Slip of the Knife

Paddy Meehan #3

by Denise Mina

Paddy Meehan is no stranger to murder--as a reporter she lives at crime scenes--but nothing has prepared her for this visit from the police. Her former boyfriend and fellow journalist Terry Hewitt has been found hooded and shot through the head. Paddy knows she will be of little help--she had not seen Terry in more than six months. So she is bewildered to learn that in his will he has left her his house and several suitcases full of notes. Drawn into a maze of secrets and lies, Paddy begins making connections to Terry's murder that no one else has seen, and soon finds herself trapped in the most important--and dangerous--story of her career.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Scotland, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Denise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an Engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Denise Mina has done in this book is what Denise Mina does like no one else.

* Strong story telling without spoon feeding.

* Blades of wit and a healthy dose of cursing, Glasgow style.

* Vibrant atmosphere, astoundingly so.

* Flawed, insecure, beautifully upright characters.

* A succinct yet fulfilling ending to this series, without the bow-tie and wrapping.

This book sees Paddy grown up and at her finest. Even a little – just a tad, mind you – sentimental.

“Shut up and drive. You wanker.” She grinned out of the side window. “And I do love you. I don’t even love you as a friend, I’m in love with ye. I think everything you do is brilliant. So ye can shove that up your arse. Fucking Proddy twat.”

If you want brilliant crime stories written with humor, mystery, humanity and fan-fucking-tastic protagonists, I highly recommend Mina in general and this series in particular. Alternatively, if you need warm fuzzies or you need things spelled out for you, then run away - this is not for you.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Reading Denise Mina, for we Glaswegians, has some of the same fascination as watching Taggart on TV. We’re always looking to notice the places we know – look, the victim lived in Lawrence St! But thankfully, Denise Mina’s writing is a lot better than the Taggart team’s acting. This is the third Paddy Meehan (a Glasgow journalist) story – though I hardly remember the others, they seem so long ago – and she has moved to Lansdowne Crescent in the West End. Ah the memories….

One advantage of having a journalist as your protagonist is that it frees the author from some of the constraints imposed on police detection – the journalist can be much more unorthodox.

Several different stories take place in the book, which is set in 1990. The main story is about the murder of two journalists – a writer and a photographer, with possible IRA implications. The journalist had been a mentor to Paddy, and has now left her everything in his will. But with the bequest comes danger, Paddy now becoming a target of the same people. A second story involves the release from prison of a child murderer, whose conviction, on lesser charges, Paddy had been associated with. Journalists from all over the country want to talk to him, and Paddy may be the conduit. And then there are developments in Paddy’s family life, with her sister the nun having doubts and Paddy herself moving to the west end of the city, a far cry from her upbringing.

When I started the book, I had felt it was a little light and spent too much time revisiting the previous stories, but in fact those earlier passages turned out to be part of the greater whole. The various stories pull you in more and more and end up intersecting the way the best written books do. Well worth reading.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Glasgow, Scotland. This is the third book in the series featuring journalist Paddy Meehan - now a better-paid columnist but with the newspaper itself struggling, Paddy is still not secure. She has just moved into her own flat, funded by George Burns, the father of her son Pete. But Paddy's life is thrown into chaos when her ex-boyfriend Terry, also a journalist, is found murdered in an apparent IRA execution. Then Paddy discovers that Terry has left her a house and an interesting collection of notebooks and material related to a forthcoming book of photographs he is on the verge of getting published. Paddy's determination to find out what happened to Terry places her and her son in mortal danger as she investigates the possible IRA angle - although the police don't want to know....
Another gripping crime novel from Denise Mina and I am looking forward to the next in the series. I'm not usually keen on crime series with a journalist as the main character but Paddy Meehan is a character that you simply cannot dislike - 9/10.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you hear the term Tartan Noir (which is fancy name for Scotland-set mysteries), hopefully you think of Denise Mina. If not, you should.

I really loved both her Garnethill and Paddy Meehan trilogies. Here's the thing I'm starting to think about her though: she has trouble closing. The third book in both trilogies was kind of soggy in the middle. Mystery novels often have a second half that is more exciting than the first half. The first sets up the characters, makes you care about them, creates the setting, sets the action in motion, and so on. The second half is the payoff.

I get that.

But even though I continue to love the thick Glaswegian setting with its charming, casually abundant use of swear words and Paddy herself, this story was slow and a bit of a struggle to read until the last 90 pages when the gears really kicked in.

The time has jumped ahead to 1990 in this book, which I think is around 6 years since the first one. Paddy is now a celebrity columnist, her days of struggling as a copy boy far behind her, and a single mother. She's moved out of her family home and into a flat with her friend, Dub. When the story opens, Callum Ogilvy (the child who killed another child in the first book) is due to be released from prison, and Paddy's old colleague/ex-boyfriend Terry has been murdered. Another death follows and both appear to have IRA connections. Meanwhile, the cops can't be bothered and seem to be trying to sweep both murders under the rug. Paddy soon finds herself deep in the middle of both stories and there could be serious ramifications for both her and those close to her.

As I said, I love Paddy. She's brassy, foul-mouthed, and a true believer in the power of writing and journalism. I enjoyed spending time with her, but the story just didn't get here fast enough. And even when it did, the ending didn't entirely make sense to me. Callum (maybe) fatally wounds McBree, the IRA assassin, at the end, then Paddy burns down Terry's cottage with him in it, which she got in the will that was likely going to be contested, so it wasn't even her cottage free and clear yet. And the police knew she was meeting McBree there since she used them to send the invitation in the first place. It seems unlikely that no one would investigate his disappearance since he was protected by the police and had ties to British Intelligence. Would they go to McBree's last known location, where he was to have met Paddy, find a crispy skeleton, and think that was just a wacky coincidence?

I guess I shouldn't think too hard about this, and enjoy what I did enjoy. I don't like Mina's Alex Morrow novels as well, but I've only read the first one (Still Midnight) so I'm confident I'll be reading more.

[Isidora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sista andetaget var trög i början men jag läste vidare. Paddy har kredit hos mig. Mot slutet blev boken riktigt bra och jag kände igen Paddy och det som jag gillat hos henne. Visst är hon annorlunda nu som vuxen men ändå sig lik. Fördelaktigt om böckerna följs i rätt ordning.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great closer for a terrific trilogy. Paddy Meehan has come a long way from her first appearance, but she has retained her sense of self and her relentless nose for the story. There is a fine tradition of journalists getting involved in mysteries and conspiracies and these three books have been a treat. They all kept the focus on news gathering without ever trying to make Paddy a superhero or physically tough. The background characters are drawn effortlessly and the plot barrels along. I think I'm going to go ahead and read more of Mina's books.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are more than just crime stories. They are multi-leveled stories of Scotland and its politics, the class divisions, religion, the decline of journalism, sex and relationships and a plot that involves all of the above. Paddy is tough, family-driven, lusty and a hard nosed journalist after truth of a personal nature. Yes, sure, you have to think and stay on your toes when you read Denise Mina - but who wants to read flat-footed?

[Rod Zemke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must be getting too picky as I get old. Would not recommend.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light read.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise Mina writes dark, gritty crime novels set in Glasgow that capture the ethos of working-class life there. I've read a couple of her stand-alones and liked them a lot. I grabbed this one without being aware that it is the third in a series; my only reservation about the book is that there's a lot of carried-over back story from the previous titles which is somewhat distracting if you didn't read those. So I'd recommend starting with the first one, which appears to be The Field of Blood.
In this one, set in 1990, Paddy Meehan, journalist and single mother, is shocked by the murder of a former lover, a foreign correspondent with experience in overseas war zones. There are indications the killing might be linked to the IRA, the Troubles spilling over into Glasgow's complicated ethnic and political waters. Paddy pursues the truth despite being warned off, putting everything she holds dear at risk.
Mina's writing is sharp and perceptive; Paddy is a tough and complicated heroine. Glasgow holds center stage, not exactly a vacation destination but a complex and intriguing place. A good read.

[Jacquelyn Mitchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooray for Denise Mina. I wish I hadn't read this so I would still have it to look forward to.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Paddy Meehan is devastated to learn a former colleague and one time lover has been murdered. She is surprised when she learns she is Terry's beneficiary. It's a double edged sword as Terry's death may not be the end of the trouble. The fear and tension are palpable as Paddy realizes she has uncovered some dark dealings. Denise Mina's gritty crime novels set in Glasgow are excellent. It's the early 90s and we are immersed in Glaswegian slang and culture. Mina also depicts the newspaper industry on the precipice of a downward spiral.

P.S. The whole time I was reading this I felt like I was missing something. Yes, yes you were. You read the third book instead of the second one...

[Tom S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series. Paddy Meehan is an investigative journalist in Scotland. She gets caught in the middle of an interesting situation here with a former member of the IRA.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting. I don't usually read a bunch of one author at one time but I made an exception for this one. Couldn't get enough. I was reading it and loving it early on but wondering in the back of my mind if I'd be digging this as much as I was if I hadn't read the first 2 and gotten so thoroughly invested in the characters and their world. Then the three or more story lines Mina had been picking at from this book and the other two completely surrounded me and was swept away for the ride. The wonderful thing about Mina's stuff is you never know what's coming next. Really bad things happen to really good people so no one is safe. Characters are alternatively tough and fragile. Crazy people do the sanest things. Even the "genre" is constantly changing from, murder mystery to family drama to crime fiction to psychological profile to down right Hitchcockian suspense. This is the last Paddy Meehan book (I hope--because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ending) but I will definitely check out the author's other titles!

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Ian Rankin and I find Mina's gritty Glasgow a good book-end to Rankin's Edinburgh. The central character, Paddy, is back from the Garnethill trilogy. It's a great character but the story and character in this book aren't as compelling as the trilogy. Still, it's a decent read, certainly a cut above the average mystery.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a fast paced mystery/thriller, a fun summer read - but I was wrong. It was boring. Apparently this is the third installment of a series about this Scottish journalist character, so maybe folks who have read the first two might be more into it. Not much happened, and it wasn't intriguing or exciting. I can't believe I finished it. Don't waste your time.

[Ed Mckeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I inadvertently skipped the second saga of Paddy Meehan (so I plan to go back in history), only to find our heroine's fortunes greatly improved, though her insecurities still careening unchecked. Meehan is a great character, a reporter, turned author, turned columnist who always seems to be aggravating the wrong people. Here, she's unwittingly become the target of an IRA operative. Mina is such a good writer, and such a pleasure to read.

[Craig Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always look forward to reading Denise Mina. Her characters are real, the dialogue is authentic, and I can recognize people very similar to ones I have known in my life. Always excellent, and this close out a trilogy of Paddy Meehan stories very nicely.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that Paddy Meehan, the smart, funny, underdog who once on the trail of something, is like a truck without brakes on a steep slope. Sorry this is the last one in the series. but Mina has more. Yay.

[joyce g · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not a fan.

[Hpnyknits · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Paddy in the first book. In this book, she makes too many dangerous choices that are not believable, so the stories lost credibility.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I'm not really into crime drama/mysteries. I bought it at a book sale before I really knew what types of stories I enjoy the most.

[Mary Rinehart]

Ugh! Don't bother!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four point five.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things I really enjoy about Denise Mina's novels is they feel incredibly real. The mystery is not really the point; it's the complex web of relationships surrounding the plot that make this story interesting. I did come late to the party. According to Goodreads, this is the 3rd novel featuring Paddy Meehan and I'm curious about what elements of her backstory the earlier two books explore. In this installment, Paddy gets the news that an old friend and journalist, Terry, has been murdered. Though they both had been young journalists together, Paddy had stayed behind in Scotland while Terry went off to exotic and dangerous locales to do his reporting. Though Terry had recently returned to Glasgow, their relationship was strained and Paddy had hardly seen him until she got the news. Paddy is both shocked by his death and even more surprised to find out that Terry left her everything in his will. However, the police seem strangely uninterested in solving the murder and Paddy feels compelled by guilt and fondness to investigate. As is usually the case, this decision brings a world of hurt down on her and the ones she loves. This is not a traditional thriller, all flashy plot, but instead a complex narrative of family, compromises, and what a parent will do to protect a child.

[Pbwritr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really entertaining, but it often got confusing as to how long this relationship between Terry & Paddy had lasted, how long ago, and when it ended. I also had a hard time getting used to the nickname Paddy for a woman. Paddy seemed to have such ambivalent feelings for Terry that it was hard to understand why his death bothered her so much. Why he left her his house. Why she lived and had sex with Dub, but they were "just friends." Why she didn't marry her son's father, another person entirely. Why she constantly smoked cigarettes against her will. Why she immediately thought Terry had been killed by the IRA. why someone started stalking and threatening her. A fast-moving, readable story, but a lot of leaps of the imagination. Also, could never figure out the timeframe--book published 2008 but always using pay phones.

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea this was book 3 in a series until now.
That might make a difference in how I feel about it. I just have not been enjoying it as much as I had hoped, or even as much as the praise on the book cover said. Now I know what might have helped contribute... being book 3.
Then again, I felt like I didn't really miss much from not reading the first two. I got a good grasp of who Paddy is and what she stands for. I just thought the plot was drawn out waaaaaaay too long. It was too beat-around-the-bush-ish for me.
I read the whole thing too, hoping it would be one of those books that really wowed me in the end. But, no. It was just a story. Nothing special for me, sorry.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always in the market for a good new crime novel, so I was looking forward to giving Denise Mina a try. The plot set-up sounded quite interesting. But I just didn't mesh with her writing style -- maybe it's language differences (she's Scottish), but the book struck me as overly dense and overwritten. I only made it 40 pages, and it's back to library for this one.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Denise Mina. The end was a wee bit too nicely tied up for me, but the quality of the writing throughout redeemed it all. That, and my adoration of the Glasgow setting, which Mina evokes grippingly.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crime fiction: is the IRA in Scotland? And are the police at the highest level involved in a cover-up? It's a tangled web.