Screen Savers

Oz Blackstone #4

by Quintin Jardine

Life is sweet again for Oz Blackstone, private investigator turned money magnet. Successful television performer, lottery winner, on the edge of movie stardom, and reunited with his partner Primavera Phillips, things couldn’t be better—until a visit from his police pal Mike Dylan resurrects his career as an investigator, on the trail of a poison pen. Oz thinks it will be nothing much, until the threats start coming and his nearest and dearest become targets themselves.

Genres: Crime, Mystery

341 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

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

[Ljohnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oz’s job opportunities grow in the tale. Oz seems to be under a black cloud as people he is close to are being involved in accidents while in Oz’s company. Oz can’t stand for this and embarks on a case to find the person screwing with him.
Some interesting reveals are made in the final chapters of the book.
All in all a very entertaining read. On to book 5.

[Michael Annis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Read

Great plot with great character. Well written too. QJ winds again with another cracking novel. On to the next one.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of his best, even in this thud'nblunder persona. It's an early one, dealing with how Oz first gets into the movies, via radio and TV ads. The 'can't stop money falling in my lap' insouciance is overdone (millions in a lottery win, followed by golden boy offers of work). The reluctant hero isn't at all, and the dialog and characterization's a bit thin, compared to later books. As for the ending - picking the target out of dozens of options, and the subsequent rescue op having Special Boat Service (aka Brit Marines) letting a rank amateur like him along - the willing suspension of disbelief crumbles altogether. No humor, no distance from the silliness makes Bond's tongue-in-cheek heroism look like serious satirical literature! A very fast read indeed.

[comfort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prim and Oz are back together almost by accident. Oz has changed and is not the likely-lad he was in the first few books.
He is also working as an actor with Prim's brother-in-law an Australian movie star/director (who is at the top of his game).
All good luck seems to fall his way, winning lottery money, falling into a plum acting job, living in a fabulous house, back with Prim- though that is not feeling right at all.

I am beginning to see a pattern of Oz's friends/lovers dying. It's like a new character is introduced and we start to really like this person,then in the next book they are dispatched.