Book Reviews and More: This Little Piggy - J.D. Kirk

This Little Piggy

DI Heather Filson Book 2

J.D. Kirk

Zertex Crime

ISBN 9781912767786

ASIN B0CJK2ZZ1V

This Little Piggy - J.D. Kirk - DI Heather Filson Book 2

I loved the first story in this series, and I appreciate this one ever more!

This story was an excellent read. I could hardly put the book down. This is the second book in a new series by J.D. Kirk, the DCI Jack Logan books have been coming out steadily for a few years now, and the off shoot quadrilogy of Bob Hoon books was epic in the levels of violence and use of language. And along comes these stories about DI Heather Filson. We have encountered her a few times in the Logan books, and there are some crossover characters. What an excellent story. I was waiting months for this volume to drop and see what happens next with Filson. It was more than worth the wait.

Over the last year I read about a book a week by Kirk under one of his three pen names. And this marks the 25th under the Kirk name and 20 under the names Barry Hutchison and Barry J, Hutchison. So this is the 45th volume from this author in about a year that I have read. I have now read the first 18 in the DCI Logan series and all 4 in the Robert Hoon series, as well as stand alone VIP exclusive short story. I picked the first for a few reasons, but mainly because authors Alex Smith and JE Mayhew have both recommended the author and series. I am a big fan of Smith’s DCI Kett novels and Mayhew’s DCI Will Blake series. I have been hooked since that first read. I had no idea how addictive Kirk’s books would be or that like Mayhew and Smith, Kirk publishes under three different names. Kirk publishes children’s books as Barry Hutchison, and other adult fiction as Barry J. Hutchison. He has over 200 books across the three pen names. If I had known that or I might not have picked up this first one. Friends call me a ‘completionist’ in that when I find an author I like, I try to read everything they have published. Being caught up now on his works as J.D. Kirk I will have to wait for each new one to come out. But back to this volume.

The description of this novel is:

“When a much-loved Kilmarnock police constable is found beaten to death in his home, all signs point to a burglary gone wrong. But, when a second officer is slain while walking the beat, it becomes clear that something much more sinister is afoot.

Somebody is murdering cops.

Harassed by an infuriating new partner and a teenage true crime podcaster, DI Heather Filson must track down a brutal killer while tensions between the police and the public explode into violence.

With rioting breaking out across Glasgow, and running battles filling the streets, Heather’s latest investigation is no longer just a murder hunt. It’s a race to stop Scotland’s largest city from tearing itself apart.

This Little Piggy is the second DI Heather Filson novel from multi-million selling Scottish crime fiction author, JD Kirk.”

Filson gets partnered with DC Swanney, who will be familiar from the last few DCI Logan books. Swanney is alike a ray of sunshine or a rainbow in the police force. Filson cannot figure out if she is being put on or if Swanney is honestly that optimistic and or naïve. But that is not the only thing she is dealing with. A war is brewing between the uniformed offices and an aging criminal boss. Officers are turning up dead. And Heathers dad has dementia or Alzheimer's and is declining fast. And then there is Ace Wurzel teenage true crime podcaster constantly turning up under foot, in the way and getting caught up in things.

This story is very different than most other things I have read by Kirk, and yet we have the crossover characters, the elements of Scottish police procedurals, and the nature of the crimes. From the very beginning we get to see deeper into the history and psyche of DI Filson, her family life, and her true heart than we have with either Hoon or Logan.

This is another great read in what looks to be another great series. I love the books written under the pen name J.D. Kirk, they are definitely Scottish Mysteries, and I can see the comparisons with Smith’s and Mayhew’s works, as well as several other more mainstream names. I love that the stories are set in Scotland! And I believe my gramps born in Fife would have loved them, and have recommended them to my own dad. This book would be great read for fans of Jack Reacher, Jack Ryan, or Temperance Brennan. I state it again this is a great read and beginning to what is shaping up to be an amazing series!

Books by J.D. Kirk:

The Bone House

…

DCI Logan Series:

The Last Bloody Straw

A Whisper of Sorrows

The Big Man Upstairs

A Death Most Monumental