Crown & Dagger

Two crime novels in one

‘Crown & Dagger’combines two ingenious detective stories set in Edinburgh involvingdiscontented historian Max Quillan. ‘Stolen Honours’ seesMax back in Edinburgh where he spent his youth. The Honours of Scotland (theoldest Crown Jewels in the world) are stolen from Edinburgh Castle by activistsfor Scottish independence. Arrests are made but the Honours remain hidden. Max’s lady-friend Rosie is the KC defending the activists, and her best friendDCI Helen Dyer is leading the police investigation. He manages to annoy both bydiscovering where the jewels are hidden during an entertaining journey whichlinks the colourful history of the Jewels to the current political climate inScotland. ‘To Kill aCrimewriter’ uncovers a plot to kill four famous crime writers who all live inEdinburgh. Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born in the city, is being honoured at adinner at which the writers are speakers. Max picks up a discarded menu onwhich someone has sketched methods of murder against the names of the writers. When the first actual attempt is made along the same lines, Max sets out tofind out which of the dinner guests might be responsible. Links to a recentlyreleased murderer suggest he is being used as a proxy killer in a chillinggame. When Max finally unmasks the evil mentor it brings disastrousconsequences to someone he holds dear.