Thursday, 16 May 2024

Crucial Black by Colin Garrow (extract)

 

Chez Maximka

I'm thrilled to welcome Colin Garrow to my blog today.


Crucial Black

A brace of corpses. A bone-crunching machine. A new recruit.

Now employed by an Inverness organised crime gang, former petty thief Relic Black is teamed up with hitman Ali McKay, the man he almost killed a few weeks earlier. As the team tidy up the loose ends after the shooting, gang member and bent cop DI McKenzie must investigate the disappearance of two people, knowing Relic and Ali have already disposed of the bodies.

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s unpopular colleague DI Swinney, suspects her of involvement in the shooting. Knowing one of the bodies currently taking up space in the mortuary remains anonymous, he discovers the man’s identity. Can Swinney uncover the truth, dig the dirt on McKenzie and regain his former status with the DCI, or will the gang step in to stop him?

Warning - strong language and adult situations throughout.

Crucial Black is book #2 in the Relic Black Thriller series set in Inverness, Scotland.

NB book #2 is not a standalone – the series must be read in order.

 

Purchase Link

AMAZON https://geni.us/gXeQFS

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1345380


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.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice vegan cakes.

 

Social Media Links –

Twitter https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/

Website https://colingarrow.co.uk/ 

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-garrow

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@colingarrowauthor




Extract from Crucial Black

Owing bent cop Rebecca McKenzie a few favours, barber Hughie McVitie finds himself agreeing to do some spying on her behalf…

The Twa Heids Barber Shop, Castle Street, Inverness 7:12pm

Hughie McVitie flicks the cigarette away and locks the shop door. Standing for a minute, he tells himself to calm down. After all, it’s not as if the bitch is calling him night and day for favours. He looks at the address she’s sent him. It’s only a ten-minute walk from where he is, so not massively out of his way. Walking down past the castle, he veers right onto View Place, then into Haugh Road. Turning left, he gets confused. Halfway along, the road goes straight on to a dead end but also leads off to his left. Both, apparently, are Gordonville Road. Not confusing at all. Taking the left one, he follows it along almost to the corner of Paton Street and realises he’s walked in a full circle. Backing up, he finds the flats on the right-hand side.

Gazing around, there’s no-one lurking in the bushes. In fact, there aren’t any bushes to lurk in. If anyone were spying on the place, as McKenzie seems to think, it’d be near impossible to do it without being spotted. Crossing to the opposite pavement, he continues along, ducking under the tree overhanging the house on the corner and promptly colliding with a man doing the same thing coming the other way.

‘Fuck’s sake,’ Hughie mutters.

The other man steps aside. ‘Aye, my fault, mate, sorry…’ Then he pauses. ‘Hang on…’

‘Oh, Christ,’ says Hughie. ‘What is it noo? Am I no even allowed to walk the fuckin streets on ma ain?’

Swinney mumbles something Hughie can’t hear and hurries off past the flats.

Hughie stands watching until the copper reaches the other end and turns the corner. Unsure what to do, he dithers for a minute, then follows the cop back down to the main road. By the time he gets to the junction there’s no sign of him.

Fine. Well, that’s me done, he thinks to himself. Taking out his mobile, he sends a text. A minute later, he gets a reply.

Hang around for an hour, will ye? See if he comes back.

Scanning the message, Hughie groans. ‘Fuck’s sake. Like I’ve no got onythin else to do.’


Chez Maximka


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