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Mark Douglas-Home, who is a nobleman by virtue of the Scotland’s Earl of Home and has been journalist in a career which saw him vilify the then South African anti-apartheid government, is a sexagenarian Scottish writer notably renowned for the Sea Detective series of books. Cal McGill is the featured protagonist in the “Cal McGill, Sea Detective” series of books authored by Mark Douglas-Home. The first book portraying the character Cal McGill was initially published in early May 2011, called The Sea Detective, and this much praised series of novels is shelved as mystery and crime fiction genre.
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Order of Sea Detective Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sea Detective | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Malice of Waves | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Driftwood Girls | 2020 | Description / Buy |
In this page-turner series of Mark Douglas-Home, Cal McGill goes by several descriptions, all rolled into one. McGill is not only a part-timer student but also an ambitious and true-blue careerist. By and by, these aspects are revealed but are overshadowed by Cal McGill’s sleuthing prowess as he undertakes risky tasks and ventures into locales which are outwardly welcoming but literally profiling. Incidentally, the stubbornly committed McGill embarks on a quest for unraveling mysterious events. All in all, McGill’s deep understanding of the whimsy yet hideous sea augurs well for the sleuthing which promises to throw a monkey wrench into the till now hassle-free lives of diverse people. And possibly pull the people, including McGill himself, into a vortex of jeopardy.
Basically, this whodunit series of books commences with both the education and career background of the protagonist. In this context, Cal McGill is, first, a student pursuing a PhD program in oceanography. Secondly, he is an oceanographer-cum-environmentalist.
The earliest book in the serialized “Call McGill, Sea Detective”, aptly titled The Sea Detective, starts with the protagonist Cal McGill using his pastime in a constructive way. In this light, Cal McGill is investigating floating objects, especially the remains of people, which he chances upon in the sea. In the formative sections of the book written by Mark Douglas-Home, Cal McGill bumps into a bedraggled youthful lady. It is in this encounter whereby McGill learns about the sad demise of the lady’s friend. Consequently, this sets the stage for a revisit into a death which took place several years previously.
By applying his deep understanding of the sea, buttressing it with information relating to maritime operations, Cal McGill is able to track and unravel flotsam and jetsam which might rebound on him. The story created and expounded in subsequent books by Mark Douglas-Home is out-and-out thrilling, and was hailed as the Crime Book of the Month by the Sunday Times.
Mark Douglas-Home Awards
Understandably, Mark Douglas-Home has not won many awards by virtue of being a recent entrant into the revered world of writing literature. By the way, he only debuted in 2011. Even then this man of letters has a few honors to his credit for his rather short writing tenure. For example, Douglas-Home’s first book, The Sea Detective, which he published to critical acclaim, was named the Crime Book of the Month by the UK-based Sunday Times. Furthermore, the said book was hailed as one of the best books of the year by The Literary Review in the crime fiction category.
Mark Douglas-Home Best Books
Ordinarily, the present three-pronged collection of Mark Douglas-Home is generally the best. However, the first book titled The Sea Detective is the best of the best. Without seemingly laboring the point, it is all about student-cum-investigator Cal McGill tracking the origin of flotsam and jetsam. As the adage, the first cut is the deepest, soberly puts it, The Sea Detective is the best by virtue of being the first in the series. Why, it not only ushers in the protagonist Cal McGill into subsequent books in the series, but also sets the tempo, albeit figuratively, for the plot! Moreover, the said book was integral to bolstering up the literary foothold of author Mark Douglas-Home.
Another book which is worth its salt is called The Woman Who Walked into the Sea. It is the second in the series and delves into a fatal incident which happened over two decades ago. A mother mysteriously committed suicide after dumping a baby girl at a medical facility. As investigator McGill embarks on yet another sleuthing mission, he finds himself in a society torn apart by anguish but unified by hushed up events.
Other Book You May Like
Bibliophiles who read the work of Mark Douglas-Home also flagged the following books for reading. The first book series, titled Kiszka and Kershaw and authored by Anya Lipska, is centered on a Mr Fix It named Janusz Kiszka and sleuth Natalie Kershaw. Clare Carson’s standalone book titled Orkney Twilight revolves around Jim, a behind-the-scenes investigator and alcoholic, and a daughter on the quest for investigating her father’s hushed past. Mick Herron‘s award-winning Sarah Tucker/Zoe Boehm series is about a sleuthing task involving a missing person, murder, robbery, and a hostage-taker.
When Does The Next Mark Douglas-Home book come out?
Mark Douglas-Home doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Driftwood Girls and was released on January, 9th 2020. It is the newest book in the Sea Detective Series.