What do you think?
Rate this book
Alex Morrow #4
The Red Road
Alex Morrow faces her toughest opponents yet in this brilliant new thriller about criminals, consequences, and convictions.
Police detective Alex Morrow has met plenty of unsavory characters in her line of work, but arms dealer Michael Brown ranks among the most brutal and damaged of the criminals she's known. Morrow is serving as a witness in Brown's trial, where the case hinges on his fingerprints found on the guns he sells.
When the investigation leads to a privileged Scottish lawyer who's expecting to be assassinated after a money laundering scheme goes bad, and a woman who's spying on the people who put her in jail, Morrow has her hands full. And that's before she even gets to her family issues.
THE RED ROAD is a thrilling new novel from a masterful writer, proving once again that "If you don't love Denise Mina, you don't love crime fiction." (Val McDermid)
Police detective Alex Morrow has met plenty of unsavory characters in her line of work, but arms dealer Michael Brown ranks among the most brutal and damaged of the criminals she's known. Morrow is serving as a witness in Brown's trial, where the case hinges on his fingerprints found on the guns he sells.
When the investigation leads to a privileged Scottish lawyer who's expecting to be assassinated after a money laundering scheme goes bad, and a woman who's spying on the people who put her in jail, Morrow has her hands full. And that's before she even gets to her family issues.
THE RED ROAD is a thrilling new novel from a masterful writer, proving once again that "If you don't love Denise Mina, you don't love crime fiction." (Val McDermid)
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
248 people are currently reading
1826 people want to read
About the author
Denise Mina
109 books2,519 followersDenise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an Engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 357 reviews
November 1, 2021
In this 4th book in the 'Alex Morrow' series, the Detective Inspector investigates several crimes in Glasgow. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
This Scottish mystery begins in 1997, on the night Princess Diana died. Fourteen-year-old Rose Wilson is out with her pimp Sammy who regularly rents her out to groups of older men.
On that fateful night, however, Rose kills two people and promptly surrenders to the police.
Her appointed lawyer, Julius Macmillan, sees potential in Rose and makes arrangements to insure that she gets a light prison sentence and a job when she gets out.
Skip to the present and Detective Inspector Alex Morrow is questioning Michael Brown, an ex-con who has been arrested for having illegal weapons. Brown is a hardened criminal who was previously imprisoned for murdering his brother.
Meanwhile, Julius Macmillan has just died and his son Robert has disappeared after giving the authorities evidence of his father's illegal activities. Also dead is a Pakistani man, Aziz, known for his charitable work. And big surprise, Michael Brown - who was in jail at the time of death - seems to have left his fingerprints at the Aziz murder scene.
Clearly something isn't kosher in Glasgow. The complex plot alternately focuses on Rose Wilson, Robert Macmillan, and Alex Morrow - so we see what's going on with each of them in mind and body. The reader needs to pay close attention to hold on to all the story threads but it's worth the effort.
Denise Mina gives us a fascinating (presumably fictional) glimpse of Glasgow's underbelly of bad cops, shady lawyers, murderous gangsters, child molesters, and other unsavory folks. It's a good mystery, but not a light read.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
September 6, 2013
DI Alex Morrow is an agreeably flawed character. She wears cheap suits. She gets things wrong. She loves her twins but is always working late. She wants to get on but she can’t play the political game.
The Morrow novels are not whodunnits. The reader is often inside the head of the criminals, we see how they think, we are challenged to consider what we would have done in their place. In The Red Road, this is particularly true of Rose, a young girl who kills her abuser and whose life is transformed – but not in the way you might expect.
Because of the way the story is told, we always know more than Morrow, as she deals with a number of apparently unconnected cases. Our interest is in how the characters react to the unfolding investigations. The downside is that at times with this novel I felt I was treading water, waiting for Morrow to jump through the obligatory procedural hoops to catch up, but there is a further twist at the end.
Mina’s novels portray a dark, morally ambiguous world. In The Red Road, we find ourselves identifying with people who we think of as bad, and unable to trust those who are supposed to be good. It is a page-turner that asks some satisfyingly complex questions. The crimes may be solved, but the reader has to decide whether justice has been done.
The Morrow novels are not whodunnits. The reader is often inside the head of the criminals, we see how they think, we are challenged to consider what we would have done in their place. In The Red Road, this is particularly true of Rose, a young girl who kills her abuser and whose life is transformed – but not in the way you might expect.
Because of the way the story is told, we always know more than Morrow, as she deals with a number of apparently unconnected cases. Our interest is in how the characters react to the unfolding investigations. The downside is that at times with this novel I felt I was treading water, waiting for Morrow to jump through the obligatory procedural hoops to catch up, but there is a further twist at the end.
Mina’s novels portray a dark, morally ambiguous world. In The Red Road, we find ourselves identifying with people who we think of as bad, and unable to trust those who are supposed to be good. It is a page-turner that asks some satisfyingly complex questions. The crimes may be solved, but the reader has to decide whether justice has been done.
December 4, 2015
Mystery/crime fiction is my go-to genre for “comfort reading,” and I love the UK setting. This is another solid installation in Mina’s series following DI Alex Morrow. In general these books tend to be whydunnits rather than whodunits and I always feel like Mina makes us work for the why. This particular story is interesting because two of the players begin their stories as victims. In the end, how much blame should be placed on a person against whom the cards were stacked from the very beginning? Alex Morrow has to make some tough decisions regarding the fate of these people and she struggles to find the higher ground.
November 18, 2024
At the site of a recent murder, a set of recent fingerprints are found which belong to a man who has been imprisoned for the past fifteen years.
Back at the end of August 1997, on the night Princess Diana died, 14 year old Rose Wilson commits two murders and her life seems effectively over until a sympathetic defence lawyer does what he can to save her, even if it entails breaking the law.
Meanwhile, back in the present day, the lawyers son flees to a remote castle on the island of Mull as he in convinced someone is trying to kill him.
In investigating the current crime, DI Alex Morrow finds herself having to unravel secrets long though buried, all seeming to revolve around a former corrupt cop who now runs his own security firm.
This was a quite gripping thriller although I did find it a little hard to follow at times and the ending seemed somewhat abrupt.
Back at the end of August 1997, on the night Princess Diana died, 14 year old Rose Wilson commits two murders and her life seems effectively over until a sympathetic defence lawyer does what he can to save her, even if it entails breaking the law.
Meanwhile, back in the present day, the lawyers son flees to a remote castle on the island of Mull as he in convinced someone is trying to kill him.
In investigating the current crime, DI Alex Morrow finds herself having to unravel secrets long though buried, all seeming to revolve around a former corrupt cop who now runs his own security firm.
This was a quite gripping thriller although I did find it a little hard to follow at times and the ending seemed somewhat abrupt.
March 28, 2014
This fourth book in the Alex Morrow series wasn't one of my favorites, but it was still worth reading for the intricate way that the author wove the story together from seemingly unrelated threads that connected by the end.
Ms. Mina's books are a little different in this genre because they are not "who done its," rather, they are "why and how done its." And she concentrates on the criminals, fleshing them out every bit as much as she does the main character, Detective Alex Morrow, and sometimes, even more so than her. Usually, I'm on board with that because all the characters are interesting in their own way. But this time around, I felt the loss of page time for Alex. It felt as if she were barely in the story except to piece things together and make some important decisions by the end. So that's my main gripe about this book besides it being a little confusing with so many characters involved in multiple crimes this time around. But what I did like was how the author was able to draw sympathy from me for the criminals and disdain for those people supposedly entrusted with bringing them to justice. And I liked the moral dilemmas that Alex Morrow faced, not only in this book, but throughout the entire series. If you haven't read any of it yet, start at the beginning and be prepared for something a little different than the expected criminal mystery.
Ms. Mina's books are a little different in this genre because they are not "who done its," rather, they are "why and how done its." And she concentrates on the criminals, fleshing them out every bit as much as she does the main character, Detective Alex Morrow, and sometimes, even more so than her. Usually, I'm on board with that because all the characters are interesting in their own way. But this time around, I felt the loss of page time for Alex. It felt as if she were barely in the story except to piece things together and make some important decisions by the end. So that's my main gripe about this book besides it being a little confusing with so many characters involved in multiple crimes this time around. But what I did like was how the author was able to draw sympathy from me for the criminals and disdain for those people supposedly entrusted with bringing them to justice. And I liked the moral dilemmas that Alex Morrow faced, not only in this book, but throughout the entire series. If you haven't read any of it yet, start at the beginning and be prepared for something a little different than the expected criminal mystery.
January 1, 2024
Oh Denise, how I love you. There's not an author on earth who managed to win me over as thoroughly as you. I went from not being able to stand Still Midnight, to being mildly intrigued by The End of the Wasp Season, to worshiping at your feet by the end of Gods and Beasts. I crave your writing like a drug.
And Alex...it only took me 4 books, but I finally have an emotional connection to Alex Morrow. I went from feeling she was a teflon coated, overly defensive b*tch in the first book, to being interested in her in the second, to respecting her in the third, and now I just straight up care for her.
This was a wonderful entry into the series. It definitely needs the first three books to be fully appreciated, but it's a strong novel on its own. Rose and Michael were both deeply sympathetic characters, in spite of their reprehensible actions, and the Glasgow setting, as always, was visceral, raw and incredibly vivid.
I will read anything this woman writes.
And Alex...it only took me 4 books, but I finally have an emotional connection to Alex Morrow. I went from feeling she was a teflon coated, overly defensive b*tch in the first book, to being interested in her in the second, to respecting her in the third, and now I just straight up care for her.
This was a wonderful entry into the series. It definitely needs the first three books to be fully appreciated, but it's a strong novel on its own. Rose and Michael were both deeply sympathetic characters, in spite of their reprehensible actions, and the Glasgow setting, as always, was visceral, raw and incredibly vivid.
I will read anything this woman writes.
September 17, 2023
I really love Denise Mina as a writer. This is the 4th in the series and it features the female protagonist. She is real. She has a kid. She works her ass off and is a professional detective in Scotland.
I read this on audiobook and really enjoyed it during a busy time in my life but totally enjoyed it.
I read this on audiobook and really enjoyed it during a busy time in my life but totally enjoyed it.
September 6, 2022
Alex Morrow is one of my favourite crime series. The writing is sharp, a heroine to enjoy, and a crime plot that transcends the normal limitations of the genre. Absolutely grand.
March 2, 2014
Denise Mina has done it again. In The Red Road she delivers a tight, suspenseful mystery that unfolds in the present time, with flashbacks to 1997, the night when Princess Diana died. On that fateful day Rose, a fourteen year old orphan, in the government care system, making extra money being pimped out, commits two bloody murders. But she only serves time for one of them, and is able to make a life for herself when she gets out with the help of her seemingly kindly solicitor (not sure if that's the right term - can't make sense of the British legal system). Fast forward to 2012 where we meet Detective Alex Morrow, who investigates a new murder that, through fingerprint evidence, points to an impossible culprit - someone who was in prison when the crime was committed. There are a lot of players in this story, and at times I was hopelessly confused. But in the end, all the pieces come together to give us an extremely satisfactory ending.
But it's not really the mystery that makes this books so good. It's Mina's ability to write with such empathy, understanding and compassion about those members of society who are so often ignored and considered less than. Justice above all else is what drives Alex Morrow and she is willing to sacrifice her career to achieve it.
The only problem with reading a Denise Mina book is that it goes too fast! I try to savor it, but alas, I can't stop turning the pages. Now I have to wait for another year or so for her next book!
But it's not really the mystery that makes this books so good. It's Mina's ability to write with such empathy, understanding and compassion about those members of society who are so often ignored and considered less than. Justice above all else is what drives Alex Morrow and she is willing to sacrifice her career to achieve it.
The only problem with reading a Denise Mina book is that it goes too fast! I try to savor it, but alas, I can't stop turning the pages. Now I have to wait for another year or so for her next book!
June 15, 2013
Review: The Red Road by Denise Mina
Review by Amanda Donovan
Denise Mina writes in a unique poetic yet gritty style which brought images of the TV series, Dexter to mind. My favourite sentence of the book is ‘…filigreed with blood, deaf to the skirl of the horn.’
The author writes a compelling plot centred on Rose Wilson who is fourteen, lives in a children’s home and is abused by the people she trusts. The Red Road begins with a bang in Glasgow in 1997, then switches to the present day and grown up Rose with a big secret. Detective Inspector, Alex Morrow, is a determined and realistic character that any reader will be able to identify with as she struggles with her family life while investigating a set of fingerprints that were found at the scene of the crime. Expect to be hooked from the beginning and hold on to your seat during the relaxing scene at Mull.
This book is a must for all crime fiction fans. I enjoyed reading it, but was disappointed at the end as the solution to the crime was not clear. Don’t let this put you off. It may have just been me and I intend to read it again! Recommended for the gritty style and exciting read, it is guaranteed to shock and delight.
Review by Amanda Donovan
Denise Mina writes in a unique poetic yet gritty style which brought images of the TV series, Dexter to mind. My favourite sentence of the book is ‘…filigreed with blood, deaf to the skirl of the horn.’
The author writes a compelling plot centred on Rose Wilson who is fourteen, lives in a children’s home and is abused by the people she trusts. The Red Road begins with a bang in Glasgow in 1997, then switches to the present day and grown up Rose with a big secret. Detective Inspector, Alex Morrow, is a determined and realistic character that any reader will be able to identify with as she struggles with her family life while investigating a set of fingerprints that were found at the scene of the crime. Expect to be hooked from the beginning and hold on to your seat during the relaxing scene at Mull.
This book is a must for all crime fiction fans. I enjoyed reading it, but was disappointed at the end as the solution to the crime was not clear. Don’t let this put you off. It may have just been me and I intend to read it again! Recommended for the gritty style and exciting read, it is guaranteed to shock and delight.
March 29, 2014
an intricate and convoluted plot and denise mina's darkly brilliant prose can't save this 4th Alex Morrow novel from being pedestrian...mina's usual depth of emotion and subtly-fashioned atmosphere are both missing, which leaves only unrelenting grimness...the story spends way too much time in the heads of several of the peripheral characters, especially Robert McMillan, without revealing much of interest or insight, yet others are barely fleshed out...and the moral dilemmas alex faces, dilemmas engendered by the evil acts both past and present that link the cases she investigates, are only briefly touched on here, fleeting in her thoughts but then basically shrugged away with an 'oh well' that doesn't do justice to the character of previous books, the numbing lack of emotion in every single character leaves the plotline without an arc to ride or suspense to build
February 23, 2019
This had everything that makes Denise Mina one of my favourite Scottish Crime authors, a very high-quality writing style with characters and setting rendered with strength and conviction - but for me it fell ever so slightly short of those I have most enjoyed by this author. Perhaps Alex Morrow isn't as easy a heroine for me to get completely on board with, perhaps the humour in this book was a touch below some of the others, perhaps it was that the plot was so complex and clever that it slightly lost me at points (not necessarily that I can blame the book for this entirely - my commute isn't always the easiest to concentrate on) - most obviously because the usual 'writing from two disparate time frames' device used at the start didn't follow the usual format of taking place in alternate chapters, which was a slight distraction/confusion at times. Nevertheless, this was a very impressive novel and I would recommend it.. though perhaps also say that reading the series' in order is beneficial.
March 14, 2014
Mina can either hook you right away, or leave you struggling and this book left me struggling. There are so many people introduced, so many crimes being committed, covered up and solved that interest lags. If the question "Why," is answered it was done so subtly that I am afraid I would have to read it again to figure out what the young abused girl had to do with everything, unless she was kept out of things in order to keep her from testifying. Part of the confusion could be the difference in cultures, these books are very Scottish.
November 23, 2015
Alex Morrow is a police detective in gritty Glasgow. Her half-brother Danny is a local gangster, a fact known to her colleagues, but one that some of her enemies try to use against her. This story starts with two violent murders in 1997 involving a 14-year old in care, Rose. Years later, Alex finds herself investigating the murder of a local philanthropist, which she is sure is connected to these old cases. Denise Mina is one my favorite Tartan Noir authors. This is the latest in the Alex Morrow series. Though not my favorite, it is nonetheless a satisfying read.
February 3, 2014
What is it about Glasgow that makes its writers unremittingly realistic and bleak? A novel in which you feel sorry for just about everybody - and where it's never entirely clear who is the victim and who is the perpetrator.
September 14, 2025
Bumped up to 4 because I can’t stop thinking about how Mina described trauma
June 1, 2014
Reading a novel by Denise Mina means that you really have to pay total attention. Different stories happen all at the same time, plus often go back in time. In this book, the reader is presented with all of the above. Where were you the night that Princess Diana died? If you live in Great Britain you remember it clearly. On that night two young men are murdered. One is a pimp who is murdered by Rose who is "14 but looks 16" and the other is a boy who is murdered by his younger brother. In the present, Rose s working as a nanny after having done her time. Meanwhile, Michael Brown, the other murderer has been accused of a different crime. Alex Morrow is Detective Inspector in Glasgow. The question of Scottish independence is a backdrop as police officers are jockeying for position in what could be an all new Scottish national police force. Then Julius MacMillan, the attorney who represented Rose in 1997 dies of what appears to be a fall. He was ill already so it was not unexpected. A body of a young man is found in an apartment building that is being torn down. The ascent is very dangerous yet his body is found there by some workmen. Meanwhile, when Julius is dying he tells his son, Robert, some things about his business that Robert never knew. Both Julius and Rose have sheltered him from some of the realities of how Julius has lived. Robert leaves for a remote island in Scotland before his father's funeral after giving the government information about his father's illegal activities. His purpose is to get as far away from his family when the assassins come. This is an incredibly detailed and complicated story. Fingerprints are found where they should not be, children are compromised and falsely accused, money is laundered and more. One review I read is that Alex Morrow cares more about justice than she should has a cop. It was an ironic statement which I found to be true. At the end, this is Alex at her best. I won't spoil it for you though!
January 16, 2015
I may be having trouble concentrating lately. I love Mina, as a rule, but I couldn't get into this one. I think it's because I skipped the previous Morrow story, so I was missing Morrow's back story. This is one of the darkest tartan noirs I have picked up. The reader meets the character of Rose early on at the age of 14, and she kills two men in one night. She confesses to one killing and is promptly sent away. The rest of the story unfolds years later. Rose is doing fairly well as a nanny, having been sheltered by the somewhat shady solicitor who defended her during her adolescence. Morrow is testifying in a court trial involving a gun runner, the younger brother of one of the men Rose killed on that fatal night years ago. The stories of these and several other characters are woven together, and I found myself skipping ahead. Morrow follows her conscience to do the right thing and have the right people brought to justice in a corrupt police system, and consequently ruins her own career. I wonder what Mina will do for Morrow in her next outing, if, as it seems, she will no longer be a police inspector.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2017
I found this book a bit of a struggle. I don't know if it's because it's the fourth in the series and I haven't read the first three but I found myself doing pretty much anything to avoid reading it (even housework was preferable).
There's nothing wrong with the writing and it's easy enough to read, I just felt like there were far too many points of view and no real story. I couldn't figure out what exactly the point of it was, it's not a who dunnit and doesn't follow a police investigation (although there is one as a sub plot) and it's not really a character study either (it jumps between so many characters you don't get to know any of them). I don't know, the whole thing just left me completely confused.
There's nothing wrong with the writing and it's easy enough to read, I just felt like there were far too many points of view and no real story. I couldn't figure out what exactly the point of it was, it's not a who dunnit and doesn't follow a police investigation (although there is one as a sub plot) and it's not really a character study either (it jumps between so many characters you don't get to know any of them). I don't know, the whole thing just left me completely confused.
July 27, 2020
A step up from the previous books in the series, this almost functions as a standalone. There are some sophisticated flashbacks as the story unravels and while DI Morrow remains an awkward presence, doubly unforgiven by her police colleagues for being a woman and for her criminal half brother, she gets the job done here, no longer worried about the consequences to her career.
This was a really strong entry with plenty of room for character work beyond our protagonist. Lots of good stuff on the grinding corruption of the legal profession as the lines between crims, polis and the people that stand between them are blurred into irrelevance.
This was a really strong entry with plenty of room for character work beyond our protagonist. Lots of good stuff on the grinding corruption of the legal profession as the lines between crims, polis and the people that stand between them are blurred into irrelevance.
July 21, 2014
I listened to the excellent audio book version of the novel. Denise Mina paints a gritty picture of Glasgow as DI Alex Morrow struggles to discover the truth of crimes old and new. The plot is ingenious, and though it's sometimes a question of how-dunnit rather than who-dunnit it maintains the thrilling pace on almost every page. Kudos to the reader for her understandable Scottish accents and terrific expression in her voice as she reads.
May 24, 2015
Good stuff as always from Denise Mina. Realistic policing and grotty criminals of all social classes. Despite Mina herself having set out to make DI Alex Morrow not an attractive person I really like her. She's tough, fair and vulnerable.
August 23, 2015
I didn't care for this book. I didn't find the characters to be very well developed and I found myself not caring for how things would turn out.
August 21, 2016
This series gets better with every book. The reader still has a lot to learn about Alex Morrow but she is the detective all of us would want on our side to see that justice is done.
April 9, 2017
Great story again. Looking forward to last in series which hopefully carries on from this book
June 23, 2024
Three and a half. There were moments I really loved. Not sure how I feel about the main mystery itself though.
August 12, 2020
Alex Morrow is such an interesting and upstanding character, I cannot wait for her next case.
March 15, 2014
3.5 stars
This is book #4 of the Alex Morrow series & the story is told on 2 fronts. In the present day, Alex is set to testify at the trial of a convicted murderer now up on other charges.
Michael Brown had a rough childhood. In 1997, he killed his brother while they were living in care. Coincidentally, in a nearby alley another murder took place that same night. Rose, a 14 year old from a neighbouring care facility, fatally stabbed her pimp.
The 2 teens didn't know each other but in flashbacks we learn how subsequent events changed their lives. They ended up with the same lawyer, a man who would use them to save his own skin. And the repercussions are causing big headaches for Alex in the present.
She's determined to put Michael away for good this time. Just one teeny tiny problem. He's been in jail for the last 3 months awaiting trial so how does she explain finding his fingerprints at the scene of a murder committed 3 days ago?
This case was supposed to be a slam dunk, something she desperately needs. Her life is bit stressful these days. Professionally, she's working with a new crew who don't seem to like her & are aware her last partner is now in prison ("Gods & Beasts"). Personally, the twins are now 1 year olds & she resents every moment away from them & her husband. They're adorable but hard on the wallet & she & Brian are struggling financially. Hanging over everything is her brother Danny, a well known Glasgow gangster & she'd rather he kept to his side of town.
As the flashbacks continue, we learn how Michael & Rose became the pawns of some influential men involved in money laundering. They've become even more powerful over the years & begin to feel threatened as Alex digs into the past to solve the mystery of the fingerprints. The body count rises as they clean up loose ends & it's up to Alex to connect the dots between the dead before she becomes one of them.
If you're into car chases & shootouts, this is not for you. It's more of a psychological police procedural where Mina uses her lean style of prose to describe the characters as opposed to a gory crime scene. With a few exceptions, none of them are purely black or white. Like most of us, they're a mixture of good intensions & bad decisions, just trying to survive the fallout from their choices. This is scottish noir, kind of a cross between Val McDermid & Stuart MacBride. There is a gritty realism that is pervasive & casts a bleak light on societal issues, particularly in the case of Rose.
Her story is horrific & sad as we watch her be used by everyone on her life. She & Alex are flip sides of the same coin. They're both strong & vulnerable but ended up on opposite paths due to different childhoods.
This is a complex, tightly woven plot about relationships that develop over 20 years. The author slowly reveals twists that turn the guilty into the innocent, the abused into the abuser. Some of the characters are vile & you desperately want to see them get what they deserve. Others will break your heart.
Alex is her usual prickly self. She just wants to do her job but because of events from the last book, none of her colleagues completely trust her. You get the feeling she's on borrowed time & her superiors are looking for any excuse to cut her loose. Being a new mom leaves her exhausted & she doesn't have the energy or tact to play the games necessary to survive department politics. By the end , her future is in doubt even though she solves the case.
I'm a fan of many of Ms. Mina's novels. I loved the Garnethill trilogy & thought the last Alex Morrow book was a cracking good read. Maybe it's because she sets the bar so high but this was just ok for me. It's a short book with her usual economical style of dialogue & intricate plot but for some reason, it just didn't grab me as the others have.
I enjoyed the personal angle of the story more than the police investigation. I chalk this up to 2 things: the fact I find Alex more interesting than the other characters & personal preference. Mina is incapable of writing a bad book & no doubt other readers will be absorbed by the story of Michael & Rose.
That being said, an "ok" book by this author is still head & shoulders above many of the rest out there & I'll be picking up the next one (if there is one?) to see how it all shakes out.
This is book #4 of the Alex Morrow series & the story is told on 2 fronts. In the present day, Alex is set to testify at the trial of a convicted murderer now up on other charges.
Michael Brown had a rough childhood. In 1997, he killed his brother while they were living in care. Coincidentally, in a nearby alley another murder took place that same night. Rose, a 14 year old from a neighbouring care facility, fatally stabbed her pimp.
The 2 teens didn't know each other but in flashbacks we learn how subsequent events changed their lives. They ended up with the same lawyer, a man who would use them to save his own skin. And the repercussions are causing big headaches for Alex in the present.
She's determined to put Michael away for good this time. Just one teeny tiny problem. He's been in jail for the last 3 months awaiting trial so how does she explain finding his fingerprints at the scene of a murder committed 3 days ago?
This case was supposed to be a slam dunk, something she desperately needs. Her life is bit stressful these days. Professionally, she's working with a new crew who don't seem to like her & are aware her last partner is now in prison ("Gods & Beasts"). Personally, the twins are now 1 year olds & she resents every moment away from them & her husband. They're adorable but hard on the wallet & she & Brian are struggling financially. Hanging over everything is her brother Danny, a well known Glasgow gangster & she'd rather he kept to his side of town.
As the flashbacks continue, we learn how Michael & Rose became the pawns of some influential men involved in money laundering. They've become even more powerful over the years & begin to feel threatened as Alex digs into the past to solve the mystery of the fingerprints. The body count rises as they clean up loose ends & it's up to Alex to connect the dots between the dead before she becomes one of them.
If you're into car chases & shootouts, this is not for you. It's more of a psychological police procedural where Mina uses her lean style of prose to describe the characters as opposed to a gory crime scene. With a few exceptions, none of them are purely black or white. Like most of us, they're a mixture of good intensions & bad decisions, just trying to survive the fallout from their choices. This is scottish noir, kind of a cross between Val McDermid & Stuart MacBride. There is a gritty realism that is pervasive & casts a bleak light on societal issues, particularly in the case of Rose.
Her story is horrific & sad as we watch her be used by everyone on her life. She & Alex are flip sides of the same coin. They're both strong & vulnerable but ended up on opposite paths due to different childhoods.
This is a complex, tightly woven plot about relationships that develop over 20 years. The author slowly reveals twists that turn the guilty into the innocent, the abused into the abuser. Some of the characters are vile & you desperately want to see them get what they deserve. Others will break your heart.
Alex is her usual prickly self. She just wants to do her job but because of events from the last book, none of her colleagues completely trust her. You get the feeling she's on borrowed time & her superiors are looking for any excuse to cut her loose. Being a new mom leaves her exhausted & she doesn't have the energy or tact to play the games necessary to survive department politics. By the end , her future is in doubt even though she solves the case.
I'm a fan of many of Ms. Mina's novels. I loved the Garnethill trilogy & thought the last Alex Morrow book was a cracking good read. Maybe it's because she sets the bar so high but this was just ok for me. It's a short book with her usual economical style of dialogue & intricate plot but for some reason, it just didn't grab me as the others have.
I enjoyed the personal angle of the story more than the police investigation. I chalk this up to 2 things: the fact I find Alex more interesting than the other characters & personal preference. Mina is incapable of writing a bad book & no doubt other readers will be absorbed by the story of Michael & Rose.
That being said, an "ok" book by this author is still head & shoulders above many of the rest out there & I'll be picking up the next one (if there is one?) to see how it all shakes out.
March 21, 2014
Denise Mina is not just a great mystery writer and the "tartan noir" flag bearer. She is a great writer, without the "mystery" qualifier. Her "Garnethill" is one of my favorite books - ostensibly a crime novel, it is a deep and wise piece of real literature about the human condition. "The End of the Wasp Season" and "Gods and Beasts" , although flawed, transcend the usual limitations of the mystery genre and contain some breathtakingly beautiful fragments of prose.
Glasgow, 1997. The night that Princess Diana died. Rose Wilson, a fourteen-year old prostitute kills her pimp. The time switches to the present (2012 or 2013), and we meet Alex Morrow testifying in a case of a career criminal. Alex learns that his prints have been found on a gun used for murder that happened while he was locked up in jail. The plot alternates between 1997 and now for about a third of the novel. The gruesome events from the past influence the present, and Ms. Mina masterfully untangles the web of threads at the end of the novel.
I do not think "The Red Road" is among Mina's better books; getting through the first 200 or so pages required hard work and dedication. The rich tapestry of threads is intimidating - too many characters and too many connections. The world is indeed extremely complex, but Ms. Mina handled the complexity so much better in her other novels.
The complexity of the plot is not the main reason for my disappointment. More importantly, I have been unable to find anything in the novel that transcends the plot. "The Red Road" is all about the plot. True, it is a very clever and skillfully constructed plot, but I have not learned anything new about Glasgow, Scotland, or the Scottish people (aside from the Pakistani connection). I have not learned anything new about Alex Morrow; she is exactly as I know her from the previous books. "The Red Road" is just a good mystery, and I have been accustomed to expect more than that from Ms. Mina.
The author's writing, usually stellar, is not always up to par this time. There are two jarring fragments of prose (one involving Buchenwald reference and the other about Aileen Wuornos) that indicate that maybe Ms. Mina did not have enough time to read what she wrote. On the positive side, "The Red Road" is one of the precious few books that are better at the end than at the beginning.
Summary: a so-so book from a great writer. Ms. Mina has set the bar so high that she has difficulties clearing it.
Two and a half stars.
Glasgow, 1997. The night that Princess Diana died. Rose Wilson, a fourteen-year old prostitute kills her pimp. The time switches to the present (2012 or 2013), and we meet Alex Morrow testifying in a case of a career criminal. Alex learns that his prints have been found on a gun used for murder that happened while he was locked up in jail. The plot alternates between 1997 and now for about a third of the novel. The gruesome events from the past influence the present, and Ms. Mina masterfully untangles the web of threads at the end of the novel.
I do not think "The Red Road" is among Mina's better books; getting through the first 200 or so pages required hard work and dedication. The rich tapestry of threads is intimidating - too many characters and too many connections. The world is indeed extremely complex, but Ms. Mina handled the complexity so much better in her other novels.
The complexity of the plot is not the main reason for my disappointment. More importantly, I have been unable to find anything in the novel that transcends the plot. "The Red Road" is all about the plot. True, it is a very clever and skillfully constructed plot, but I have not learned anything new about Glasgow, Scotland, or the Scottish people (aside from the Pakistani connection). I have not learned anything new about Alex Morrow; she is exactly as I know her from the previous books. "The Red Road" is just a good mystery, and I have been accustomed to expect more than that from Ms. Mina.
The author's writing, usually stellar, is not always up to par this time. There are two jarring fragments of prose (one involving Buchenwald reference and the other about Aileen Wuornos) that indicate that maybe Ms. Mina did not have enough time to read what she wrote. On the positive side, "The Red Road" is one of the precious few books that are better at the end than at the beginning.
Summary: a so-so book from a great writer. Ms. Mina has set the bar so high that she has difficulties clearing it.
Two and a half stars.
August 11, 2014
Procedural featuring DI Alex Morrow, notching in at either three or four in the series, not quite sure. Regardless, a well-paced outing that wastes little time getting the ducks in a row, and relentlessly knocking them right down again.
Author Denise Mina's strengths are her spare prose that can be thoughtful, reflective or alternately quick and precise without getting off the rails. Difficult to notice, but what she gets away with not saying quite often keeps the larger picture much less crowded and conflicted; seems that she works on tucking context and repetitive data into the cracks and folds of the narrative, rather than expanding them elaborately.
If there's any drawback I'd point to maybe a too-large ensemble of characters; every extra character always equates to more buildup/ payoff time, and there's enough central drama without some of the peripherals. (Full disclosure, though, I've jumped the line and picked up this mid-series episode without having read the first two or three. So maybe some of those peripheral character types are already part of the standing cast. I'll have to go back to the first one and go forward.)
This stands by itself in all ways, though, and is a clever, driving, concise story that offers the raw Glasgow atmosphere as a backdrop to the mystery, and no fiddly impressionist interludes. Just the facts, Ma'am.
Author Denise Mina's strengths are her spare prose that can be thoughtful, reflective or alternately quick and precise without getting off the rails. Difficult to notice, but what she gets away with not saying quite often keeps the larger picture much less crowded and conflicted; seems that she works on tucking context and repetitive data into the cracks and folds of the narrative, rather than expanding them elaborately.
If there's any drawback I'd point to maybe a too-large ensemble of characters; every extra character always equates to more buildup/ payoff time, and there's enough central drama without some of the peripherals. (Full disclosure, though, I've jumped the line and picked up this mid-series episode without having read the first two or three. So maybe some of those peripheral character types are already part of the standing cast. I'll have to go back to the first one and go forward.)
This stands by itself in all ways, though, and is a clever, driving, concise story that offers the raw Glasgow atmosphere as a backdrop to the mystery, and no fiddly impressionist interludes. Just the facts, Ma'am.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 357 reviews