Skinner's Mission

Bob Skinner #6

by Quintin Jardine

When an Edinburgh car showroom is torched, leaving a charred body among the burnt-out luxury cars, DCC Bob Skinner wonders if a life of crime has finally caught up with one of the city's most elusive villains. But the corpse turns out not to be that of Jackie Charles, the owner of the showroom, but his wife Carole. Skinner now finds himself on the same side as his old enemy in the search for the killer.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Detective

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Les Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cannot give a review as I just did not enjoy it. Lost interest in it about 1/3 way through.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skinner's Mission by Quintin Jardine is the 6th book of the Bob Skinner police procedural mystery series set in late 20th century Scotland. Skinner is proud to be Scotland's "Toughest Cop". He is obsessed by the new knowledge, obtained under hypnosis, that his first wife's death in a car crash was murder. Against all advice from old friends within the police force, he proceeds to investigate the old case, even as it threatens to destroy his current happiness with his second wife and infant son. He gives his adult daughter her mother's diary, which he has never read. In parallel with his mission to solve Myra's murder, he investigates the current murder of a car dealer's wife. No ordinary businessman, this car dealer is known to Skinner as well as the entire police force as the key figure behind most violent crime in Edinburgh. Skinner has been trying for decades to gather sufficient evidence to put the slimeball away for life, but witnesses always disappeared or died suddenly before they could testify (a trend that continues). Skinner makes soul-shattering discoveries as he unravels Myra's case; likewise his daughter, as she reads her mother's most intimate thoughts. Life profoundly changes for both Skinner and his daughter, due to his 'mission'. Gripping and startling. Great. I love this series.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series

[Annie Weatherly-Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book probably his best. I love this series. Great characters, the pace never lets up and great twists and turns. Just a great read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pure Skinner for those fans of Quintin Jardine's Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner - Edinburgh's finest rottweiler.....he is a tenacious cop who let's no clue go un - investigated. When an Edinburgh car showroom is torched leaving a charred body among the burnt-out luxury cars Bob Skinner thinks that the life of crime as finally caught up with the owner - Jackie Charles. But the corpse turns out not to be Jackie but that of his wife, Carole. But Skinner is distracted while investigating the death of Carole Charles, that of the murder of his first wife Myra, some 18 years before. as Skinner & his daughter Alex unlock hidden secrets of Myra's past they discover a woman neither of them could have imagined. A Myra whose bloody fate is linked inextricably across the years with the death of Carole Charles.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Skinner books!

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bob Skinner series is one that has had me on the fence. I continue to read because they are easy and addictive, yet I have not fallen as deeply for them as I’d been made to believe. Add in the fact that someone at work keeps giving me the next book in the series each time I return one to them, and I find I keep reading just to see what happens next.

I will be honest and say that I struggled to keep reading with Skinner’s Mission. I’ll start with my general issue with the overall mystery, and my problem is that it was far too obvious. I worked out from very early in the book who the back guy was, and it annoyed me that it was so obvious. It had the potential to introduce some interesting elements in the side stories, the personal details, but this is where my main problem with the story came about. The entire book felt like it was intended to make every female character seem bad. Throughout it all Skinner was the problematic one – from the way he acted to the way he talked about the women he supposedly cared for – yet we were supposed to feel sympathetic for him. It just did not work. I spent the entire time annoyed with the unrealistic way in which women were portrayed, along with the way they were made into the bad guy no matter what. Maybe it was a product of the time in which the book was written, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Due to this, I really struggled with this story. By the end, I despised Skinner as a character and am left with the hope that the future of the series is filled with women making him see the error of his ways. Of course, sadly, that is not going to be the case – the golden boy is clearly going to take his horrible behaviour to a new level and have a new kind of happiness.

All in all, this was my least favourite in the series by a large margin. It may take a while for me to work through the next book because I fear my annoyance will only grow…

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 -4 1/2 star read. The sixth book in Jardine's excellent Bob Skinner series was a very good one. It started out when Edinburgh police were called to a scene where a posh car showroom has been burnt out and a body is found in the debris. As the showroom is owned by Jackie Charles, Skinner's nemesis, an arch villain who has been wily enough to stay out of police hands, Skinner is very interested in the case. He is also trying to find out who killed his first wife Myra 18 years before. This causes an estrangement between himself and his present wife Sarah. As Skinner works hard on both cases, he brings on a new PA, a young woman who could complicate his life in unexpected ways. The book was a very good read.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

DCC Bob Skinner's staff are investigating an arson and murder at a car dealership. Skinner himself investigates his first wife's dead of eighteen years previously and this causes a rift between him and his current wife. The arson investigation is hampered by the murders of witnesses.

[Gill Adshead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written "who dunnit."

[Hebah Dwidari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. (I will have to find the other books in the series)

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I’ve read by this author, enjoyed and looking forward to reading more.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp with Bob Skinner

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was quite readable, but the characters (good guys and the bad guys) and their convoluted relationships, I found to be just the wrong side of ludicrous!

[Avard MacPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book from this author for me. The plot and family challenges were well developed and presented with the climax not happening to early. 4.2 Stars

[Ann Dewar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is, I find, the 6th in the series but is the first that I’ve read by this author. It’s probably unfair to judge the series when starting at this point - the plot was fine, I just felt that the characters were a bit too two-dimensional. I was bought another one of these as a present so will see if Skinner grows on me.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. It's set in Scotland, and I've loved other Scottish mysteries - hard-boiled or not. This one was stupidly hard-boiled, cliche-ridden, hackneyed characters, stilted dialog that was saved only by the interjection of some charming Scottish brogue...and on and on. This author sells a lot of books. Good for him. He's not selling any more to me.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

So so story. Early in the Skinner series. Sarah and Bob are going through marriage difficulties after the birth of their son Jazz (I hate that name, just call him James!). Skinner as DCC recruits a new aid in DS Pamela Masters. Skinner also learns the truth about his deceased wife Myra through her diaries read by Alex. Jackie Charles and his wife are forefront in police investigations.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard Edinburgh-set crime story : as it is one of a series, and I have accidentally started in the middle, I found the back-story a bit clunky. Some of the writing was a bit clunky too, but it was OK

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.This is a really good series.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just started; the early pages seem stilted with unnatural dialogue. I've read Skinner books before, so I'm confident the plot will soon take over and propel a good read.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many characters to keep up with but otherwise ok.

[Afsana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and the series is going strong

So invested in the characters and was sad re skinners and sarah's relationship

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't even bother!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edinburghs hardest cop fights agian and wins, good story, very good reading

[ElaineY · Rating 3 out of 5]

[b]REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; MAY 5, 2019
Narrator: James Bryce[/b]

Rather slow much of the time and the whole thing about a torched car showroom was borrringgg. . I found myself far more interested in Skinner's deteriorating marriage and his obsession to find out what really happened to Myra - was her death an accident or was it murder?

I normally do not care for all that family drama around my protagonist's personal life but I'm glad I stuck with this because the next book requires you to know the back story to the events that unfold in Book 7.