Poisoned Cherries

Oz Blackstone #6

by Quintin Jardine

When Oz Blackstone is offered a major role in a cop movie shooting in Edinburgh, he cannot resist taking centre stage. And he has had a brief liaison with Susie Gantry, a beautiful and self-possessed business woman, that is turning into something much more long term. It all looks like a bowl of cherries until ex-lover Alison Goodchild turns up asking for a favour. When he finds Alison's business partner murdered in her flat, Oz can't help but suspect he's been set up. And when he discovers a trail of intrigue leading to the cast of the star-studded movie in which he is performing, those cherries begin to taste very rancid indeed...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Scotland, Thriller

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2003

About the author

Quintin Jardine (born 1945) is a Scottish author of three series of crime novels, featuring the fictional characters Bob Skinner, Oz Blackstone, and Primavera Blackstone. He was educated in Motherwell and in Glasgow where he studied at what was then the city’s only University. After career as a journalist, government information officer and media relations consultant, he took to the creation of crime fiction.

His first wife, Irene, with whom he shared over 30 years, from their teens, died in 1997. He is married, to his second wife, Eileen. They live in both Scotland and in Spain

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book, and I think some of the negative feelings I have might have been alleviated had I read the five previous books in this series before reading this one. There are some series, especially in the mystery genre, where a new reader can just jump in wherever they feel like it, and still get every bit of enjoyment from the book they'd have gotten if they'd read all the previous books. I don't think that's true of Jardine's Oz Blackstone series, though. The entire first third or so of this book was devoted to subplots that had continued from previous books. Oz, a former detective now turned movie star, has tried to reconcile with his wife, Primavera, but she has left him for another man, which makes him feel better about the fact that Susie Gantry, whom he slept with while on his honeymoon (!), is now having his baby (!!). Oz is so charmed by the baby, and surprised by his affections for Susie, that he commits to a relationship with her by the time the baby's been around for a week or so. Meanwhile, other women are throwing themselves at him--old flames, co-stars in his new movie, even his not-yet-ex-wife--and he finds it hard to resist them, womanizer that he has traditionally been. Oh, but he must! Think of the children!

The whole time I was reading this section of the book, I was thinking two things. 1: Is there going to be a mystery in here somewhere? and 2: Jeez, every woman this guy meets tries to jump in the sack with him. Seems like a textbook case of wish fulfillment on the author's part, as does the fact that Oz is starring in a movie that's an adaptation of one of the novels in Jardine's other crime series, featuring Detective Bob Skinner. And you know, more power to him I suppose, but the fact is that the women just kept throwing themselves at Oz to the point where it really upset my ability to suspend disbelief. By halfway through the book, when the sixth or seventh woman in a row seemed determined to set an aggressive course for his bedroom, I was thinking, "Oh, well, of COURSE! After all, every woman in the world wants to fuck Oz Blackstone!"

That was the part that no amount of previous series reading would have made better. Who knows, maybe it's like that in every book, and if I'd started with the first book, I never would have gotten to the sixth. But even that would have been something I could have worked with if there wasn't so much of the story that I had no involvement in, and therefore no real interest in. As I said, there was no real mystery until 100 pages in or thereabouts, when the mysteriously reappearing old flame (who throws herself at Oz on multiple occasions, natch) discovers the body of her ex-fiancee and business partner. Oz is convince that she didn't kill him, but the police are just as convinced she did. After a while, other bodies start turning up, in a pattern that seems obvious to Oz, but is missed completely by the police because they don't have the information that Oz has--information that, if revealed to the police, could get his old flame, and even Oz himself, into all sorts of additional legal hot water. So Oz has to figure out who is committing the murders before the poliice charge his ex with them, or turn up any unsavory details, or both.

Once the main plot of the book got going, I'll admit that I did enjoy it a good bit more than I had towards the beginning. I still found the main character's unfortunate combination of rampant egotism and seeming irresistibility to women annoying, and had trouble liking him as a protagonist, but the process through which he solved the mystery was enjoyable to read, the action scenes were engrossing, and the plot kept me guessing right up to the end. However, the detailed subplots that tended to relate to incidents that had occurred in past books, which I knew nothing about, were distracting, and at risk of belaboring the point, I found several aspects of the main character unappealing. This book was OK at best. I doubt I'll read more by the author, at least not anytime soon.

[Ljohnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another decent read. Oz love life continues to unravel but he does become a dad.Some mystery over who is being targeted when strange things begin to occur. An old flame needs Oz’s help when her fiancé is murdered and she is the #1 suspect. Oz gets involved with an old nemesis but reconciles.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy fast paced read. Oz Blackstone, former detective and now film star seems likeable enough but way too many women come in and out of his life causing havoc. This is a good mystery, with plenty of red herrings and a satisfactory ending.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Testosteronetastic! The women in this novel are fantastical, definitely a book written for the boys. That aside, it’s a decent story, but I won’t be rushing to read any others, I’ll stick with Rebus, though goodness knows there is enough misogyny in the early ones of those too!

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

POISONED CHERRIES (Amateur Sleuth/Carpenter-Scotland-Cont) - VG
Quintin Jardine – 6th in series
Headline, 2002- U.K. Hardcover
Oz Blackstone, former inquiry agent, is now an actor whose star is on the rise. He is asked by a favor by former lover, Alison Goodchild, that results in them finding her business partner dead and Alison framed for the murder.
*** Oz Blackstone is the lighter of Jardine’s two series, the other being police procedurals featuring Bob Skinner. Still, the character admits he’s finally growing up and getting his life in order. He is clearly loyal to his friends, family and former lovers. It’s an enjoyable book with some very good moments and an excellent twist at the end.

[Saiii Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

When film producer Miles Grayson offers Oz Blackstone a major role in his latest cop movie, Oz can’t resist. He’s on a roll and stardom beckons, but his marriage to Primavera is on the rocks. His brief affair with Susie Gantry, a beautiful and self-possessed businesswoman, has resulted in pregnancy. Will Oz finally settle down? It all looks like a bowl of cherries until an ex-lover turns up asking for a favor, then leads him into a murder.

This book is amazing and the title derivws on how cherries compared to life could be beautiful but taht everythibg counld be poisoned too.

[comfort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz and Prim have separated on their way to divorce. Susie is pregnant with Oz's child from the fling they had on HIS honeymoon. Oz has a been asked to star in another movie with his brother-in-law Myles. Things are confusing but Oz is in a relatively good place and seems to be growing up.

It starts to go wrong when he is contacted by an ex-girlfriend who wants him to help her find her fiance and business partner. They do find him - dead and it appears that the ex is the killer.

[Ella · Rating 1 out of 5]

It maybe set in edinburgh but didn't fill the rebus shaped hole for me. Could just be my view.