D.C.I. Daley Books In Order

Publication Order of DCI Daley Books

Denzil Meyrick is a Scottish author of fiction crime novels. He acquired his education in Campbell Grammar school this is where he got the basics of the English grammar and acquired a passion for fiction writing. After his education he spent time pursuing a myriad of careers. One of the careers that he pursued was a career as a policeman for the Strathclyde Police service. His novels are crime based fiction and it is imaginable that he acquired his sense of imagination while working as a policeman. Next he spent some time working as a manager in Springback Distillery which is located in Campbelltown. He then ventured into the novel world in 2012 when he wrote his first book, Whisky From Small Glasses. His first ever novel was published by the company called Ringwood. The novel was then published by Polygon which is a division of Birlinn. He then finally signed with Birlinn books after publishing his first DCI Daley book.

Jim Daley
The main character of the novel is a Scottish detective known as Jim Daley. There have been numerous descriptions of the character but the most apt of all of them would have to be “Rebus meets Taggart”. This is because most of the Scottish detectives, or at least how they appear on television, have a tendency to be quite short in stature. They are also depicted with huge eye bags under their eyes. They also depict a lot of anxiety in their gait. This is the contemporary stereotype of the Scottish detectives but Daley does not subscribe to these stereotypes. He has been depicted as a tall character with a huge protruding belly looming over his trousers. He has been brought to the audience as a great character. He claims not to be hardened against such ghastly sights as a corpse bleeding out but is not one for philosophy. He also does not confide in strong liquor after seeing grizzly sights. Neither does he need the solace of music such as jazz and classical rock.

He does conform to the regular policeman chide of having a lot of troubles at home. This is not unlike other fictional policemen. The reason for this has been included early on in the book. It is, in fact, one of the earliest revelations of the book.

Unlike Taggart and Rebus, Daley does not operate in the urban cities. His vibe inclines more to the rural side. These areas are prone to regular bouts of violence and crime. He can be compared in many ways to Jimmy Perez from the blockbuster series, Shetland. This is regardless of his long stature and weight. His base of operations is out of the town of Kinloch. However most of the drama unfolds in the village of Blaan. This is the result of a house known as Kersivay House. This is one huge house overlooking the ocean and has a wide coverage of forests. This heavy surrounding of forest is what gives apt cover for the criminals to perform all kinds of illegal activities.

The author made a confession that the fictional town of Blaan is his version of the town of Southend. This is because the town used to be named St. Blaan. It is located at the very edge of the Kintyre peninsula.

Whisky From Small Glasses
Daley is seen in the first book, Whisky From Small Glasses. It brings into limelight the D.C.I, Jim Daley, a detective from Kinloch when he is set to investigate a case. It so happens that the lifeless corpse of a woman is found floating at the bay of Kinloch, a small fishing village located about 150 miles from the town of Glasgow. The case is tasked to Daley and his team. That includes Brian Scott, his Detective Sergeant. They come to the case and end up discovering what pretty much a close-knit, Kinloch community is.

Although the mystery punctuates pretty much most of the novel, most of the story seems to originate from the characters, and Daley in particular. The D.C.I caught his wife pretty much cheating on him. And since then their marriage has been on the rocks. The detective is caught in between feelings of jealousy and obsessive love.

The setting also brings into light a lot of interesting characters that add color and imagination to the novel series. One of these characters is the inspector, MacLeod. He has been depicted as quite the bully. It is quite an interesting book this one.

The Last Witness
The character appears again in the second novel, The Last Witness. In this book Daley goes up against a criminal known as James Machie. This was a genius gangbanger that formerly run the streets and had a reputation for violence. He built a huge empire for himself. An empire that stretched beyond the reaches of Glasgow and spread all the way to the interior of Europe. He was then arrested and convicted with the assistance of D.S Scott, a friend and colleague to D.C.I Daley. Following his arrest and conviction, the former warlord was assassinated in the back of a hospital ambulance.

However, five years later, he has apparently resurrected and is a man with a vengeance. He is set on taking revenge on all the people that were involved in his downfall. At the top of his hit list is a previous associate of his, Frank MacDougal. Frank is living in his loft in the town of Kinloch. Daley is unaware of his presence. But Daley understands that D.S Scott has a bull’s eye on his back courtesy of the resurrection of James Machie. And from his past Daley knows that nothing, not even death apparently, has ever stood in the way of James.

Conclusion
The D.C.I series is one of the most popular Scottish crime drama series that has been released to the public. It is popular among the readers however none of the books has ever made it to the big screen. This is a situation that should change soon. It is a favorite among numerous people and you should really consider adding it to your library.

One Response to “D.C.I. Daley”

1. George Law: 6 years ago

   I have all your DCI Daley books on my kindle which I have really enjoyed. I hope more are in the pipeline?

   Reply