Open Season (Bob Skinner Book 34)

Product Information

From acclaimed author Quintin Jardine comes the latest gripping mystery in his bestselling Bob Skinner series, perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter May. I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of The Roots of Evil, the thirty second novel to feature former Chief Constable Bob Skinner, set in Edinburgh.

This is number 33 in the Bob Skinner series – if it’s not a series you are familiar with, I would highly recommend it if you enjoy crime fiction. Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' SCOTS MAGAZINEAlongside each inquiry as it evolves is former Chief Constable Sir Robert Skinner, relishing his new role as a media magnate, but drawn into reluctant action and towards a chilling discovery of his own. When struggling ex-copper Terry Coats was discovered in bed with an air hostess, his excuse that he was 'going undercover' cut no ice with the force - or his wife. But now he's been brutally killed on Hogmanay night, it seems there may have been more to his plea. Scottish crime-writing at its finest , with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' Sun As the secrets start unravelling, Skinner realises he has gravely underestimated someone close to him - and the effects will cost him, and those he loves, dear . . .

I thoroughly enjoyed The Roots of Evil, which is an absorbing tale of greed and violence with its roots deep in the past. I was utterly gripped and ignored everything to read it in one sitting. In the cold, hard light of post read analysis it probably doesn’t fare too well in the realistic stakes but it was so compelling at the time I didn’t notice or question it. Anyway, who cares when it’s entertaining? In the early hours of New Year’s Day Bob is asked to consult on a difficult case. Two bodies have been found in a car outside Torpichen Police Station and both have been shot. One is Terry Coates, a former detective with Strathclyde Police and the other is Inspector Griff Montell, former lover of Bob’s daughter, Alexis.Amidst a family celebration, a cataclysmic storm uncovers long-buried horrors - and a team of detectives struggle to solve a thirty-year-old double murder. Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing , extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' Scots magazine

The dialogue continues to be be stilted as the author tries to use conversations to provide context from previous novels, or to convey the genius of Skinner and his considerable number of talented offspring who will never grow up to be anything other than lives in the shadow of the “great” man. So... part of the fallout from Covid means that Bob is called upon to head the board of the media company he works at. This means travelling to head office more - something not that easy these days. Meanwhile there are a few fatal accidents happening at the homes of the same vulnerable he has been visiting - putting him on the radar of the Police as a suspect no less!

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The gripping new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. So once again the old gang come out to play with the omnipotent puppet master Skinner still hanging smugly around like the ghost of Christmas past. He is now on some astronomical salary in the media business yet holds an unhealthy position of influence in the Scottish police force. His son is now an IT genius - well he would be wouldn’t he ? And his old mate Andy Martin makes an appearance to apologise profusely to the great man and duly receives the Skinner Blessing - so you want to be an MSP then Skinner will make it so, such is the power of Sir Robert. With evil on one hand and intrigue on the other, will Skinner escape with either his integrity or career intact . . . or is it open season on him?

So why do I keep reading. Well it’s like an old cardigan that is comfortable and easy to wear but alas this latest outing seems a bit tired. Characters that we have met before go bad but it is all tied up in the complex web of family relationships that have developed over all the years and are becoming a bit tiresome. Jardine has a style of writing that draws the reader in, together with an excellent handle on the workings of Scotland’s police force. He keeps the reader engaged throughout both with the story line and the characters – many of whom have been with him since the start of the series and it’s always interesting to see these develop. Will that be Robert’s next outing or will he have fathered another unbelievable budding genius whilst his daughter, who was thankfully missing for most of this story, becomes the greatest lawyer Scotland has ever witnessed. I have read all the Skinner series, but am beginning to think it may have "jumped the shark" a they say. Skinner has now been retired from the police for some time and the way appointments have fallen into his lap become a little unbelievable, although perhaps I am being naive! He is starting to come across as a bit of a bombastic bully these days. It also gets a little repetitive in the way the members of his old team seem to get promoted, often on his say so though retired. With that and the way his family and friends get involved makes it feel a little incestuous to be honest.Is Quentin going to stretch this story over two books or do we just assume that “the sample” will prove fruitful and that it’s the usual slam dunk. Unlikely as old smug boy Skinner wasn’t in at the kill and that is very unlikely. So once you have been taken down the most complex of family trees and “Super Bob” has once again been the power behind the two murders being solved you are still left with the unsolved Glasgow case. I would also describe this story as rip-roaring - just when you think, as a reader, you've been done out of a story one emerges and the ending will surprise everyone. But again, you will have to read the next book to find out what happens, ha ha.