Book Review: Lethal Intent

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

Lethal Intent     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Quintin Jardine
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Robert Skinner # 15
Headline; $24.95 trade paperback; 376 pages

Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner knows that it never rains but it pours. He returns from Florida, where he’s been trying to salvage his marriage, to find that First Minister Tommy Murtagh is ready to introduce a bill to the Scottish Parliament that will put the police service under the Minister’s direct control. Then he gets a visit from MI5, who have had word that 4 Albanian gangsters are trying to move into Edinburgh’s drugs scene. To top it all off, a policeman’s 13-year-old son is found dead on the grounds of Edinburgh Castle. Bob is about to find out that this is only the tip of a very large iceberg.

Lethal Intent is more proof that Jardine deserves to be as widely read as his compatriot Ian Rankin. Nothing in this book is random; every incident, every word, has a purpose. If more writers were like Jardine, editors would be out of business. His prose is clean and concise. Perhaps that’s because Jardine comes from a background in public relations, where every word counts.

Jardine’s Skinner is miles away from his Oz Blackstone, though both have a core of ruthlessness. It’s almost impossible to believe that both protagonists inhabit the same mind. Skinner is ambitious, dedicated, and hard as nails. Blackstone is laid-back to the point of laziness at times, yet he’s just as tough. Both are devoted to their families, but Blackstone is never gruff, as Skinner can be.

Yet there’s always Jardine’s sly humour to relieve the tension. One of the most amusing parts, to me at least, is reading about Skinner reading Jardine’s latest Blackstone novel, Alarm Call.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM