A review by vanessakm
The Dead Hour by Denise Mina
4.0
This is the second book in Denise Mina's Paddy Meehan trilogy. The first one is [b:Field of Blood|94180|Field of Blood (Paddy Meehan, #1)|Denise Mina|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388209941s/94180.jpg|1780287]. It's not essential that the books be read in order but they ideally should be, if for no other reason than to appreciate the maturation of wee Paddy who is only 23 years old in this book.
Like all of Mina's books, the story is set in Glasgow, Scotland. This series is set in the 1980's--specifically 1984 here-and in the heart of Thatcher-era economic malaise and resentment. Paddy is a crime reporter for a local newspaper working the night shift, driving around the city following the summons of the police radio. The story opens with Paddy at the scene of a domestic violence call in a well-to-do neighborhood that ends the next day with the victim found tortured and dead, and Paddy feeling horribly guilty about leaving the scene with a would-be bribe in her pocket from the apparent killer. The following day, the victim's co-worker and ex-boyfriend commit suicide. The police seem largely uninterested in Paddy's take on what happened, and from there grows a tale of gangsters, police corruption and a giant bag full of cocaine that one character hilariously refers to as their "comfort pillow." Meanwhile, things don't look good at Paddy's economically challenged newspaper, which is under new management in a laying off mood. Losing her job would be especially bad news for young Paddy, who is the only member of her large Catholic family with a job at the moment.
I like Mina's Garnethill series the best but this one has really grown on me. There's lots of detail about 1980's Scotland (which sounds like a rollicking, unsafe place) and Paddy is as charming, resourceful, and fully formed as Garnethill's Maureen O'Donnell, yet totally distinct from her. I'm a big Denise Mina fan girl and can easily put her in the company of the likes of Dennis Lehane and Jo Nesbo. She's so smart about human nature and such a compelling story spinner, she's a pleasure to read.
Like all of Mina's books, the story is set in Glasgow, Scotland. This series is set in the 1980's--specifically 1984 here-and in the heart of Thatcher-era economic malaise and resentment. Paddy is a crime reporter for a local newspaper working the night shift, driving around the city following the summons of the police radio. The story opens with Paddy at the scene of a domestic violence call in a well-to-do neighborhood that ends the next day with the victim found tortured and dead, and Paddy feeling horribly guilty about leaving the scene with a would-be bribe in her pocket from the apparent killer. The following day, the victim's co-worker and ex-boyfriend commit suicide. The police seem largely uninterested in Paddy's take on what happened, and from there grows a tale of gangsters, police corruption and a giant bag full of cocaine that one character hilariously refers to as their "comfort pillow." Meanwhile, things don't look good at Paddy's economically challenged newspaper, which is under new management in a laying off mood. Losing her job would be especially bad news for young Paddy, who is the only member of her large Catholic family with a job at the moment.
I like Mina's Garnethill series the best but this one has really grown on me. There's lots of detail about 1980's Scotland (which sounds like a rollicking, unsafe place) and Paddy is as charming, resourceful, and fully formed as Garnethill's Maureen O'Donnell, yet totally distinct from her. I'm a big Denise Mina fan girl and can easily put her in the company of the likes of Dennis Lehane and Jo Nesbo. She's so smart about human nature and such a compelling story spinner, she's a pleasure to read.