Review: The Big Man Upstairs

Warning: This review contains a couple of mild spoilers for JD Kirk’s sixth novel, A Whisper of Sorrows. If you haven’t yet read that book, I suggest you go read that first.

After the events of JD Kirk’s sixth novel, A Whisper of Sorrows, I was worried we might have seen the last of DCI Jack Logan. Fortunately, that wasn’t to be, and Jack and his team make a triumphant return in the seventh book in the series, The Big Man Upstairs, and we even get to meet some new characters who I hope will be sticking around for a while.

Before we get into the review, though, let’s take a look at the blurb.

Just when he thought he was out…

Burdened by guilt over the trauma recently inflicted on his friends and colleagues, former-Detective Chief Inspector Jack Logan has spent the past nine months living in self-imposed exile.

When a mother and her young daughter are the victims of a double murder staged to look like suicide, Logan is dragged back to help hunt down and catch a brutal, calculating killer.

But the world has moved on without him. To do what needs to be done, Logan must first find his place among old friends and new enemies before the killer strikes again, and a whole Highland community tears itself apart.

Maybe early retirement wasn’t such a bad idea, after all…

I’ve been a fan of this series from the start, but I was a little concerned that JD Kirk might not be able to top the previous book, with its non-stop thrills and danger. And, on one hand, he hasn’t. But, for very good reason – he hasn’t tried to.

Sensibly, The Big Man Upstairs doesn’t try to up the ante on the previous book, but is instead a ‘smaller’ and more character-led mystery. In my opinion, this works very well – the sixth book verged into action movie territory at points, and while it made for an exciting read, too many books like that in a row would have quickly become repetitive.

Instead, this book has a similar feel to earlier books in the series, and I found myself devouring it just like I had those, enjoying every teased clue, every line of dialogue, and the continued misfortunes of poor DC Neish. If book six had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth, book seven was like catching up with old friends, albeit old friends whose lives are plagued by violence and murder.

While the usual humour is very much present in this book, the murder investigation is as gripping as any in the series to date. There are moments of horror and heartbreak, and JD Kirk once again demonstrates a real gift for playing with his readers’ emotions.

The new characters – notably a replacement Detective Superintendent and a constable who joins the team to handle the logging of evidence – both work well, and add a welcome spark to proceedings. It’s also nice to see the return of a certain foul-mouthed character who I was worried might be gone for good after the last book. His appearances, while brief, are none the less welcome.

But it’s the main team who continue to shine, and who make The Big Man Upstairs such an outstanding read. Gripping, funny, sad, uplifting, and harrowing in equal measures, I for one am very glad to have DCI Logan back on the case.

The Big Man Upstairs is published on August 14th, and is available to order from Amazon now.