Today is my stop on the blog tour for Metropolis by Colin Garrow!
Here’s the blurb.
Edinburgh, 1936. People are disappearing. The police are clueless. Can Finlay MacBeth track down the perpetrator before someone else goes missing?
Haunted by his recent past, Professor Finlay MacBeth returns to his home town to take up a new post at the university. Within hours, his reputation for solving the occasional murder prompts the police to ask for his help. Four men—seemingly unconnected—have vanished into thin air. MacBeth must find whatever it is that links the men before the kidnapper strikes again.
But the police aren’t the only ones interested in MacBeth’s activities, and the amateur sleuth soon discovers that finding the missing men is the least of his problems…
In this thriller series set in Edinburgh, Metropolis is book #1 in the Finlay MacBeth Thriller series.
Review
Professor Finlay MacBeth returns home to take up a teaching position at the local university. Two things become clear very quickly, First, MacBeth has previously helped the police with investigations so his reputation precedes him, and second, he’s not alone.. someone has followed him.. buy why? And for what reason.
MacBeth quickly gets drawn into a case, men are going missing but there’s no links and zero leads.. could these men have simply upped and left, or is there something more sinister afoot.. Well MacBeth will find out one way or another.
MacBeth does have that Sherlock Holmes feel about him but at the same time is certainly his own character, who has his own dark past that’s trying to catch up to him.
As MacBeth investigates his focus is distracted a lot by the man who followed him and he employees the services of a young lad to assist him with gathering information to help him. Little Johnnie was a really fun character, full of energy and just what the tale needed, he’s the perfect accompaniment to MacBeth.
The cases itself was really intriguing, the missing men, why them, where are they now, why they disappeared in the first place… all these questions get answered but it’s like a drug to the reader, being drip fed.. oh wow…not to spoil it but the motivations behind the disappearances… brilliant!
I really loved the dark tone of the story too..there’s moments you don’t see coming.
Now, MacBeth’s personal issues. As with any good character he’s flawed. His dark past is waiting to see the light of day but what Garrow did superbly was to blend both of these plots lines together, with neither overshadowing the other. It really gave some depth seeing the main character juggle things and try and move things along in the right direction without giving up his secrets.
I’m a big fan of the authors style of writing and always feel at home with their work… I know what to expect.. it’s going to be a good read no matter what.. but Garrow certainly knows how to keep upping his game, keeps the reader guessing, and continues to offer top quality, character driven plots
Sublime 5*
My thanks go to the author and Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the tour
Tempeted?
Purchase Link – https://geni.us/ps3XiW
Why not follow the tour?
Author Bio –
Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.
He has published more than thirty books, and his short stories have appeared in several literary mags, most recently in Witcraft, and Flash Fiction North. Colin lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.
He also plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.
Social Media Links –
Website: https://colingarrow.co.uk/
Twitter: https://x.com/colingarrow
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/colingarrowauthor.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/
David's Book Blurg 
Excellent review – thanks again, David.
LikeLiked by 1 person