Cold Case

Bob Skinner #30

by Quintin Jardine

Is a killer still on the loose?

The thirtieth gritty mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Praise for Quintin Jardine's gripping novels: 'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' Observer

Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner may have left the police service, but he's never far from a case. When his old mentor on the force, Jimmy Proud, finds himself in a desperate situation, Skinner gets pulled into a murder investigation that's been closed for thirty years.

The Body in the Quarry case was well-known around Edinburgh at the time: a popular priest found dead in a frozen quarry; a suspect with a clear motive charged; a guilty verdict. But with a journalist uncovering new evidence, the cold case has come back to haunt Proud - and only Skinner can help him.

With the clock ticking and his friend's reputation at stake, Skinner must uncover the truth to find out if an innocent man was convicted for murder. And if a killer is still on the loose...

Genres: Crime, Audiobook, Ebooks, Mystery, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2018

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

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite an involved cold case story. Another author who is on my ever growing TBR list. I'm just sorry it's taken 30 books before I got around to trying one as I really enjoyed this. I'm not 100% how much I like Bob Skinner but he certainly gets the job done. 

Skinners one time boos Sir James Proud comes to him regarding a blogger (named Brass) who is threatening him over a cold case. Then both the blogger and Proud go missing before Brass is found murdered. Skinner then ends up working with his former police team to solve two crimes. There's a lot going on with lots of people to try and keep track of. I didn't always succeed  but after a while it got easier. There were so many layers to this story. Really enjoyed it and will look forward to going back and reading all the others.

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cold Case Turns Hot

Ex-Chief Constable Bob Skinner has retired but still finds himself drawn back into the world of the police and investigation. An old friend asks him to dissuade a muck-raking blogger from pursuing a decades-old case of murder, but the more Bob looks into it the more it seems there might be something in the blogger's suspicions. Then the cold case opens into a new murder and Bob finds himself working alongside his old colleagues to try and solve it and defend the good name of his friend.

What I really enjoyed:
The characters. Very well drawn people with their own foibles and whimsies as much as their own deep motivations and dark secrets. This makes them feel very realistic.
The setting. The author has a wonderful ability to provide a sense of place. Especially noticeable in the descriptions of Edinburgh.
The plot. This has a nesting boxes feel to it. Each new revelation seems to explain the one that contains it to some extent, but also carries another question to be answered, drawing the reader further in each time.
The pace. Cracking!


What I struggled with:
The main character. The degree of self-confidence the character projects at times slipped into a feeling of arrogant smugness. He borders onto 'Mary Sue' territory, always having a contact who can do exactly what is needed when it's needed, almost everyone loving him (except the bad guys) and applauding all he does. At one point he publishes his rather puzzling idea that parents should be prosecuted for lending high powered cars to their children and this is hailed by all. I was left wondering why a simple ban on new drivers being allowed to drive cars over a certain engine size for the first year after they qualify might not have been a more reasonable, enforceable and frankly, understandable, suggestion rather than prosecuting grieving parents specifically.

Overall thoughts.
Despite struggling a bit with His Highness Bob Skinner, I really enjoyed this book and could happily recommend it to anyone looking for a good police procedural thriller.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Cold Case, the thirtieth novel to feature former Chief Constable Bob Skinner.

Sir Jimmy Proud, former Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police and Bob's boss for the latter part of his career with that force contacts him asking for help. Apparently a blogger and investigative journalist, Austin Brass, wants to discuss Sir Jimmy's involvement in the murder of episcopalian priest, Matthew Ampersand, thirty years ago. A murder, moreover, for which Barley Meads was convicted on irrefutable forensic evidence. Reluctantly Bob agrees to help and starts investigating Ampersand's death so that he can meet Brass with the facts at his fingertips.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Case, as I have its predecessors, as it is good mystery with several twists and turns. As usual with Bob Skinner nothing is ever straightforward so what starts as an open and shut case starts to look decidedly less so the more he investigates and takes on an even murkier hue when the past intrudes on the present leading to Bob collaborating with DI "Sauce" Haddock. The pacing is impeccable with just enough revealed in every chapter to keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to see what is coming next and where it's going. Obviously with most of the plot centred on a cold case the majority of the action takes the form of interviews although Bob still displays his action man credentials as and when necessary! This is where the first person narrative ideally suits the format. Bob is often working on his own so the reader gets an intimate view of his thoughts and methods as he sorts out the truth from the lies and decides on his course of action. I found it fascinating.

The novel is all about Bob so the other characters are only developed as much as they need to be in relation to him. There are some lovely vignettes but Bob is the main man. He seems to have mellowed somewhat from his earlier hardman persona but it's still there when required. This is due to his retirement, mostly because he doesn't have the official status to compel answers and the fact that a second chance with his wife Sarah has made family a higher priority. He's not getting any younger either although that doesn't seem to slow him down. I wish I had his energy!

Cold Case is another good addition to the series so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was cautious about this in the early chapters but warmed to it. What I most enjoyed was the mentor narrative - a very clever device for drawing out the ethical and procedural debates that are so essential to good police work. I really liked the technique, which makes the issues explicit. It is a useful way to approach the notion of police corruption, as well as the pressures and conflicts inevitably experiences by serving police officers. It is a matter much in focus at this point in time.

I very much like this issue being at the heart of this novel. I like the approach of Bob Skinner.

The limitation, for me, is the somewhat blokey composition of the police presence. There are strong women with important roles, but I find it hard to believe that the modern Scottish police force is so male dominated.

The resolution is a bit neat and tidy, but I can live with it in the light of the serious treatment of corruption.

I’d like to try a couple more in this series.

[Vicki - I Love Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... Book 30 in the Bob Skinner series. A series I have said many times before that I truly love reading. There have been a whole heap of colourful characters in this series, some amazing characters whose lives I have followed through the pages.
Bob Skinner no longer the Chief Constable of Edinburgh, now just plain old Bob, if there could ever be a plain old Bob Skinner that is.
​Bob has a way of attracting trouble, of getting involved in things to help out his friends. Bob is the go to guy when friends find they need help. Although he no longer works for the police, he does work on private commissions, he is also now carrying around as he puts it ' a piece of plastic that gives him Security Service credentials, he could be asked for help at any time.
This time around it's Sir Jimmy, or 'proud Jimmy. Bob's ex boss as it was. The ex Chief Constable, who is in need of Bob's services. Sir Jimmy wants closure on an old case and knows Bob is the man to help. I'm not going into to much regarding this story as it would inevitably give too much away.
There are a whole heap of the wonderful characters we have gotten to know through the previous 29 books, I can't believe this is book 30. It's one of my all time favorite series of books, I have no hesitation what so ever recommending these books. I will say though for the best of them, they need reading in order. I know at some point this is a series I will go back and re read.
​One thing I will say is, I wish I hadn't been in a public place when finishing this book. Tissues were needed for me.

​I'm so ready for the next book and I really can't wait.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to be back in Edinburgh with ex police Bob Skinner. He’s brought back in eventually, shades of Bosch. The plot involves old murders and new threats of whodunnit. Bob seems a reasonable fellow, helping his younger officers but dead set in finding out the truth. I found the concluding parts full of suspects I couldn’t quite place. Good pace, well written.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we go for the 30th outing for Bob Skinner, former Chief Constable, now sort of retired. He is called upon to help his old mentor Proud Jimmy when something from his past threatens to invade his present. Obviously Bob is only too delighted to help both an old friend and also get his investigating brain functioning again so he agrees to meet a journalist who is the instigator of the shenanigans. Apparently, there's new evidence on a cold case that Jimmy was involved in which could throw a spanner into the works of the conviction obtained. But, the journalist doesn't turn up and then things really go south for both Jimmy and Bob with the former going missing, and the latter being brought on board with the Police properly to aid DI Haddock who is tasked with the investigation.
I've been with this series from the start when my mum found the first 10 books on a pub charity book sale table and we both (along with my brother eventually) devoured them all and returned them for someone else! I've watched him grow, mature, get promotion, and eventually wave goodbye to the force due to the changes happening. I've also witnessed all his personal stuff, children, wives, etc etc and I think that we've had, on the whole, quite a good relationship together. I'm never good at severing relationship with characters and was quite sad when it looked like his time had come but I love the way that he now gets brought back to help his friend and manages to inveigle himself back into the force, on his own terms this time.
The story here is a doozy too. With the action mostly having taken place way back when, we rely a lot on third party accounts and witness statements to get to the bottom of things but, soon enough, the present comes in with a vengeance and we're off with a fresh body and a new murder to solve. Bob has his work cut out for him as the case involves many people he looked up to, admired and learned loads from and he has to try and remain impartial and keep on track of the truth rather than what he wants to hear. But his professionalism shines and he does his job nicely.
All in all, a solid addition to one of my favourite long time series that is still going strong without any sign of staleness. Roll on #31... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I paid the penalty here of starting with #30 in a series. I was new to the characters and the relationships between them, and I had a hard time in particular with building a picture of ex-Chief Constable (Sir) Robert Skinner. He has started a new career as the director of a media company, has a family of varying ages, a wife who is the local pathologist, and still has a finger in many pies. He is held in high regard by the community and is immediately recognisable by members of the public.

The Bob Skinner series has produced 32 books since 1993 so I can only imagine the amount of background material that I have missed out on. The cold case in this book pre-dates Skinner's own career and new implicates the two men whom he regarded in high esteem and who were in fact his mentors. The man charged with killing the priest Matthew Ampersand actually took his own life in gaol but his family always regarded him as guilty. Skinner comes into the case as an investigator and tracks down both members of the dead man's family and members of the family of the convicted man. When the journalist who initiates the investigation first of all goes missing and then is found dead, the cold case coincides with the new one, and more resources are thrown at it, Skinner becomes the mentor of the senior policemen involved, and at the same time tries to protect the reputations of his own former members.

My rating probably reflects my lack of knowledge of the series rather than any shortcomings in the plot, but I was left wondering about the credibility of the scenario.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Book #30 in the Bob Skinner mystery series, this was a good read. Bob is called in by his old boss Jimmy Proud to look into an old murder case, a cold case. Thirty years before, a local farmer had been convicted of killing a priest whose body had been found in an abandoned quarry. The priest had been accused of molesting the farmer's young daughter. Even the farmer's wife believed that he was the killer. The police officers involved were old mentors of Bob's. An investigative journalist is looking into the case and he has scared Jimmy Proud into calling on Bob for help and then Jimmy disappears. When the journalist is found murdered, Jimmy seems to be the prime suspect, but Bob knows he couldn't have done it so his investigation changes from the original murder to looking into the murder of the journalist. This was a good read and kept my interest until the last page.

[PagePilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won’t go into detail on what the book is about as everyone else has done that

Quite a detailed story but the detail is what keeps you engaged.
There’s a passionate, maybe over enthusiastic, blogger who seems to have something on James Proud who in turn asks his long time mentee Bob Skinner to investigate. Skinner is more than happy to use his skills and prowess as a former chief constable and takes you on a gripping investigation.

What I liked:
Well constructed storyline and crime scene with twists and turns

What I did not enjoy too much:
Bob Skinner’s character portrayal - over inflated and although down to earth, a coffee lover, a little pompous in his knowledge and skills. I would’ve preferred the coffee lover without the ego

[Jennifer Gottschalk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly enjoyable read due to Jardine's outstanding character building. Bob Skinner is a complex, moral protagonist who is easy to like.

The pacing of this novel was much slower than I'd like and whilst reading this was not quite tedious - the story dragged quite a bit. The plot was fairly complicated and readers who enjoy detective stories might find this one frustrating as there is no way that a reader would be able to predict the outcome / solve the mystery before the big reveal.

'Cold Case' is firmly in 3.5 star territory. I've given it 3 stars as it was not compelling enough to be worth a higher rating.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Bob Skinner mystery book. Not bad and I like the author’s dry sense of humour in the details. Not as good as some mysteries I have read but enjoyed none the less. I was confused at times with the characters and their relationship, and the convoluted plot line. I would have appreciated a list of characters at the start of the book. I’ll try some other Bob Skinner titles now.

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story featuring Bob Skinner and one that has played havoc with my schedule over the last two days as I could not out it down. A really well crafted story with plenty of twists and turns and a good w. I am also pleased to see that there are more to come.

[Sheila Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is the thirteenth Bob Skinner novel, this was my first introduction to him and his team at CID. It is a very convoluted story with a multitude of interesting characters but I suspect I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d read earlier novels in the series and had already been familiar with some of the police characters.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always an excellent novel. The first few pages were a waste of time with the author making his political views known through his avatar Skinner. They added nothing to the plot and little to Skinners motivation. Once the politics had been dispensed the story proceeded with alacrity.

[Mrs Janet S Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cold case

There is no such thing as a rotten Bob Skinner story. It is good to be reminded that he is still in his fifties, otherwise it would be different to figure how he fits so much in

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant ! Love this author . Love the Bob Skinner series . It just gets better each time. Even in retirement !Wish he would bring back Andy Martin though !!! Would thoroughly recommend this book to everyone .

[Pauline Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I started reading the Skinner books in September, have now finished the 30th, great reads, constantly drawing you in to the plots. Looking forward to the next installment due for release later this year

[Ljohnston]

Bob helps Sir Jimmy Proud out in a tale very old and with lots of twists. Bob can’t help himself he had got to be involved and it leads to another career opportunity. Good read, lots of twists until the end where all is revealed.

[Ginette Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another new author for me, and again a nice thriller that kept me interested. Having said that there were aspects of the story that I found a little bit of a stretch and hence four stars rather than five, but still I may well read more of these if I come across them

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story as one expects when Bob Skinner is involved in investigating a case - even a case as cold as this one

[cheryl horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

cannot believe I have read all the series so far and they get better and better. The life of Bob Skinner has been very complicated and I hope there are many more books to come

[C.Denby · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as ever

[JOHN BARLOW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another ingenious plot conceived and executed by Quintin Jardine. Bob Skinner continues to investigate aided by his former colleagues.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always. Well crafted incredible plots. When’s the next Skinner.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m finding the Bob Skinner books very hit and miss at the moment but did enjoy this one

[J Grimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and Bob's new lease of life as a special Constable opens new story line. A good yarn and a good use of series characters.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant read with all the twists and turns you’d expect from this author right up to the last page. Great characters that provide a warm human touch to offset the serious crimes involved.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good