Marion Todd

One of my favourite detective series! I wrote a bio introducing people to it. Please read it so she keeps releasing.

Marion Todd, born and raised in Dundee, Scotland, started with a background in music. She studied music and spent many years working as a piano teacher and accompanist for hire. Her time spent as a hotel lounge pianist provided her a rich packet of characters and ideas for her writing. When she decided to start writing she experimented with different genres and had early success and won first prize in the Family Circle Magazine Short Story for Children national competition. Ms. Todd continued writing articles for her local newspaper and short stories. Ms. Todd was happily married to her Scotland police Detective for a few decades but after he passed away brought up her three children alone. To make ends meet, she worked as a college lecturer, candle-maker, plantswoman, and she’s now a full-time writer. She lives in North East Fife, with a wonderful home overlooking the amazing River Tay. In between writing, she enjoys walking her daughter’s crazy, lovable dog and enjoying her jungle-like garden. She is now a full-time writer with her star character, DI Clare Mackay, with the stories and crimes set in St. Andrews. Her first novel, See Them Run, was recognized by being shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut Novel of the Year 2020. She’s been nominated for many awards including the Scottish Arts Council Short Story Award and the Sunstory Award. She loves to read crime fiction by the top mystery authors of the genre. The venerable Agatha Christie, Kate Atkinson, Ian Rankin, and Stuart Macbride, among many others. Like many writers, she likes to keep improving her craft of writing and attends writing and workshops events. She networks using various social media like Twitter to improve and increase her knowledge and skills of writing, editing, and publishing.

The Detective Inspector Clare Mackay series is a police procedural set in and thereabouts St. Andrews.  

Detective Inspector Clare Mackay is newly installed as a DI of the St. Andrews force. Having come from Glasgow, she was hoping to have a little time to settle in. However, a serial killer has created other plans for her. After a big night of a wedding celebration, one of the guests has a grisly end to his day when he is mowed down and killed in a hit-and-run. The driver stropped long enough to place a card with a big number ‘5’ on his chest. DI Mackay leads the investigation. The following night number ‘4’ is plowed down with the card on his chest. Clare and her team quickly realize there’s a serial killer prowling the streets of the lovely St. Andrews seemingly intent on carrying out three more murders. The team is looking for any connections between the two victims that may give them a clue who could be the next victim. In order to discover the deepest secrets of the victims Clare will have to face her own past to be able to solve the current issues.

The second novel of Ms. Todd’s Detective Clare Mackay series is In Plain Sight. The tension starts fast with the snatching of a baby girl in the middle of a big crowd.  

Clare and several members of her team are at the starting line of a charity race. The race is being blocked by protesters who are angry with the race’s primary sponsor. In the midst of the noisy, unruly crowd Clare hears an ear piercing scream. A woman is looking wildly around and crying, “Someone’s taken my baby!”

The baby girl is only six months old. To add another layer of fear to the case, baby Abigail has a congenital heart defect and must take medication twice a day or she’s likely going to have heart failure and die. The clock is ticking.

Someone in St. Andrews knows who did this and why. The team knows it’s imperative to find out who and quickly.

Clare interviews the parents and comes away with an unsettled feeling. They are both holding back something. As the team digs into the investigation and Clare investigates, she beginning to realize the victim wasn’t selected at random.

The second novel of Ms. Todd’s Detective Clare Mackay series is Lies to Tell. Ms. Todd continues this very popular series with a gripping story of murder and the struggle to catch the culprits.

DI Clare Mackay is in the middle of her typical rushed morning routine. She receives a message from her boss. Strangely, DCI Alastair Gibson is telling her he has cancelled her morning team meeting and instead, has ordered her to meet him in secret.  

DCI Gibson takes her from St. Andrews to the remote Scottish hills. In this secure location she is introduced to a hacker. Gayle Crichton is an “ethical hacker” working for the police.  

There is a critical security breach that appears to be coming from the inside of Police Scotland. Apparently it’s an unknown fellow officer and Clare is sworn to secrecy until the culprit is found.

Clare has her hands full already. She’s been keeping a key witness safe and under wraps. Also investigating the murder of a university student.  

Later a friend of the victim is saved from trying to jump from the Tay Road Bridge. The poor guy is obviously terrified of someone.  

As Clare is working all the cases she realizes she has placed her trust in the wrong person. It becomes a danger to herself and others and now she has to fight to protect the ones she cares about as well as make sure justice is done right.