Still Midnight (Alex Morrow, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 15, 2010 Tony added it

Back in the late '90s I was on a kick where I was reading every Scottish author I could get my hands on, and in the course of that, came across Denise Mina's excellent 1998 debut, Garnethill. Since then, I've moved on to other reading jags, but when I saw her latest crime novel was available, I thought I should see if she's as good as I remember. While this one didn't blow me away like her debut did, it does succeed as a very good police procedural stocked with interesting characters and good pa Back in the late '90s I was on a kick where I was reading every Scottish author I could get my hands on, and in the course of that, came across Denise Mina's excellent 1998 debut, Garnethill. Since then, I've moved on to other reading jags, but when I saw her latest crime novel was available, I thought I should see if she's as good as I remember. While this one didn't blow me away like her debut did, it does succeed as a very good police procedural stocked with interesting characters and good pace.

The story kicks off when a trio of amateur hoodlums force their way into a Glasgow home trying to kidnap a man named "Bob" for a two million pound ransom. The only problem is that the house they break into belongs to Aamir Anwar, a Ugandan Pakistani shopkeeper, and Scottish-raised family ("Nae Bobs here, mate"). Despite this, they take a hostage and attempt to salvage something out of the fubared situation, all under the apparent direction of a mysterious Irishman they periodically call with updates.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the law, D.S. Alex Morrow is struggling to keep her footing in the treacherous sexist waters of police politics in the aftermath of her young son's death (which is implied several times before being made explicit toward the end of the book). Relegated to supporting a colleague who is given the career-making case, she can barely contain her rage and frustration in the face of the careerist coppers surrounding her at the Strathclyde CID.

The story suffers a little bit from a rather improbable, and ultimately sappy, romantic subplot involving one of the kidnappers. There's also a family connection established between D.S. Morrow and local gangster that's a little too convenient, and appears to exist mainly to set the table for conflict in further books. There's also a running thread where the middle-aged Aamir Anwar recollects his terror as a child in 1972, when his family was forced to flee Uganda, which, while illuminating a slice of semi-forgotten history, feels totally out of place.

Nonetheless, the book does a very nice job of portraying the psychology of the inept criminals as they struggle to make their scheme work, and the cold backstabbing going on within the police force. In that sense it's very reminiscent of Bill James' "Harpur & Iles" series -- albeit without the biting humor. If you like your crime stories bleak, gritty, and grounded in their setting, this is well worth checking out. ...more

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Jul 12, 2009 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, scotland

Definitely a different flavor than Mina's other series, and I enjoy the quieter tone - she gets introspective here in a way that I appreciate. One of my favorite authors who doesn't get nearly the press she deserves. ...more

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