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Quint Dalrymple #4
The Blood Tree
It is 2026, and Edinburgh is an independent state. A break-in at the former Scottish parliament archive is followed by two murders, the victims covered with blood-drenched branches. Before Quint Dalrymple can figure out what is going on, Edinburgh's brightest teenagers are spirited away to the feared city-state of Glasgow.
Hardcover
First published August 13, 1957
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About the author
Paul Johnston
90 books88 followersPaul Johnston was born in Edinburgh, studied Greek at Oxford, and now divides his time between the UK and a small Greek island. His highly-acclaimed Quintilian Dalrymple series won the John Creasey Memorial Dagger for best first crime novel.
Series:
* Quint Dalrymple
* Alex Mavros
* Matt Wells
Series:
* Quint Dalrymple
* Alex Mavros
* Matt Wells
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 3, 2007
Most of the flavor of the first 50 pp. consists of showing how by 2026 the Edinburgh ultra-rationalist oligarchy has become completely totalitarian, Edinburgh itself decrepit, its economy shot (barring fawning to the sacred tourism-cow), its people fearful and everyone ignorant of the outside. [Time to write a cataclysmic finale to the series, I'd say. No wonder Johnston moved on to a Greek series soon after this.]
The main secondary characters (Davie and Katherine, Hel and Tam) have edge, but no depth, meaning their banter is not convincing or amusing, just annoying and irrelevant.
I suspect Johnston is a lazy researcher - unlike his Edinburgh contemporaries, Jardine and Rankin. His style is descriptive, not nearly allusive enough to engage the imagination. References to real historical events are contrived, and for some reason need to be explained - assuming his readers are as ignorant as most of the characters.
The plot is fairly interesting once it gets going, taking Quint, for his first outing of the series, to Glasgow , the much-detested 'democratic' city-state that is a huge economic success. The plot-link that binds the two cities is genetic engineering, with a couple of early mis-products playing a role.
Much too long, but after a bit you can suss the bits to skip!
Next stop: his second Greek novel... stay tuned.
The main secondary characters (Davie and Katherine, Hel and Tam) have edge, but no depth, meaning their banter is not convincing or amusing, just annoying and irrelevant.
I suspect Johnston is a lazy researcher - unlike his Edinburgh contemporaries, Jardine and Rankin. His style is descriptive, not nearly allusive enough to engage the imagination. References to real historical events are contrived, and for some reason need to be explained - assuming his readers are as ignorant as most of the characters.
The plot is fairly interesting once it gets going, taking Quint, for his first outing of the series, to Glasgow , the much-detested 'democratic' city-state that is a huge economic success. The plot-link that binds the two cities is genetic engineering, with a couple of early mis-products playing a role.
Much too long, but after a bit you can suss the bits to skip!
Next stop: his second Greek novel... stay tuned.
September 22, 2014
It seemed as good a week as any for a story about a murder in an independent Scotland.
In Paul Johnston’s The Blood Tree, Scotland’s cities have split into independent city states. In 2026, Edinburgh is an Orwellian totalitarian dictatorship run by the City Guards and remain fierce rivals of the democratic, and essentially Communist, Glasgow.
Quintilian ‘Quint’ Dalrymple is called upon to investigate a break-in at the former Scottish Parliament building, subsequent murders and abductions. He is supported by guardsman (policeman) Davie Humes and on-off lover Katharine.
The Blood Tree can be divided into three acts: the first set in Edinburgh; the second in Glasgow where Quint meets Helen ‘Hel’ Hyslop and Tam Haggs; and the third where the casts and settings collide. Each is probably a slight improvement on the one before.
There isn’t so much anything to dislike about it as simply not much to like. None of the characters have any depth to them, and they all speak in exactly the same way. In as many pages Quint, Davie and Karherine all say: “Cool it, Name.” There were also a number of word choices I’d question, such as repeated use of “whence” instead of “hence”.
The pace is slow with very little happening in the first act, a lengthy “What’s going on?/I’ll tell you later” fest in act two and a protracted denouement in act three that give a sluggish feel throughout. Johnston fails to build any tension.
The independent city state set up is interesting but underdeveloped. Edinburgh is ripped from the pages of 1984 with contrived links to 1990s events that are over explained as if the reader has no recent history knowledge. Glasgow’s stark difference is a good idea but it’s unrecognisable. I wanted to see the city I know well 12 years in the future (or 26 at time of publication) but it was alien, with a lazy reference to The Old Firm and not much else.
Despite the comments of other reviewers, comparisons to Rebus are unfounded. The Blood Tree shares nothing with it besides the Edinburgh setting but Johnston should have done more research. The likes of Rankin and MacBride work hard to bring realism to their books by fleshing out their settings. There was very little in The Blood Tree that could even be seen as distinctly Scottish.
The theme of genetic engineering runs through the book, and very subtle taps on power and corruption. These could have been explored in more detail but the actual plot was rather interesting. Unfortunately a lot of the meaty stuff was reserved for the last third and couldn’t be as closely examined as I would have liked. Many of the ethical questions had to be left unanswered or, in some cases, unasked.
The climax had far too much of villains bearing their souls and confessing their sins without much prompting, and many of the strands were tied up in a flourish.
Although there were interesting concepts, The Blood Tree underused many of its ideas. Weak characters you didn’t care about, slow pacing that tested your patience and a lack of tension throughout conspired to make this sadly underwhelming.
In Paul Johnston’s The Blood Tree, Scotland’s cities have split into independent city states. In 2026, Edinburgh is an Orwellian totalitarian dictatorship run by the City Guards and remain fierce rivals of the democratic, and essentially Communist, Glasgow.
Quintilian ‘Quint’ Dalrymple is called upon to investigate a break-in at the former Scottish Parliament building, subsequent murders and abductions. He is supported by guardsman (policeman) Davie Humes and on-off lover Katharine.
The Blood Tree can be divided into three acts: the first set in Edinburgh; the second in Glasgow where Quint meets Helen ‘Hel’ Hyslop and Tam Haggs; and the third where the casts and settings collide. Each is probably a slight improvement on the one before.
There isn’t so much anything to dislike about it as simply not much to like. None of the characters have any depth to them, and they all speak in exactly the same way. In as many pages Quint, Davie and Karherine all say: “Cool it, Name.” There were also a number of word choices I’d question, such as repeated use of “whence” instead of “hence”.
The pace is slow with very little happening in the first act, a lengthy “What’s going on?/I’ll tell you later” fest in act two and a protracted denouement in act three that give a sluggish feel throughout. Johnston fails to build any tension.
The independent city state set up is interesting but underdeveloped. Edinburgh is ripped from the pages of 1984 with contrived links to 1990s events that are over explained as if the reader has no recent history knowledge. Glasgow’s stark difference is a good idea but it’s unrecognisable. I wanted to see the city I know well 12 years in the future (or 26 at time of publication) but it was alien, with a lazy reference to The Old Firm and not much else.
Despite the comments of other reviewers, comparisons to Rebus are unfounded. The Blood Tree shares nothing with it besides the Edinburgh setting but Johnston should have done more research. The likes of Rankin and MacBride work hard to bring realism to their books by fleshing out their settings. There was very little in The Blood Tree that could even be seen as distinctly Scottish.
The theme of genetic engineering runs through the book, and very subtle taps on power and corruption. These could have been explored in more detail but the actual plot was rather interesting. Unfortunately a lot of the meaty stuff was reserved for the last third and couldn’t be as closely examined as I would have liked. Many of the ethical questions had to be left unanswered or, in some cases, unasked.
The climax had far too much of villains bearing their souls and confessing their sins without much prompting, and many of the strands were tied up in a flourish.
Although there were interesting concepts, The Blood Tree underused many of its ideas. Weak characters you didn’t care about, slow pacing that tested your patience and a lack of tension throughout conspired to make this sadly underwhelming.
May 16, 2025
The continuing adventures of Quint Dalrymple, investigator in the alternate-reality future city state of Edinburgh.
The most fun in this book (if you’ve read the previous books in the series) is that a large part of it takes place in Glasgow. You get a fun take on how contrastingly different dark Edinburgh and gallus Glasgow might end up in different timelines. Anyone who knows both cities will enjoy the contrasts in lifestyle and attitude between the citizens of the 2 cities here. I liked this contrast between the 2 cities a lot.
Quint’s initially called in to investigate a break-in at the council vaults related to records of genetic experiments carried out in the days before Edinburgh became a city state. Then, bodies start to appear who’ve been horribly mutilated, and Quint’s whisked away to carry on a parallel investigation in the vibrant and bustling democracy of Glasgow. There, he becomes intertwined with the fortunes of a mysterious cult who base their beliefs on MacBeth (though given the nature of the genetic experiments here, the author perhaps missed a trick by not aligning them more with Frankenstein).
The first two thirds of the book are fun, but the plot loses its way a bit towards the end. There are a few too many unfleshed-out characters, some random subplots that don’t go anywhere (the whole Macbeth thing for example?) and a bit too much reliance on secondary characters to recite plot points to move the story along.
Didn’t hate it, and the main characters are all very likeable - Quint, Katherine, Davey etc. However, there was too much of just stuff happening, and the plot just felt a bit functional rather than really enthralling. Decent, but no more than that.
The most fun in this book (if you’ve read the previous books in the series) is that a large part of it takes place in Glasgow. You get a fun take on how contrastingly different dark Edinburgh and gallus Glasgow might end up in different timelines. Anyone who knows both cities will enjoy the contrasts in lifestyle and attitude between the citizens of the 2 cities here. I liked this contrast between the 2 cities a lot.
Quint’s initially called in to investigate a break-in at the council vaults related to records of genetic experiments carried out in the days before Edinburgh became a city state. Then, bodies start to appear who’ve been horribly mutilated, and Quint’s whisked away to carry on a parallel investigation in the vibrant and bustling democracy of Glasgow. There, he becomes intertwined with the fortunes of a mysterious cult who base their beliefs on MacBeth (though given the nature of the genetic experiments here, the author perhaps missed a trick by not aligning them more with Frankenstein).
The first two thirds of the book are fun, but the plot loses its way a bit towards the end. There are a few too many unfleshed-out characters, some random subplots that don’t go anywhere (the whole Macbeth thing for example?) and a bit too much reliance on secondary characters to recite plot points to move the story along.
Didn’t hate it, and the main characters are all very likeable - Quint, Katherine, Davey etc. However, there was too much of just stuff happening, and the plot just felt a bit functional rather than really enthralling. Decent, but no more than that.
September 1, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in February 2002.
The fourth of Johnson's crime novels set in an Edinburgh which is a dictatorship in a fragmented Scotland of the future has a slightly expanded horizon. The crimes, a particularly horrific pair of murders linked to a robbery from the Scottish Parliament building, seem to have connections to Glasgow, a democratic state which is basically the West Germany to Edinburgh's East.
The background is very well done once again, with the customary echoes of real totalitarian cultures of the last few decades. The mystery is difficult, cleverly constructed yet allowing a thriller style narrative. The characters continue to be convincing, particularly the relationships between central character Quint, his friend Davie and his lover Katherine.
This is a series which could (and hopefully, will) continue for many more instalments before Johnston's inventiveness begins to fail; and I hope that its positioning at the interface of the crime and science fiction genres will not be a barrier to its being considered an important work in both.
The fourth of Johnson's crime novels set in an Edinburgh which is a dictatorship in a fragmented Scotland of the future has a slightly expanded horizon. The crimes, a particularly horrific pair of murders linked to a robbery from the Scottish Parliament building, seem to have connections to Glasgow, a democratic state which is basically the West Germany to Edinburgh's East.
The background is very well done once again, with the customary echoes of real totalitarian cultures of the last few decades. The mystery is difficult, cleverly constructed yet allowing a thriller style narrative. The characters continue to be convincing, particularly the relationships between central character Quint, his friend Davie and his lover Katherine.
This is a series which could (and hopefully, will) continue for many more instalments before Johnston's inventiveness begins to fail; and I hope that its positioning at the interface of the crime and science fiction genres will not be a barrier to its being considered an important work in both.
December 29, 2014
This book is one in a series set in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 2020's after the world economy has collapsed into scattered city-states due to wars and drugs. Edinburgh is tightly run by the Guardians with the support of auxiliaries, who are referred to by their numbers rather than their names. The Guardians proclaim the city crime-free, but then hire Quint (Quintilian) Dalrymple to solve the crimes that occur. Quint is supported by a great group of friends and acquaintances who are interesting and well fleshed out. The series is amusing and entertaining. In the fourth book, Quint, Davie and Katherine travel to Glasgow to retrieve some Edinburgh teenagers who have been kidnapped, at the same time as Quint is trying to solve murders that are occurring bad in Edinburgh.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews