Blood Red

Primavera Blackstone #2

by Quintin Jardine

Primavera Blackstone becomes the prime suspect in the second breathtaking novel in a brilliant new series by bestselling Scottish crime writer Quintin Jardine.

Primavera is enjoying the quiet life in an idyllic village on the Catalan coast of Spain. The attractive single mother and eight-year-old Tom, son of the late and still lamented Oz Blackstone, are popular figures in the tiny community. But her close friendship with the parish priest has eyebrows rising and tongues wagging. Then a dispute explodes with a powerful councillor who refuses to allow the village wine fair to go ahead. When his body is found, head caved in, some ominous questions are asked...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Rebecca Hock · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all I thought this was a pretty good story. I thought it started really slow but once it got going it was pretty enjoyable.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a couple of Quintin Jardine's books before -- whodunits featuring Edinburgh detective Robert Skinner. This one, though still a whodunit, is quite different in characters and setting. Instead of the capital of Scotland, it is set in a small village in Spain. The protagonist is not a policeman but a single mother expatriate who gets caught up in events surrounding a murder, and finds herself a suspect.

It is obviously part of a series featuring some of the same characters, and perhaps if I read the others, I might know more about them, and I found this one sufficiently readable to want to read one or two of the others, if I see them.

And on second thoughts iot has more connections with Scotland than appear at first sight, because it set in Catalonia, which probably has a similar relation to the rest of Spain as Scotland does to the rest of the UK.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this as well as the Skinner books. I do find it fun that characters in the Skinner novels read Primavera Blackstone novels and vice versa.

This summer I have been very hard to please. I have begun many more books than I have finished. If a book doesn't quickly grab my interest, it is off the currently reading list ASAP.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite like this series, a good light read set in Spain, a spin off from the Oz Blackstone series.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Primavera Blackstone book I have read. Not bad but I prefer the Skinner series, due to the gritty storylines.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it a bit contrived, but a quick enjoyable read none the less.

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a much more entertaining story line than than the first in the series

[Meinwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good find .

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as any Bob Skinner mystery. Lightweight. I started this series with #2 so I wasn’t familiar with the characters and admittedly I got confused at times. Also I decided not far into the story that Primavera’s character was written indeed by a man. There were so many things that were masculine whereas she was supposed to be overly feminine, but hard to pinpoint. She had a money clip? Women don’t have money clips. Or at least women I know don’t.
As far as storyline goes it was passable. I’m finding my reading now craves something substantial with beautiful language so I’m hard to please.

[Ljohnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another who dun it. You think you figured it out but think again. I thought several suspects as the story unfolded and was wrong each time in the end.
Primavera is suspected of not one but two murders with little reasoning for either and Spanish justice can be swift but totally wrong. She needs to flea and involve old friends to gain her some room to figure out the real murder. Lucky for Spain Prim is on the job. During all the turmoil she lands a high profile position as well which will make future reads very interesting…

[Christopher Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good second story in the Primavera Blackstone series.

Like the first book it was well constructed with lots of twists and turns in the plot. This one also, genuinely, left me guessing right until the end. The only downside for me was the tendancy, at times, for the story to become a little bit unrealistic (such as the Embassy job) which spoiled the story in places. As with all of Jardine's other books I've read, I like the way that mundane real life is woven into the story.

All in all, a good read and a real page turned at the end.

[Anet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Kept me wanting to read more. I was even motivated enough to google places and foreign words. Great twists in tbe story, some very predictable. Discovered this is the 10th book in the series.

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Persevered with this to completion but some parts of the storyline were a bit on the inconceivable to say the least and at times more Mills and boon cheesy than a crime thriller

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldnt get into this at all, i just couldnt get into the story line or relate to the characters.