Slip of the Knife

by: Denise Mina

Published by: Little, Brown and Company (February release)

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid

Slip of the Knife started out very slow for me but picked up speed until I could not turn the pages fast enough.

Paddy Meehan is a journalist in Glasgow. She lives with her friend and sometimes lover Dub and her son Pete. Pete’s father and Paddy are not married but Pete’s father helps support Pete and takes him for visitation.

Paddy and Dub are spending a quiet evening together when a reporter knocks at the door trying to get information on when Callum Ogilvy is getting out of prison. Callum was imprisoned several years ago for his activities in the death of a young child. Callum’s cousin Sean is a good friend of Paddy’s and the reporter feels she has inside information about the release date–and she does but Paddy does not intend to share the information.

Once she rids herself of the reporter, there is yet another knock at the door. This time it is the police. The police inform her that her friend Terry Hewitt is dead and the police are requesting that Paddy identify the body since Terry listed her as the next of kin. Paddy is not any kin to Terry but obviously, he had no one else. Paddy is shocked to find that Terry had been murdered. Terry had also left her all of his worldly possessions including an old house.

Paddy soon learns that something in Terry’s possession has brought about his death and soon she is being threatened.

Frightened for her life as well as that of her son, Paddy embarks on an investigation that eventually places her alone waiting for the murderer to appear. Paddy is tough and goes where angels fear to tread.

A very exciting book and one that I would highly recommend.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Author’s Web site: http://www.DeniseMina.co.uk