Skeleton Blues

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for allowing me an advance copy of Skeleton Blues.
The word dystopian is normally enough to send me running for the hills but many years ago when books were relatively expensive I picked up Body Politic in a bargain bin and was instantly hooked so I was very interested, not being aware of Heads and Hearts, to see how the years have treated Quint.
The novel opens in 2034 and the totalitarian council which runs the city state of Edinburgh is running a referendum on joining a proposed federal state of Scotland. The council would like a yes vote so it's a bit of a foregone conclusion (voting is compulsory) but the big question is why and whilst nobody really knows they don't believe it will bring anything good for the ordinary citizen. In the middle of this a tourist is found dead in a citizen's flat and panic ensues at the council. Firstly because Edinburgh derives much of its income from tourism and secondly because tourists and citizens are very strictly segregated so no one can understand how the dead man got through the security cordon and into the flat. Their solution is to ask Quint Dalrymple, maverick PI to investigate.
Mr Johnston's vision of Edinburgh 20 years in the future is fascinating. 20 years ago the world as we know it was decimated by the drugs war and most countries in the West disintegrated into small fiefdoms. Some, like Glasgow, embraced democracy and flourished, some, like Edinburgh, embraced ideology and became less pleasant regimes (think Cold War America and Russia). Now, after so many years, the regime is starting to allow some personal freedoms like theatres and pet ownership. They are also allowing some capitalism - under strict conditions citizens may own a vehicle or start a business but with these ventures come corruption and venality. The comparisons with modern day China are unavoidable. The plot itself is gripping. Quint has very little idea of why any of it is happening and as the bodies pile up he finds himself navigating the treacherous waters of politics, personal ambitions and rebellion. I couldn't put it down.
Quint, himself, is the perfect hero for the setting. A former insider, both his parents were guardians, he became disillusioned with the regime, resigned and is now the quintessential outsider. He has a healthy scepticism of the system and those who run it, often finds himself in trouble for insubordination and disrespect and seems to be the only man able to solve the infrequent murders which occur and is thus needed, if not valued, by the council.
I think this is the best of Mr Johnston's series and Skeleton Blues is an excellent addition to it. You don't have to have read the back catalogue to read it and understand what is going on, but, as with any series, it's an easier and more nuanced read if you have. I thoroughly enjoyed it and don't hesitate to recommend it as an intelligent, absorbing read.

Skeleton Blues is intelligent crime fiction set in 2034 Edinburgh with Ex cop Quint Dalrymple investigating. This is the first book of the series that I have read and I absolutely loved it. The author is skilled in creating a brilliant future setting that you totally believe in due to the superb descriptions. The action takes place amidst a backdrop of rebellion in the city. The council of guardians want the city to join a reconstituted Scotland and expect the referendum and the citizens to deliver a yes vote. Not all citizens are convinced that this is a good move. The narrative is gripping and interspersed with classical references.

Quint is called in by the city council of guardians when a tourist is found murdered in a citizen’s residence. There is usually segregation between tourists and citizens, and the citizen is missing. Quint follows a dangerous trail aided by his trusted best friend, Commander Davie, with whom he has a great relationship underpinned by humorous banter. There are explosions and more death.

Quint is a charismatic and tenacious central character who is blessed with the ability to get straight to the point. He is a maverick outsider who has every reason to distrust the council of guardians. The story is well plotted and compelling. I found myself glued to the story until the end. I have no hesitation in recommending this novel. Thanks to Severn House, the publishers for a copy of the book via netgalley.

I had expected more time to have passed since the ending of the previous novel in the series, HEADS OR HEARTS, but it is just 2034 and the citizens of Edinburgh have still not cast their vote "yes" for the referendum reuniting the various city states of Scotland. So the Council of City Guardians are still in charge of ever aspect of the lives of their citizens. Surely that will all change once the unification referendum is approved, won't it? Ah, but many things can happen in the time leading up to the vote and even Quint Dalrymple finds he is being called back into the inner circle of governing officials to help with a most puzzling murder mystery. Tourism is the main source of revenue for Edinburgh so the locals and the visitors are kept strictly apart. That way the tourists don't know how appalling the situation is for the citizens and the locals don't have a chance to interact with the visitors except on a very superficial level. In spite of all the checkpoints and regulations a murdered tourist is found inside the home of a worker for the PSD (Prostitution Services Department) and she seems to have completely disappeared from the city. Quint and his friend Davie team up with the backing of the public order guardian, James Michie. Quint knows the situation has to be desperate for Michie to be calling him in from his private investigation work.

Once again author Paul Johnston paints a disturbing yet compelling picture of a Scotland of the future when the country tries to make it on its own. He illustrates so well how history continues to repeat itself and how people will always fight the battle between good and evil with each person having their own perspective of what each of those means. This is a dark and foreboding Scotland, but with people always looking ahead and hoping for better times, even if they selfishly only want the better to be for themselves. I don't know that I would recommend starting this series with this novel, but if you make that choice just be patient and try to keep the many characters straight in your mind. The book will definitely give you something to think about long after you read the final page.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Severn House.

Riveting storyline.

Edinburgh, spring 2034. There's a referendum on whether to join a reconstituted Scotland coming up and a tourist is found strangled. As usual, maverick detective Quint Dalrymple is called in, but for the first time in his career, he is stumped by the complexity of the case. An explosion at the City Zoo is followed by the discovery of another body and the prime suspect is nowhere to be found. Can Quint and his sidekick, Guard commander Davie, put a stop to the killings before the city erupts into open violence?

The is the 7th book in the Quint Dalrymple series where the action occurs in the 2020s (for the first six books) and now in 2034. The stories are centred around the independent city-state of Edinburgh which is still run by the Council of City Guardians, to whom Quint is beholden. I have not read any of the author's previous novels but found it easy to become immersed in the painting of a disturbing yet compelling picture of a Scotland of the future when the country tries to make it on its own. Having said this, I would imagine the book would make more sense having read the whole series.

The city of Edinburgh derives much of its income from tourism and, because tourists and citizens are very strictly segregated, no one can understand how the man that was killed got through the security cordon and into a citizen's flat. So, the Council's solution is to ask maverick PI Quint to investigate. Quint is an outsider with a healthy scepticism of the system and the people who run it, who need him more than they value him.

The relationship between Quint and Davie is well rounded and often humourous and their combined cynicism ripples off the pages. Johnston's depiction of a Scotland nearly 20 years hence is skilful and richly descriptive. The pace is excellent, the characterisation is spot on and the narrative sweeps along at a great pace. The book is quite short (240 pages) but crams in a lot of good stuff and I read it in one sitting during the appalling weather of the Easter Sunday just gone!

Digger95

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.