When a free (or cheap) British mystery, in a series new to me, shows up, I’m inclined to give them a try. I like the settings, and sometimes the books can be good.

Made a Killing by Zach Abrams had some things going for it, but ultimately I wasn’t pleased.

DCI Alex Warren of the Glasgow police goes to view a grisly crime scene. Scott Stevenson, a local antique dealer with a bad reputation, has been stabbed to death with a bizarre weapon – a carved elephant tusk. Nobody, except for the victim’s old mother, is mourning him. The man was widely hated, and Alex has personal knowledge of his deceiving and defrauding numerous people.

But murder is murder, and when potential witnesses start dying by stabbing soon after, the investigation ramps up. Meanwhile, Alex is also increasingly aware of the sexual interest of an attractive co-worker.

The story was all right, the setting interesting. But I did figure out the culprit before the end. And Alex’s affair with a colleague struck me as professionally dubious.

But most annoying was a writing problem, dangling modifiers. Sentences like, “Being the weekend, it could take time…” and “Although cold and dark, they found a bench to sit on…” appear again and again. There were other problems with diction too, like, “The flat itself comprised of an entrance hallway….” And “She bade them to sit on the couch….”

All in all, I wasn’t much impressed.