A review by spark_of_madness
Bloody Scotland by Craig Robertson, Denise Mina, Doug Johnstone, Christopher Brookmyre, Louise Welsh, Sara Sheridan, Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid, Lin Anderson, E.S. Thomson, Stuart MacBride, Gordon Brown
3.0
Bloody Scotland was creepy. That was the point, I suppose, I just expected horror going in and got thriller. Not unhappy. There were quite a few stories I picked as favourites:
Stanley Mills, definitely. First, the uncertainty of what is happening at the mill and then the reveal of why everyone hates the floor manager. Then to his own daughter hoping he was dead and finding out he wasn't; the girls then deciding he would never touch them again. So creepy, so good, the pace was perfect.
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The wondering who was the impostor. Fantastic. Why did you kill poor Robert, Alex? What happened to his wife?? Did you kill her too?
Crossraguel Abbey. The abbey... I don't know what to think of it. All I could think of while reading it was a thing I read a long time ago that said cannibalism sends humans crazy, because the body/brain knows this meat is human or it somehow creates prions that send you mad. I don't know. Still creepy, still good.
St Peter's Seminary, Cardoss. I like how I couldn't figure out what creature we were in the point of view of. In retrospect it was a bit obvious.
Edinburgh Castle. Of course. That little boy. So psychotic. Jesus. I knew bad things were going to happen when he suddenly snapped out of his tantrum. Sooooo creepy. I feel like I read this story set in the castle or maybe heard it before? I can't place where I would have encountered it though...
Stanley Mills, definitely. First, the uncertainty of what is happening at the mill and then the reveal of why everyone hates the floor manager. Then to his own daughter hoping he was dead and finding out he wasn't; the girls then deciding he would never touch them again. So creepy, so good, the pace was perfect.
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The wondering who was the impostor. Fantastic. Why did you kill poor Robert, Alex? What happened to his wife?? Did you kill her too?
Crossraguel Abbey. The abbey... I don't know what to think of it. All I could think of while reading it was a thing I read a long time ago that said cannibalism sends humans crazy, because the body/brain knows this meat is human or it somehow creates prions that send you mad. I don't know. Still creepy, still good.
St Peter's Seminary, Cardoss. I like how I couldn't figure out what creature we were in the point of view of. In retrospect it was a bit obvious.
Edinburgh Castle. Of course. That little boy. So psychotic. Jesus. I knew bad things were going to happen when he suddenly snapped out of his tantrum. Sooooo creepy. I feel like I read this story set in the castle or maybe heard it before? I can't place where I would have encountered it though...