Saturday 29 June 2013

Crime Fiction Week Guest Review: Denise Mina - The Red Road

Reviewed by Victoria Stone 

31st August 1997
Rose Wilson is fourteen, but looks sixteen. Pimped out by her 'boyfriend' and let down by a person she thought she loved, she has seen more of the darkness in life than someone twice her age. On the night of Princess Diana's death - a night everyone will remember - Rose snaps and commits two terrible crimes. Her life seems effectively over. But then a defence lawyer takes pity and sets out to do what he can to save her, regardless of the consequences.

Now
DI Alex Morrow is a witness in the case of Michael Brown - a vicious, nasty arms dealer, more brutal and damaged than most of the criminals she meets. During the trial, while he is held in custody, Brown's fingerprints are found at the scene of a murder in the Red Road flats. It was impossible that he could have been there and it's a mystery that Morrow just can't let go.

Meanwhile, a privileged Scottish lawyer sits in a castle on Mull, waiting for an assassin to kill him. He has sold out his own father, something that will bring the wrath of the powerful down upon him.

Firstly I want to start by saying thank you to Sharon for asking to me review this for her crime week feature and to the people at Orion Books for sending it to me.

Secondly this is the first book I have read by Denise and it certainly won't be the last. I found it so hard to put this book down, I kept creeping off and hiding from the kids to read a page or two!

The book starts in 1997, where a young girl named Rose kills two men in one night, one being her boyfriend who pimped her out. When she is arrested and taken to the police station she meets a lawyer, Julius, who seems to take pity on her and offers to help her. He says she will go to prison but he can make it a shorter sentence and promises to become her friend. Not only as a visitor at the prison but when she is released also.

Then in the present day we have DI Alex Morrow, she is currently a witness to a very nasty criminal. But whilst on trial his fingerprints turn up at a recent murder scene. How they got there whilst he was in prison is exactly what Morrow plans to find out.  As she starts digging deeper she soon starts to realise that this may involve the work of corrupt officers.

Still In the present day Julius is dead and Rose has been working for his Son as a nanny for his children. But Robert is missing, no one knows where is has gone or why.

The book is broken into present day and 1997. I always find these types of stories even more of a page turner because you know that somehow the two stories are connected, it's then only a matter of time before they come together.

I really really enjoyed the book. It was well written the characters were well executed and the story was gritty, shocking and compelling. The crimes were bloody and gruesome making it a must read for any crime fan.

Amazon links: Hardback or Kindle

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