newishpuritan's review against another edition
4.0
Great novel. Rich, complex characters; vividly realised settings, both geographical and cultural (Glasgow, Irish Catholic family); great colloquial prose with strong images and lived-in description (I mean attentive to the sensations and experiences of the characters experiencing the settings). I came to this book after watching the tv adaptations of the two previous titles in this series, but this book is much better than either of the dramatisations.
kaci422's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
reedabook's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
arushibhaskar's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
Denise Mina creates brilliant female characters and in Paddy Meehan . like Maureen O'Donnell in the brilliant Garnethill trilogy , she creates normal women drawn into extraordinary situations.
Here Paddy, 5 years on from book 2 and with a 5 yr old son is drawn into another investigation which puts her at risk as she seeks to unearth a story/crime personal to her while also dealing with the boy from book 1 who is leaving prison. A compelling well written tale and I'm just sorry there are no more Paddy Meehan tales. Perhaps Denise should bring Maureen , Paddy and Alex Morrow together for one fantastic Glasgow crime solving team.
Here Paddy, 5 years on from book 2 and with a 5 yr old son is drawn into another investigation which puts her at risk as she seeks to unearth a story/crime personal to her while also dealing with the boy from book 1 who is leaving prison. A compelling well written tale and I'm just sorry there are no more Paddy Meehan tales. Perhaps Denise should bring Maureen , Paddy and Alex Morrow together for one fantastic Glasgow crime solving team.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read any of the Temperance Brennen mysteries, but if this one is supposed to be like them... no thanks. This felt messy to me - I'm not sure how else to explain it. There were times when I think the author felt we'd intuit what was going on, but then rushed through so we didn't quite catch up. At least, that's my take on it.
Not a series I'll pursue.
Not a series I'll pursue.
vanessakm's review against another edition
3.0
When you hear the term Tartan Noir (which is fancy name for Scotland-set mysteries), hopefully you think of Denise Mina. If not, you should.
I really loved both her Garnethill and Paddy Meehan trilogies. Here's the thing I'm starting to think about her though: she has trouble closing. The third book in both trilogies was kind of soggy in the middle. Mystery novels often have a second half that is more exciting than the first half. The first sets up the characters, makes you care about them, creates the setting, sets the action in motion, and so on. The second half is the payoff.
I get that.
But even though I continue to love the thick Glaswegian setting with its charming, casually abundant use of swear words and Paddy herself, this story was slow and a bit of a struggle to read until the last 90 pages when the gears really kicked in.
The time has jumped ahead to 1990 in this book, which I think is around 6 years since the first one. Paddy is now a celebrity columnist, her days of struggling as a copy boy far behind her, and a single mother. She's moved out of her family home and into a flat with her friend, Dub. When the story opens, Callum Ogilvy (the child who killed another child in the first book) is due to be released from prison, and Paddy's old colleague/ex-boyfriend Terry has been murdered. Another death follows and both appear to have IRA connections. Meanwhile, the cops can't be bothered and seem to be trying to sweep both murders under the rug. Paddy soon finds herself deep in the middle of both stories and there could be serious ramifications for both her and those close to her.
As I said, I love Paddy. She's brassy, foul-mouthed, and a true believer in the power of writing and journalism. I enjoyed spending time with her, but the story just didn't get here fast enough. And even when it did, the ending didn't entirely make sense to me.
I guess I shouldn't think too hard about this, and enjoy what I did enjoy. I don't like Mina's Alex Morrow novels as well, but I've only read the first one (Still Midnight) so I'm confident I'll be reading more.
I really loved both her Garnethill and Paddy Meehan trilogies. Here's the thing I'm starting to think about her though: she has trouble closing. The third book in both trilogies was kind of soggy in the middle. Mystery novels often have a second half that is more exciting than the first half. The first sets up the characters, makes you care about them, creates the setting, sets the action in motion, and so on. The second half is the payoff.
I get that.
But even though I continue to love the thick Glaswegian setting with its charming, casually abundant use of swear words and Paddy herself, this story was slow and a bit of a struggle to read until the last 90 pages when the gears really kicked in.
The time has jumped ahead to 1990 in this book, which I think is around 6 years since the first one. Paddy is now a celebrity columnist, her days of struggling as a copy boy far behind her, and a single mother. She's moved out of her family home and into a flat with her friend, Dub. When the story opens, Callum Ogilvy (the child who killed another child in the first book) is due to be released from prison, and Paddy's old colleague/ex-boyfriend Terry has been murdered. Another death follows and both appear to have IRA connections. Meanwhile, the cops can't be bothered and seem to be trying to sweep both murders under the rug. Paddy soon finds herself deep in the middle of both stories and there could be serious ramifications for both her and those close to her.
As I said, I love Paddy. She's brassy, foul-mouthed, and a true believer in the power of writing and journalism. I enjoyed spending time with her, but the story just didn't get here fast enough. And even when it did, the ending didn't entirely make sense to me.
Spoiler
Callum (maybe) fatally wounds McBree, the IRA assassin, at the end, then Paddy burns down Terry's cottage with him in it, which she got in the will that was likely going to be contested, so it wasn't even her cottage free and clear yet. And the police knew she was meeting McBree there since she used them to send the invitation in the first place. It seems unlikely that no one would investigate his disappearance since he was protected by the police and had ties to British Intelligence. Would they go to McBree's last known location, where he was to have met Paddy, find a crispy skeleton, and think that was just a wacky coincidence?I guess I shouldn't think too hard about this, and enjoy what I did enjoy. I don't like Mina's Alex Morrow novels as well, but I've only read the first one (Still Midnight) so I'm confident I'll be reading more.
sireno8's review against another edition
5.0
Riveting. I don't usually read a bunch of one author at one time but I made an exception for this one. Couldn't get enough. I was reading it and loving it early on but wondering in the back of my mind if I'd be digging this as much as I was if I hadn't read the first 2 and gotten so thoroughly invested in the characters and their world. Then the three or more story lines Mina had been picking at from this book and the other two completely surrounded me and was swept away for the ride. The wonderful thing about Mina's stuff is you never know what's coming next. Really bad things happen to really good people so no one is safe. Characters are alternatively tough and fragile. Crazy people do the sanest things. Even the "genre" is constantly changing from, murder mystery to family drama to crime fiction to psychological profile to down right Hitchcockian suspense. This is the last Paddy Meehan book (I hope--because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ending) but I will definitely check out the author's other titles!
jen567's review against another edition
4.0
Another Mina book in fact the last in the series - her writing is superb- very enjoyable crime series/story -