Still Midnight

Still Midnight is the first book in the Alex Morrow series by Denise Mina. Alex Morrow is a detective sergeant with Strathclyde Police in Glasgow but she is not your normal member of the police force. Her family has been involved with the local crime scene and her brother is still involved. As a woman she has a hard enough time fitting into the police work environment and Alex does not want her colleagues to know of this part of her background. Alex also has difficulty getting along with people in general since the death of her son. The relationship with her husband is practically non-existent.

The police investigate when an elderly man is forcibly removed from his home by two armed men and a ransom of £2,000,000 is demanded for the release of the hostage. The telling of the story alternates between the police and members of the family involved as well as those committing the crime. The account of the raid indicates that the two men are amateurs, definitely out of their depth. This is a story of a family with many secrets, not just from the outside world but within the family itself. It is also an account of rivalries within a work place. A fast moving crime novel with many layers.

Blood Salt Water

Denise Mina is a Scottish crime writer who has written several series of books including the Alex Morrow series. Blood Salt Water is the fifth book in this series featuring Alex Morrow who works with Police Scotland stationed in Glagow. The novel is set just before the 2014 referendum on whether Scotland should leave the UK and this topic is a theme.

Much of the action is set in the small town of Helensburg where most of the population is under the control of Mark Barratt, a criminal who has never been convicted of a crime. The members of the town are reluctant to reveal any information about what is actually happening in the community for fear of reprisals.

A series of crimes and investigations are intertwined in this novel. Iain Fraser is forced to participate in the death of a woman to pay a debt and protect a friend. As usual when a crime is committed Mark Barratt is out of town but his heavies, particularly Tommy Farmer, ensure that his orders are carried out. Much of the novel concerns the effects of the murder on Iain as he worries about what he has done. Then Susan Grierson returns to Helensburgh to arrange the sale of the family home after the death of her mother. She reconnects with Iain and his cousin Boyd who have long connections with the town but is she who she says she is? Meanwhile DI Alex Morrow investigaties the disappearance of Roxanna Fuentecilla, the mother of two children. It soon becomes obvious that there is a mystery about Roxanna's business enterprises.

Part of the power of this novel is that the reader gets to know the character and thoughts of those involved in the crimes committed as well as how the police attempt to discover what is really happening. There are several mentions of divisions within Police Scotland adding to the challenges for police officers trying to solve crimes and protect the community. The different stories become intertwined with the suspense growing as the novel comes to a conclusion.

Other books in the Alex Morrow series include Still Midnight, The End of the Wasp Season, Gods and Beasts, and The Red Road.