and run." Sunday Herald

"A wise and all-too-pertinent voice." Raven Crime Reads

"A brilliant new talent for the lover of crime." Dame Sue Black, forensic anthropologist

"Refreshingly different... a fast-paced tale." Shirley Whiteside, Herald

"Fantastic ... a gritty book with a surprisingly warm theme." The List

"Terrific ... compelling to the end." Theresa Talbot

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Runaway Reviews

3.0

Nala

Created almost 3 years ago

“I just want to put here that though this is the third book in the series, if you ignore the heavy references to the past two books (which are basically two major cases that the main two characters in this book have solved), you can totally read this one first. But I'd rather you didn't, if you were expecting a good mystery. Let me start with the positives about this book. For one, I love short chapters, and this book had only short chapters - all between three to maybe six pages. So it was really easy to breeze through. And there are tons of dialogues more than descriptions so that's another reason I was able to finish it so quickly. Yeah, I think that's about it. In a good mystery, you would expect there to be a build up, a dark twist, a shocking revelation, and a feeling that leaves you wanting for more and yet satiated at the same time. This book had none of it. I kept waiting for the twist but none came. Literally the theories that the main characters discuss on what might have happened to the woman who's disappeared come true without any added element. For a book that touches upon heavy topics such as human trafficking, prostitution, and gambling, it was incredibly underwhelming and bland. There was so so much potential for it to be a good mystery, but I felt like the investigation itself was written too much in detail and too much in correlation with a real investigation that might take place in real life, going through hundred and one procedures rather than a series of interlinking new leads and such. If this book wanted to be on the more non-fictional side of things, I'm afraid then that it was me who has missed the whole point. Other than that, I felt frustrated at times when Maggie and Wilma were able to gauge a new information using their different approach to the matter and in the literal next chapter we see that the police have arrived upon the same information through their standard methods. And I was hoping that in the end, the two women would solve the case first and with an incredibly new direction. When the blurb at the back of the book said that the fact that the two women investigating the case were similar to the missing person in question and their similarity would give them an advantage to solving the case, I'd expected something different, while in reality, it did little much so. And one more thing, there were too many characters that contributed little to nothing to the story. Not that I bothered to keep up with their names anyway.”

GraceFlett

Created about 4 years ago

Victoria

Created about 7 years ago

Helen McBay

Created over 7 years ago

Dee-Cee

Created over 7 years ago

“Aw it's absolutely wonderful to be back with the fabulous Maggie and Wilma in the third book Runaway and as we join this dynamic duo the pair have hit a stumbling block in their working relationship. Maggie has given Wilma an ultimatum, they make the agency work with a six month deadline or they call it a day. Wilma isn't the sort of person to give up easily though and it's a given she will put her heart and soul into making things work and convincing Maggie to continue with the business.  Scott Milne's wife Debbie has disappeared and he feels the police aren't doing much to help so he turns to Maggie and Wilma for help, Maggie has her doubts about the case but Wilma persuades Maggie to give it a go hoping this will be the case that sees the agency put on the map and getting one over on the police is also a bonus.  I just love Maggie and Wilma, you'd never put this pair together as they're so different but they work so well together and are very believable characters. They're both hard working and juggling family life with work isn't easy, it's taking it's toll on Maggie which leaves her wondering if maybe she's over stretching herself. Wilma's also never stopped, working three jobs and her husband Ian isn't best pleased but she's a feisty character and one that doesn't take much heed to being told off.  One of the things I loved about this book are the short chapters, they alternate between Maggie and Wilma and the police who are working the case of missing housewife Debbie. Each chapter is sharp and edgy and has you gripped so it's easy to completely lose yourself in the story. It's definitely a 'one more chapter' kind of book and it was good to see how the police were progressing (or not) with the case while also seeing how Maggie and Wilma's investigations were coming on. I was obviously rooting for the dynamic duo.  Set in Aberdeen you get a real sense of the city, Claire MacLeary describes it so you feel like you are there with the characters whether it be the back streets of Aberdeen or the more affluent areas it's easy to picture in your mind as you read along. Runaway is another fantastic instalment in the Harcus and Laird series. Although it could easily be read as a stand-alone I would highly recommend reading Cross Purpose and Burnout as well, they're brilliant books too.  So I think it's safe to say I will definitely be recommending Runaway. Filled with tension, it's totally gripping and easy to get lost in. With added humour it had me laughing out loud at some points and trying to solve the case along side Maggie and Wilma certainly got the brain cells working (well the ones I have left).  A fantastic story and I hope there's many, many more to come in the series. I love Maggie and Wilma.”

About Claire MacLeary

Claire MacLeary has lived in Aberdeen and Fife, but describes herself as "a feisty Glaswegian with a full life to draw on". Following a career in business, she gained an MLitt with Distinction from the University of Dundee. Runaway is her third novel and continues the Harcus & Laird series. Cross Purpose was longlisted for the McIlvanney Award 2017, and Burnout was longlisted for the Hearst Big Book Award 2018.