Devil’s Dice by Roz Watkins is a great début novel with an interesting protagonist who doesn’t always follow the rules. Initially, it was a bit of a slow burner for me. The first couple of chapters didn’t grip me. But that might just have been my mood as a few more chapters in and I was totally engrossed by the plot and characters…
Detective Inspector Meg Dalton has returned to her home ground in the Peak District and has something to prove to her colleagues but most of all to herself. When a man’s body is found in a cave – a well-known suicide spot – the facts don’t add up. And local people talk of a curse connected to the dead man’s house while secrets abound within his family and circle of close friends.
To add to her problems, Meg is worried about her mother and grandmother and struggles not to let the personal impose on the professional. I love the way Roz Watkins interweaves hints of the tragedy within Meg’s own family with that of the case she’s investigating.
The way Ms Watkins handles her characters and their dilemmas is impressive. This is her first novel and it is executed with assurance and confidence, creating a powerful sense of foreboding – and supernatural – within the setting. The action (after those first few chapters) is fast paced and unrelenting as more than once Meg has to fight for her life as she strives to save others.
Devil’s Dice is a really good police procedural with pitch perfect plotting that includes a dash of the supernatural. Highly recommended and I look forward to reading more from Roz Watkins.
Published by HQ in hardback and ebook, paperback due 6 September, 2018.