Sanctuary Isle
Thane and Moss Book 5
Bill Knox
J.D. Kirk (Forward)
ISBN 9781912767847
ASIN B0D4JNT6LF
I picked up this book and series because J.D Kirk was plugging it and the series. I became even more interested in reading the book and series after reading the forward by Kirk, that only appears in book 1, but which I think should be in each volume. I highlighted a few passages in Kirk’s introductory note from book 1, they are:
“I had been expertly drawn into the world that Bill had created, and was right there alongside detectives Thane and Moss as they carried out their investigations. I had identified with the detectives right away–the imposing Chief Inspector Colin Thane, with his no-nonsense attitude and dogged determination, and his trusty Inspector, Phil Moss, whose loyalty to his friend was second only to his worries about his grumbling ulcer. They immediately felt like real people. More than that, they felt like real Scottish men, whose evident care for one another was masked beneath gruff exchanges and barbed banter.”
“Yes, some of the terminology was different, and there was a lot less swearing in Bill’s book, but down below the surface, down where it mattered, we were both writing about good but complicated men doing their best to bring killers to justice.”
“Aside from the slight change to the title, and a few ten-thousand-word chapters being broken into shorter segments, the book you are about to read is the same one first published in 1957.”
The fact that Kirk thought these books were good enough to spend some time and effort tracking down the rights and bringing them back into print indicates the quality of the writing and the power of the stories. And after reading the first 5 I can see why this is a passion project of his. This novel was originally published in 1962 and this Zertex edition is from 2024. It has also been released under the title The Gray Sentinels. The description of the new edition is:
“Every journey ends somewhere.
Dive into the gripping world of Thane & Moss with “Sanctuary Isle,” the fifth thrilling instalment in Bill Knox’s celebrated Scottish crime fiction series.
When Chief Detective Inspector Colin Thane and Detective Inspector Phil Moss are dispatched to the remote Sanctuary Isle, they find themselves unraveling the mysterious death of the island’s bird warden, Captain Lewis Tinemann.
Set against the wild, windswept backdrop of Scotland’s Firth of Lorne, the detectives navigate a maze of clues and deceit, encountering a cast of intriguing characters including ornithologists, local fishermen, and a secretive shark hunter. With the island’s isolation intensifying the stakes, Thane and Moss must piece together the puzzle of Tinemann’s death, and uncover the secrets hidden among the rugged terrain.
Perfect for fans of classic detective fiction and Tartan Noir, this novel will keep you guessing until the very end. Rediscover the art of the mystery with one of the genre’s original masters.”
Once again it was with great interest that I dove into this fifth story in this series after reading all of Kirk’s Scottish crime novels that were available to date; and having read Alex Smith’s DCI Kett novels and J.E. Mayhew’s DCI Will Blake Series. It was fascinating to read this story and series set nearly a hundred years earlier. It was interesting reading stories before cell phones, and technology that so many modern crime books and shows rely on, but back to the work at hand.
The prologue to this story ends with:
“The newcomer veered beyond the lighthouse, used one wing-beat and an air current to carry it past a frowning line of granite rocks, and settled to rest on a stretch of pebbles just beyond.
Fatigue made the tern dull to possible danger. The bird took a few weary steps forward, seeking some handy, sheltering hollow, then gave a sudden squawk of fright and flapped skywards as a dark shape in the shadow of the rocks gave a sighing moan.
The tern was weary, too weary. Once again it settled on the pebbles, and this time found the shielding hollow it craved. Its little black head drooped low into its breast feathers, red legs pulled up tight and small beneath.
It had obeyed the urge, had made the journey. Now it must rest… and the dark shape so near was still. The tern’s head fell forward.
Arm’s length apart, man and seabird died with the coming of night.
The lighthouse beam probed its monotonous routine, a glaring eye sweeping seawards. A score of thousand birds settled into their nesting areas. Only the waves disturbed the silence.”
This story takes me back to family stories told about the old country. There are some wonderful personalities in this story. The setting in the small village with a community that all know each other works exceptionally well. The crime that Thane figures out, but he needs to use some deception to have the evidence on the villain and catch them red handed.
I have really enjoy the characters of Thane and Moss, through these first five Scottish crime mysteries. This story from the beginning has several suspects. But with some serious leg work, including a trip to the continent shadowing a suspect leads Thane and Moss know there is a lot more at play; tied up to legends, history, and even a rumoured buried treasure.
Thane and Moss are reminiscent of DCI Logan and DI Ben Forde. The language is not as extreme as in Kirk’s books. We get to watch the team as they work to solve the case. The characters are fascinating. Reading it, it is like being transported back in time. The story moves at a brisk pace.
This fifth story leaves you wanting more. Kirk is releasing these stories at a good pace. And I sincerely hope he sees this series and maybe other series by Knox through to publication. I said before and I say it again reading this was in some was like watching Mike Hammer with my dad, or reading his old Ian Fleming or Robert B. Parker books. I have already recommended this series to my dad, my manager at work and a few friends. I can easily recommend this story for fans of crime fiction, historical fiction or to be honest anyone who loves a good story. However I must state; be warned it leaves you wanting more.
Books by Bill Knox:
Thane and Moss:
1 Deadline for a Dream (1957)
aka In at the Kill
2 Death Department (1959)
3 Leave It to the Hangman (1960)
4 Little Drops of Blood (1962)
5 Sanctuary Isle (1962)
aka The Gray Sentinels
6 The Man in the Bottle (1963)
7 The Taste of Proof (1965)
8 The Deep Fall (1966)
aka The Ghost Car
9 Justice On the Rocks (1967)
10 The Tallyman (1969)
11 Children of the Mist (1970)
aka Who Shot the Bull?
12 To Kill a Witch (1971)
13 Penalty Shootout (1973)
aka Draw Batons
14 Children of the Water (1974)
15 Rally to Kill (1975)
16 Pilot Error (1977)
17 Live Bait (1978)
18 A Killing in Antiques (1981)
19 The Hanging Tree (1983)
20 The Crossfire Killings (1986)
21 The Interface Man (1989)
22 The Counterfeit Killers (1996)
23 Blood Proof (1997)
24 Death Bytes (1998)
25 The Lazarus Widow (1999)
…
Webb Carrick Series:
1. The Scavengers (1964)
2. Devilweed (1966)
3. Blacklight (1967)
4. The Klondyker (1968)
aka A Figurehead
5. Blueback (1969)
6. Seafire (1970)
7. Stormtide (1972)
8. Whitewater (1974)
9. Hellspout (1976)
10. Witchrock (1977)
11. Bombship (1980)
12. Bloodtide (1982)
13. Wavecrest (1985)
14. Dead Man's Mooring (1987)
15. The Drowning Nets (1991)
…
Talos Cord Series (as by Robert MacLeod)
Cave of Bats (1964)
Lake of Fury (1966)
aka The Iron Sanctuary
Isle of Dragons (1967)
Place of Mists (1969)
Path of Ghosts (1971)
Nest of Vultures (1972)
…
Jonathan Gaunt Series: (as by Robert MacLeod)
1. A Property in Cyprus (1970)
aka A Flickering Death
2. A Killing in Malta (1972)
3. A Burial in Portugal (1973)
4. A Witchdance in Bavaria (1975)
5. A Pay-off in Switzerland (1977)
6. An Incident in Iceland (1979)
7. A Problem in Prague (1981)
8. Mayday from Malaga (1983)
9. A Legacy from Tenerife (1984)
10. The Money Mountain (1987)
aka A Flight from Paris
11. The Spanish Maze Game (1990)
…
Andrew Laird Series (as by Robert MacLeod)
All Other Perils (1974)
Dragonship (1976)
Salvage Job (1978)
Cargo Risk (1980)
Witchline (1980)
…
Novels
The Cockatoo Crime (1958)
Death calls the shots (1961)
Die for Big Betsy (1961)
Court of murder: Famous trials at Glasgow High Court (1968)
The View from Daniel Pike (1974) (with Edward Boyd)
Storyland Wall Frieze (1981)
Country Club Wives (1997)
A Cut in Diamonds (1997)
Drum of Power (1998)
…
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