Ground Rules appealed to me both because it is set in Edinburgh, and because of the concept of a geologist helping with a police investigation. Familiar with the city, I loved how the author created such a strong sense of place throughout the book, and even if I hadn’t had that familiarity I feel that I would have been able to visualise the surroundings that this story takes place in, which is a fantastic way of grounding the story in reality.
I was curious to see how the geological aspect would play out, and I will say that was probably my favourite part of the book, because it was a refreshing take on investigation. There was sill enough of the typical investigation process to keep it grounded and moving forward, but the focus and use of geology was fascinating and well applied and you can see the research and experience of the author shine through here.
I did struggle in places with the pacing of the story, which was rather slow until the end, and might be because of the somewhat different approach to the investigation. However, it was not enough to lose my interest, especially towards the end where the need to find out how the investigation would end was pulling me forward, and I feel that the pacing was made up for with the characters. In particular Dr. Spargo was a brilliant character, who was able to hold her own in a situation outside the normal, and make connections that others didn’t, and I found myself very much invested in her role and progress.
This was a refreshing take on a criminal investigation, and I would recommend to anyone looking for something a little different.