The Freya Tulloch series represents one of Phillip Strang’s more experimental forays, blending industrial intrigue with traditional crime elements—but does the formula actually work?
Industrial crime fiction occupies a curious niche in the genre landscape, where corporate malfeasance meets murder most foul. When done well, it offers readers the satisfaction of both puzzle-solving and social commentary. The challenge lies in balancing technical detail with narrative momentum, creating characters who can navigate both boardrooms and crime scenes with equal authenticity. Strang’s attempt to carve out territory in this space with forensic accountant Freya Tulloch shows ambition, if not always execution.
The Series Worth Your Time
The Smelter
The inaugural Tulloch novel attempts to marry financial forensics with industrial murder, following the titular forensic accountant as she investigates irregularities at a metal processing plant. While Strang demonstrates his usual competence with procedural elements, the industrial setting feels underutilized, serving more as backdrop than integral plot driver. The character of Tulloch herself shows promise but lacks the distinctive voice that elevates Strang’s more successful protagonists like Isaac Cook or Sarah Lynch.
Verdict: A serviceable start that hints at potential without fully realizing it.
What to Read First
Given the limited scope of this series and its experimental nature, “The Smelter” serves as both entry point and litmus test for whether Strang’s industrial crime approach resonates with your reading preferences. However, readers seeking the author’s more polished work might be better served starting with his established DCI Cook or DI Lynch series before venturing into Tulloch territory.
The Reading Order
- The Smelter — Phillip Strang
Discover Phillip Strang
While the Freya Tulloch series may represent a minor detour in Strang’s catalogue, his mastery of police procedurals and atmospheric crime fiction shines brightest in his London-set DCI Cook series and Scottish Highlands Lynch mysteries. These established series showcase the author’s strengths without the growing pains evident in his industrial crime experiments.
A MAYA THORNE MYSTERY
Get Dust and Bones Free
Justice runs deeper than drought.
Red dust. Shallow graves. A detective who hunts killers where the law runs thin and the nearest help is two hundred miles away.
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