Deadlock

Bob Skinner #33

by Quintin Jardine

Sir Robert Skinner's stock is rising - after retiring from the police service he's been promoted to head an international media organisation. Yet a series of unexplained deaths on his home turf in Scotland threaten to bring him crashing back down to earth.

As Skinner helps the elderly in his local community, several residents seem to die of natural causes. But when a gruesome discovery is made in a Glasgow flat and one of Skinner's long-time friends - an aspiring politician - emerges as the prime suspect, things become very murky indeed.

After unpicking clues that go nowhere, Skinner and his team are left grappling the most baffling conundrum they have ever encountered - is there a mystery at all?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Thriller

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2021

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

[John Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I am suffering with Covid this seemed a nice 'comfort read'. Having read more of the Bob Skinner series than is healthy (and there are many of them) it is welcome to have the familiar characters meet up once more. Full marks to Mr Jardine for keeping Bob Skinner 'involved' for so long. Skinner just seems to attract trouble with a capital T wherever or whatever he's doing....even just helping local residents during Covid restrictions.
Lost a star for a 'to be continued' sort of open-ended finale which was just unsatisfying and left this reader feeling rather cheated. The question on the front cover proclaims How can you solve the Perfect Crime? Well, a lot of us will have worked out who was the perpetrator but sadly as the book closes he has eluded Police Scotland and disappeared into thin air!

[Anne Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. I read it in a day. Now it was like visiting family as I have read all books in the Bob Skinner series, so the main characters were old friends. The plot was good and set during COVID times in the UK where the rules were really strict during their lockdown. But crime still went on.

[Vicky Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually a big fan of Quintin Jardine and Sir Bob Skinner, I found this book really frustrating. The general premise of the perfect murder without a suspect was great, however the rest of the book was made up of honourable mentions and short bio’s of every character that has ever appeared in the previous 40 something Bob Skinner books. There seemed to be a part for everyone whether tangentially related to the storyline or not, sapping my concentration as I tried (unnecessarily) to link them all. The covid mentions were also a little heavy - we were there, we know what it was like. Sadly a good story let down by too much filler but thank you Netgalley for the advance copy.

[Derek Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So once again the old gang come out to play with the omnipotent puppet master Skinner still hanging smugly around like the ghost of Christmas past. He is now on some astronomical salary in the media business yet holds an unhealthy position of influence in the Scottish police force. His son is now an IT genius - well he would be wouldn’t he ? And his old mate Andy Martin makes an appearance to apologise profusely to the great man and duly receives the Skinner Blessing - so you want to be an MSP then Skinner will make it so, such is the power of Sir Robert.
Jardine continues the annoying habit of using dialogue to tell back stories which makes the actual conversations come over as stilted and simply unreal.
Normally the gang of familiar cops get their man / woman, dead or alive, but Quentin is trying to be clever or profitable here and leaves us hanging. This is so unusual for this long series of 33 novels that I went researching to see if somehow my download had failed.
Is Quentin going to stretch this story over two books or do we just assume that “the sample” will prove fruitful and that it’s the usual slam dunk. Unlikely as old smug boy Skinner wasn’t in at the kill and that is very unlikely.
Annoying as Skinner, his family and most of his protégés are of course I will be waiting for the next instalment.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I cannot believe that we are at book 33 in the Skinner series and that I've read every single one of them. At first when I picked it up and found that covid and lockdown were part of the story I was reluctant to continue but I did and it was every bit as good as every other Skinner book!

Looking forward to #34 already.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been higher.
The story is excellent as usual but marred by the author inserting his pro-SNP, anti-Tory, anti-Brexit in at length. It is part of his books that has grown over the last 3. Had he left out the political nonsense he might actually have finished the story.
I will probably buy the next book in the series to get the end of the story but his age is obviously reducing his capabilities and the Bob Skinner series may be ending its useful life.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Most series books I have been reading of late have skipped the whole Covid thing completely. Occasionally they have referred back to "those days of mask wearing" and "when we were locked down" but, on the whole, timelines have skipped forward. Interesting when we are still supposed to be in the thick of it! Anyway... this book does not do that. In fact, when it opens, we are witnessing Bob and Sarah being released from self-isolation after having Covid. We also see Bob volunteer to aid the vulnerable of the town. Covid is indeed NOT glossed over. In fact, it is integral to the plot of some of what goes on herein.
So... part of the fallout from Covid means that Bob is called upon to head the board of the media company he works at. This means travelling to head office more - something not that easy these days. Meanwhile there are a few fatal accidents happening at the homes of the same vulnerable he has been visiting - putting him on the radar of the Police as a suspect no less!
And then there's the discovery of a headless body in nearly Glasgow which really puts the cats amongst the pigeons when security services are seemingly involved. It's pretty much all go...
We are now well on in the series, and there's a lot of past to be found. In history and characters and, well, things do get a bit busy herein with loads of familiar faces popping up. For those of us who have been with the series since the beginning, it's not too bad, but I suspect you really don't want to dive straight into this book. I think it will be too overwhelming. There's a lot gone on in the past books - a lot of which is still current herein. For those like me with memory issues, there is enough of a catch-up to jog your memory - but not nearly enough to fully explain. But, it's a cracking series which I wouldn't still be reading it if it wasn't. So I would recommend if you want to make a commitment, you could start from book one... etc.
There's a lot of balls in the air in this book and there is a danger it could get too busy but the author just manages to stay on the straight and narrow even though his juggling skills are tested to the limit. The Glasgow murder is interesting and intriguing and had me a bit baffled along the way. As did the deaths of the vulnerable but in a bit of a different way. (You'll see!) And there's a bit of humour with the current Police chiefs wanting Bob to step back and then, next minute, asking for his help... Made me laugh, that did!
Anyway... As always, it all came good at the end and I had to sit back once again and applaud the author for a job very well done. And as things came to an end, as I always do with a favourite series, I started to miss the characters. Hopefully it won't be too long til we can all reconnect - I really do wonder what the author has in store for Bob next time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Deadlock, the thirty third novel to feature former Chief Constable of Edinburgh and Strathclyde Police, Bob Skinner.

Lockdown has affected everyone, so tragedy leads Bob to a promotion in the media group he works for and causes him to start helping out the elderly residents in his community until several accidental deaths make him suspect something’s not right. Meanwhile in Glasgow one of Bob’s friends become the prime suspect in a brutal murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed Deadlock, which has a clever plot and a few twists along the way. It is slow to start with some lockdown scene setting and a catch up on the various characters in the series. This latter may be confusing to new readers as there is a host of regulars but to us readers who know and love them it is a welcome update.

I found the novel intriguing in both investigations. The Glasgow murder has top level connections that foreshadow trouble and that proves to be the case. It has a few neat twists that surprised me at every turn and a wee bit of humour to keep it real. It’s great stuff. The deaths of the pensioners is intriguing in a different way, chiefly because if it is murder, why? That’s where the clever comes in. I think the solution to this mystery is ingenious and inventive.

As ever with this series it is the Bob Skinner show as he has an imposing, authoritative personality. He tries to move on with his media job and accepts that the new Chief Constable, Neil McIlhenny, wants him to bow out of his behind the scenes role, but even he can see the irony of him soon begging for help when both cases need his expertise. Again, clever plotting to come up with a scenario that makes him indispensable.

Deadlock is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[DocGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Skinner book 33?! I admit I've NEVER read a book by Quintin Jardine, but given he is Scottish (and I went to uni in Glasgow), I thought I'd give it a go. Loved it.

First of all, though, it's only honest to say that it took me about half the book to come up to date with (obviously) what the other 32 books had done. To be fair, I'm not going to go back and read the other 32 of them anyway, so I was ploughing on, still interested in the story. This book, for British people is HILARIOUSLY funny, with a joke, or banter, in almost every line. It's very clever indeed! Bob Skinner has risen through the police ranks with friends who have done the same, lost many through death, divorce and tragedy, and here the team is trying to find the killer of three relatively defenseless OAP's (seniors) during the second COVID lockdown in Scotland.

I would also describe this story as rip-roaring - just when you think, as a reader, you've been done out of a story one emerges and the ending will surprise everyone. But again, you will have to read the next book to find out what happens, ha ha.

But, having started the book slowly and thinking I wouldn't rate it above a 3* because it's so complicated if you haven't read any of Jardine's other books, I changed my mind as the pieces joined together in the second half and because of his writing, so, yes, I am now going to go ahead and read some more of his books, starting from the beginning.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 4 1/2 stars. This is book # 33 in the Bob Skinner series and it was a very good read. Bob Skinner is no longer in the police but is an executive with a media group. Back at home in Gullane, Scotland, Bob has been asked by a neighbour if he would consider helping some vulnerable seniors during the pandemic. Bob thinks this is a good way of giving back to the community during these troubling times. But as he begins his helping of his senior neighbours, some of them die and it's not apparent whether it is natural causes or if someone is helping them along. A young teenage boy on a fancy bike is seen near the scenes of the deaths, causing some concern. And someone from Bob's past comes back into his life and is accused of a murder in Glasgow. Bob seems to be the connection with all these different situations going on and despite trying not to involve himself, he finds himself in the middle of everything. This book was quite an interesting read with a few neat twists. Another good mystery from Jardine.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is number 33 in the Bob Skinner series – if it’s not a series you are familiar with, I would highly recommend it if you enjoy crime fiction.

We find Bob and his wife, Sarah, coming to the end of their self-isolation period, after suffering from Coronavirus. As the pandemic hit his home town of Gullane, Bob volunteers in his community offering help to the older residents. When a series of unexplained deaths occur, he yet again finds himself at the centre of a police investigation, and even becomes a suspect himself at one point. He’s not the only one of his ex-police colleagues to come under suspicion – when a headless body is found in a Glasgow flat – the secrets of a nation and one of it’s rising stars are at risk of being exposed.

Jardine has a style of writing that draws the reader in, together with an excellent handle on the workings of Scotland’s police force. He keeps the reader engaged throughout both with the story line and the characters – many of whom have been with him since the start of the series and it’s always interesting to see these develop.

Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley UK for the review copy.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadlock is the latest book in the series and is very topical being as it’s set against the background of one of Scotland’s covid lockdowns and dealing with the resulting impact of living with restrictions . For some people this book might be a bit of a slow starter but for me it was slightly reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel in that it is full of red herrings and weaves a plot filled with intricate details that could easily be overlooked. When I reached the end my first thought was that I have to go back and re-read this book and see if I can spot any more clues that I’d missed first time round

I’m a huge fan of the early Skinner books when Bob Skinner was a detective working his way up through the ranks, then he reached the top and suddenly he became unlikeable as character for me and I just lost interest. It all seemed to be Skinner’s private army and if you didn’t think the great man himself was god then you were out. In the last few books, now that he’s retired and takes more of a back seat in the investigations I’ve rediscovered my love for this series.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book in this excellent series, gripping and entertaining.
I liked how the author dealt with the COVID and how he includes it in the plot. It's like an added feature that makes the plot more interesting.
It's a complex story, there's a lot of characters from the past and a sort of "perfect murder" and Bob Skinner cannot help being involved.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but once the tough game starts it's nearly unputdownable.
Quintin Jardin is an excellent storyteller and delivers a riveting story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Lindsey Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how we have jumped to book 49! I thought the last Skinner book was 33.........

As usual I just loved revisiting all the characters we have come to know so well in this series and this did not disappoint. It was like meeting up with a group of old friends and enjoying hearing all their news. The plot was not strong and the perpetrator was obvious from the very first time we met them
but for an established reader this really didn't matter. I am not sure that a new reader would enjoy it quite so much and would recommend they start with a different book. Already waiting for the next one - especially as the story is far from finished.

[giveusaclue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read all the Skinner series, but am beginning to think it may have "jumped the shark" a they say. Skinner has now been retired from the police for some time and the way appointments have fallen into his lap become a little unbelievable, although perhaps I am being naive! He is starting to come across as a bit of a bombastic bully these days. It also gets a little repetitive in the way the members of his old team seem to get promoted, often on his say so though retired. With that and the way his family and friends get involved makes it feel a little incestuous to be honest.

The plot itself, I regret to say, is unbelievable - would a casting agent accept a commission and cash delivered by courier from someone who he had never met and never checked his credentials? Would a publisher never actually meet the author even if he had had 50 or so books published? The rather unfinished ending too is unsatisfactory. Sorry Mr Jardine, you will have to up your game if I am to continue reading any further books in the series.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent series of books featuring Bob Skinner, well written and with a great insight into Scottish policing. This episode is bang up to date with the Covid mentions, although perhaps a bit too frequent. Aside from that, the plot is really fascinating and I love the character development. If you really want to read this book, there is a lot of past characters popping up so I would definitely recommend starting with the first book, you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Net Galley for another brilliant read from Quintin Jardine.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a couple of errors in this book which should, I think, been picked up by the proof reader; one character describes herself as being an only child but within a few lines talks about her older brother; and then another character talks about her mother dying a year before but then said she last saw her father 4 months earlier at her mother's funeral - this one could be explained by the Covid lockdowns.
I felt unsatisfied by this book and maybe the author has gone as far as he can with this book series.

[Christopher Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I last read a Bob Skinner book in early 2021 so was quite excited to read this and get back into the series. Sadly, though this book didn't quite meet my expectations. At the same time it managed to be both a bit lack lustre and overly complicated.

The concept of the main mystery was good and it was nice to hear how the characters were coping with COVID but beyond that it wasn't a particularly engaging read. Perhaps it was because I was picking the series back up again but I also didn't like the cliff hanger at the end.

Fingers crossed number 34 is a little better...

[J L NICOL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Headless

Another cracking story from Quintin, he really knows how to keep his readers very interested and to make the personnel of the police all the more believable.
His handling of the coronavirus in the story makes it all the more current, not happy with his continuing about the Scottish independence but we can all be misguided about something!!
Shame in a way that he didn't find the protagonist, will that be in the next book and if so when will it be published.

[Chris Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this series has been going for a very long time, it never loses interest or relevance because Quintin Jardine continually mixes things up. This is very much the Covid novel and it does feel at times as this is rather too heavily inserted. Nevertheless the plot is fascinating, the characters are almost like members of the family and the twists keep coming. Very enjoyable.

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

Deadlock

Dead lock

This book is quite up to the standard we expect from quintin jardin, just ad difficult to put down, just as exciting as usual. Sir Bob doesn't hold the front position but his friends and those he mentored are foremost. It also might be the door opening for future adventures

[Caroline McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from Quintin Jardine.

This book had so many pots boiling at one time only for them to join up towards the end of the book leaving me wanting more!

I found it quite intriguing especially as so many of our favourite characters were involved in the story. I look forward to the next instalment!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly much better than number 31 in the series. The perfect crimes? Or are they older people stuck indoors because of covid restrictions who need help from a younger generation. Did they die a natural death or were they murdered?

A particularly gruesome murder in Glasgow involved MI5, Bob Skinner even though he no longer is a policeman, Sir Andy Martin, and the Glimmer Twins.

[Ian & · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a gripping storyline

Never trust anyone who asks lots of questions and never gives any information, alarm bells rang.
Great storylineand very different from the norm. Love this writer and await the next one with enthusiasm.

[Christine Rennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadlock by Quinton Jardine

Deadlock by Quintin Jardine is book 33 in the Bob Skinner series and is another outstanding storyline given as a masterclass in storytelling. It was very clever, absorbing and intriguing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended.

[Maria honey · Rating 5 out of 5]

His best Skinner novel brilliant

Couldn't put the book down. Can't wait for the next one. Hope it's soon . Hope it's a sequel it's has been so exciting

[anne marie paton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Grafts it fed up of being left hanging !!! Also books seem to be getting shorter,will wait for paperback from now on . Getting to expensive

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant as always with this author.

[mrs karen james · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book

Love these books ,may have missed a few but I'll catch up with them too ,always leaves you wanting more

[Victoria Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd

This read like the authors autobiography in bits. The book spent most of its length rehashing old plots and characters. The ending was inevitable and annoying.