Customer Reviews
A tale of two Meehans - By: seeyoujimmy, 16 Nov 2008 
I enjoyed this book, not quite as much as Mina's earlier works, but enough to want to go on to read the other Paddy Meehan books. It is a good yarn with good characterisations. I must take issue with other reviewers who felt the real Paddy Meehan story slowed the action & added nothing, & that there was too much detail about the life of Mina's Meehan. This book is about Miss Paddy Meehan, & without the detail, & the real Paddy Meehan background her reactions & feelings towards the last quarter of the book would have no context.
Two for the price of one - By: Michael Watson, 19 Sep 2008 This is my first Denise Mina novel & my expectations were high when I noted the location - Glasgow - murder of a smalll child, an overweight would-be teenage investagative journalist & a back-drop of the real Paddy Meehan.
It is just as much the story, reallly, of the reality check the reporter - another Paddy Meehan - takes when her friend is murdered in mistake for her. That she doesn't realise this until about three-quarters of the way through the book is a little off-putting but probably shows up as much the naivete of the girl as it does her social fight with her own upbringing in a catholic Glasgow.
For me, there is just a little too much detail surrounding her day-to-day life which tends to slow down the pace. That she overcomes most (well, some) of the problems facing her means there are more stories to follow as 'Paddy' climbs the crime reporter's greasy pole. That this takes place, so far, in the 1980s is an interesting take on the modern thriller but it tends to lack the grittiness of MacBride's Logan or the absorbing stubbornness of Rankin's Rebus.
None the less, I'll be reading Paddy's next 'triumph' soon, I hope.
One Paddy Meehan too many - By: Lovetoread, 05 Jan 2008 I enjoyed this book, but felt the story of the real Paddy Meehan was shoe-horned in & did not add anything positive to the novel. I found it odd that Mina skimmed over the nature of the crime in the story & was very thin on motivation etc, but was very detailed about alll aspects of Meehan's life. The exploits of the young protagonist, the fictional Paddy Meehan, were enjoyable & Mina is very adept at describing Glasgow & Scottish traits.
Minority detective in culture clash - By: Dr. J. Baird, 28 Nov 2007 Mina tells a story well, as evidenced by her previous books. Here, she introduces a new character who will appear in a series. Paddy Meehan is not a detective, but an assistant in a newspaper, which alllows the introduction of a character who is young, Catholic, female & working class to run up against several cultural themes from Glasgow in the 1980s. Those who see the discussion about the character as irrelevant miss the point in my view. Paddy appears before power dressing was invented, & it shows. I hope Mina continues to explore these themes in her books beyond this series.
One of the best modern Scottish writer's around... - By: M. Hughes, 19 Aug 2006 
I love Denise Mina's writing & this is the first in a new series which promises to be a cracker. Set in 80s Glasgow (when many still held values more akin to the 50s) it follows Paddy as she battles against the establishment, gender prejudice, her boyfriend, sectarianism, her own family & even seemingly random people she meets on the street to get to the truth of a truly brutal child murder.
A real gritty Scottish thriller which captures the period in which it is set perfectly. Brilliant for the beach or a rainy day!
