Denise Mina does it again

I've been waiting for this audiobook, and it happened to be released the day I had to start a 2-day solo drive. It got me from NC to Connecticut, then I had a couple of hours until Vermont to think about it. In my book, Denise Mina is right up there with Kate Atkinson in her ability to create a fascinating mystery and write vivid, believable characters. I'm not quite to putting her up there with P.D. James, but I'm considering it. I love the Alex Morrow series in particular; the Paddy Meehan books are darker and more violent. Still excellent, but not as much to my taste. She continues to develop Morrow's character . . . the books have so much more depth than your average lighter-weight mystery. The threads of the multiple plots twine around each other and lead you further until Mina unravels them and you find yourself thrilled with what you've listened to and sad that it's over.

Cathleen McCarron is a terrific choice for this narration; the characters are spot-on and she has a beautiful delivery. She has only narrated a few audiobooks and I sure hope she'll do more. A real pleasure to listen to.

13 people found this helpful

Well written as usual, but hard for me to follow.

Any additional comments?

I'm writing mid-way through listening, out of need to express my frustration. On one hand, I've read Mina's other books (not listened) and appreciated them a lot. She writes beautiful prose and is magical depicting archeology of damaged characters. The reader performs well with a lovely, exacting Scots brogue, which while authentic, leads me to rewind fairly often to be sure I caught what was said.

On the other hand, it's hard to keep track of past and present, who did what to whom, when and why, and what has evolved in the characters' lives from then to now. Some chapters start with the the 1997 date, others with no date, and we're left to assume they're happening 'now', but if you've forgotten a character from earlier chapters, it's easy to feel lost. It's back and forth, back and forth.

Thus far, I'm thinking I'd more enjoy this book as read than listened to, so I could thumb back to previous sections to remind myself of events and people. As it is, I'm disappointed and exasperated, tempted to quit reading but not wanting to. Sigh. Maybe it's just senior brain.

5 people found this helpful

Deeper, Darker

Of the first four in the Morrow series, this was certainly the darkest. The ugly underbelly of modern human behavior is on total display in this--greed, violence driven by greed, passion, misogyny, mortal violence, sexual violence used in the service of greed, perpetrated and enabled by bonafide and deeply creepy human beings working every side of the law are all on display. Mina's ability to see the human in so many of the characters, her Dickensian plotting, sympathy and outrage existing side by side within her characters, her Morrow, a modern day Diogenes, compromised at every turn of the screw, despite or because of the darkness therein makes for a compelling listen. If you have not read her before, you do need to understand that she is hell bent on tying what appear at first to be exceedingly disparate plot lines together. Her books require patience and a strong stomach. That said, these are a cut above the run of the mill suspense and mystery writing, while quite in the mainstream of its fundamental trope, the honest cop navigating a thoroughly dishonest world. McCarron's narration is fine; she delivers the various points of view quite well. I suppose this, like the whisky, her native land is famous for, may be an acquired taste. An author, nonetheless, like that peaty beverage, to be reckoned with.

3 people found this helpful

Raw, Merciless, Focus on Punishing the Unjust

Denise Mina plays my emotions like a virtuoso harpist embodied in Mick Jagger. She paints characters first with pencil, then fills in the void with slashes of brilliant oil colors. No one has one dimension, no one understands the bigger picture, but you . . . the happy listener. I wanted to scream no, no, no to her vivid characters; but I had to bottle it up 'til the end.

Alex Morrow is my hero and Mina formed the clay and provided the breathe and ongoing nurture.

Cathleen McCarron won me over. I dread changes in Narrators, but Cathleen's wonderful command of tiny dialectic nuance deepened and sharpened my view into primordial Glasgow.

Read it and you'll weep for more.

3 people found this helpful

Sorry to come to the end

With most mysteries, I am a bit bored by the end. Red Road kept me engaged with characters and plot--sorry to to get to the end.

3 people found this helpful

Another great entry from Denise Mina

Any additional comments?

Always well-written and character driven, this author has a place on my list of favorites. Wonderful lead character in this series, a tough, smart but not infallible woman cop trying to make it in a man's world with twins and a young husband at home. Great series, spend the credit, you won't be sorry!

3 people found this helpful

A bit hard to follow, but worth sticking with

If you could sum up The Red Road in three words, what would they be?

Complicated, character-laden, surprising

If you’ve listened to books by Denise Mina before, how does this one compare?

Like the other books in this series, the plot was a bit hard to follow at times. This book's flashbacks were particularly confusing initially, and I mixed up the back stories of some of the characters. (This would only happen when listening; if I were reading I would simply flip back to ascertain who was who.)

Which character – as performed by Cathleen McCarron – was your favorite?

The protagonist, Alex Morrow -- smart, sympathetic, tough.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I was tempted not to finish it several times.

Any additional comments?

This novel features a lot of slow bits and, as I mentioned above, I experienced some character confusion. The narrative and plot did not become compelling for me until I was more than halfway through. At that point I was definitely hooked.

2 people found this helpful

Well written and narrated

What did you love best about The Red Road?

But it ended abruptly.

What about Cathleen McCarron’s performance did you like?

The narrator handles the characters well. She makes one loathe some characters by the tone of her voice and feel sorry for others.

2 people found this helpful

Fun

Scottish murder mystery narrated in the Scottish accent which I really enjoy. The story is very good. I have listened to all of Denise Mina 's books.

1 person found this helpful

Boring and Slow

This book does not have the same suspense as the other books. It is very boring.

1 person found this helpful