Awards
1998 John Creasy Memorial Award for Best First Crime Novel
Synopses & Reviews
Maureen O'Donnell wakes up one morning to find her therapist boyfriend murdered in the middle of her living room and herself a prime suspect in a murder case. Desperate to clear her name and to get at the truth, Maureen traces rumors about a similar murder at a local psychiatric hospital, uncovering a trail of deception and repressed scandal that could exonerate her or make her the next victim.
Review
"I can't think of a more interesting and less likely crime hero than Maureen O'Donnell, the damaged but determined center of Denise Mina's marvelous debut mystery....The book bristles with angry energy and the spare urban poetry of its unique language." Chicago Tribune
Review
"A shattering first novel....You can't look away from it." The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
At once wry and shocking, humane and raw, ironic and visceral, Denise Mina brings a distinctive new voice to crime fiction in this gritty, award-winning debut novel set in the grim precincts of Glasgow's Garnethill. There the unlucky Maureen O'Donnell wakes up one fuzzy-headed morning to discover her therapist-boyfriend in the middle of the living room, tied to one of her kitchen chairs, with his throat slit clean through.
Recently recovered from a breakdown, Maureen now finds herself the prime suspect in a grisly murder case. Harassed by the police and hounded by the press, she sets out to reconstruct her dead lover's last days and uncovers a dire trail of rape, deception, and suppressed scandal at a local psychiatric hospital. When a second mutilated corpse surfaces, she realizes hers could be the third. It's time for Maureen to get lucky.
Synopsis
"A shattering first novel... You can't look away from it."--New York Times Book Review
Maureen O'Donnell wakes up one morning to find her therapist boyfriend murdered in the middle of her living room and herself a prime suspect in a murder case. Desperate to clear her name and to get at the truth, Maureen traces rumors about a similar murder at a local psychiatric hospital, uncovering a trail of deception and repressed scandal that could exonerate her - or make her the next victim.
"I can't think of a more interesting - and less likely - crime hero than Maureen O'Donnell, the damaged but determined center of Denise Mina's marvelous debut mystery. . . . The book bristles with angry energy and the spare urban poetry of its unique language." -Chicago Tribune
"A groundbreaking book...its emotional rawness and visceral honesty pack a punch more potent than any boxer-turned-PI could provide."--Washington Post Book World
"This raw, powerful story is an exceptional debut." -Kansas City Star
"A compelling story. . . . This is the reason we read mysteries." -Rocky Mountain News
Synopsis
This gritty, award-winning debut novel is set in the grim precincts of Glasgow's Garnethill. There the unlucky Maureen O'Donnell wakes up one morning to discover her therapist-boyfriend dead in the living room. She now finds herself the prime suspect in his murder.
About the Author
Denise Mina is the author of Deception, the Garnethill trilogy, and Field of Blood. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with her family.