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"Actress turned private investigator Jasmine Sharp has become accustomed to clients looking for long-lost relatives, so when a woman hires her to find her younger sister Tessa Garrion, Jasmine presumes the case will be relatively straightforward. The assignment takes her back into the world of professional theater, where she is warned off more than once for probing too deeply into the past. Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent and mother-of-two Catherine McLeod is called to the scene of a murder in the Highlands. Following a theatrical outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Cragruthes Castle, a prominent figure in the Scottish arts community is shot dead during a post-performance photo call. With her initial leads turning out to be red herrings, McLeod struggles to determine the killer's motive. Jasmine soon uncovers Tessa's involvement in a drug-riddled Highlands estate retreat replete with occult rituals, which implicates more than a few people in the upper echelons of Scotland's arts scene. Tessa's disappearance in the summer of 1981 begins to look increasingly like murder, but the guilty will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden. As Jasmine's and McLeod's investigations intertwine, it becomes evident that both cases are far more convoluted and dangerous than anticipated" -- from publisher's web site.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jan.fleming
Is the devil merely the name we give the worst in ourselves? When private investigator Jasmine Sharp is hired to find Tessa Garrion, a young woman who has vanished without trace, it becomes increasingly clear that there are those who want her to stay that way. What begins as a simple search awakens
The second slice of tartan noir crime from Chris Brookmyre featuring Jasmine Sharp; aspiring actress accidently turned PI. Jasmine has learnt a lot since her shaky start in ‘Where the Bodies are Buried’ and is more confident and infinitely more competent. Detective Superintendent Catherine Macleod is back as well as Glen Fallon - ex hitman, gangster, all round scary man with a heart of gold. It starts with a brilliant set piece and then we are off on a twisting, turning path through the story packed with Brookmyre’s trademark wit that makes violence, missing people and murder seem such good fun.
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a malevolence that has lain dormant for three decades, putting Jasmine in the crosshairs of those who would stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried. Uncovering a hidden history of sex, drugs, ritualism and murder, Jasmine realises she may need a little help from dark places herself if she's going to get to the truth. But then needs must...The second slice of tartan noir crime from Chris Brookmyre featuring Jasmine Sharp; aspiring actress accidently turned PI. Jasmine has learnt a lot since her shaky start in ‘Where the Bodies are Buried’ and is more confident and infinitely more competent. Detective Superintendent Catherine Macleod is back as well as Glen Fallon - ex hitman, gangster, all round scary man with a heart of gold. It starts with a brilliant set piece and then we are off on a twisting, turning path through the story packed with Brookmyre’s trademark wit that makes violence, missing people and murder seem such good fun.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
I had lots to do today but found this book so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Jasmine is called in to investigate the disappearance of Tessa Garrion, a budding actress who disappeared during the summer of 1981. The case turns out to be anything but straightforward and takes Jasmine from
I really like how the book follows to the two main female characters without the need to have them in the same space. Catherine and Jasmine are both interesting characters without any of the clichés that writers seem to give their male detectives. Full of Brookmyre's trademark dark humour, red herrings and lots of twists and turns this is a superb read. Fortunately I've just acquired the next book in the series and will be reading that next.
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gangland Glasgow to some of the most important and influential individuals involved in Scottish culture. At the same time Catherine is called in to investigate a murder at a Scottish castle, while still trying to juggle the demands of marriage and parenthood. And the two murders may be linked.I really like how the book follows to the two main female characters without the need to have them in the same space. Catherine and Jasmine are both interesting characters without any of the clichés that writers seem to give their male detectives. Full of Brookmyre's trademark dark humour, red herrings and lots of twists and turns this is a superb read. Fortunately I've just acquired the next book in the series and will be reading that next.
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LibraryThing member jerhogan
Pretty good Brookmyre book. Good locations throughout Scotland with an appropriate cathartic ending.
LibraryThing member BillPilgrim
The second Jasmine Sharp – Catherine McCleod crime/mystery book.
This is very much more Jasmine's book than it is Catherine's.
Jasmine is hired to look for a woman who has been missing for thirty years. A woman hires her to find her sister, because she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness
While Jasmine's investigation proceeds, Catherine starts to investigate the recent murder, unaware of the possible connection to events from long ago. But, she has a hard time getting anywhere, without any clue about a possible motive.
I was glad when the character of Glen Fallon reenters the story about half-way through. He really gives it all much more life and interest.
This is very much more Jasmine's book than it is Catherine's.
Jasmine is hired to look for a woman who has been missing for thirty years. A woman hires her to find her sister, because she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness
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and wants to have one last chance to see her sister after they had a falling out many years ago. The sister was a talented aspiring actress who Jasmine quickly discovers appears to a have disappeared thirty years ago after spending a summer with a new acting company that was rehearsing at the estate of a the rich leader of the company. But, none of the people who were involved with the acting troupe want to tell Jasmine very much about events back then, and it seems didn't talk about them with anyone since they occurred, and soon after she starts asking questions, one of them is killed.While Jasmine's investigation proceeds, Catherine starts to investigate the recent murder, unaware of the possible connection to events from long ago. But, she has a hard time getting anywhere, without any clue about a possible motive.
I was glad when the character of Glen Fallon reenters the story about half-way through. He really gives it all much more life and interest.
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LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
Second in the more strait-laced crime series featuring private investigator Jasmine Sharp and Detective Superintendent Catherine McLeod. Jasmine, now with more experience under her belt, is once again tasked with finding a long time missing person. A woman recently diagnosed with a terminal illness
As with the previous book, we follow both investigations as they provide twists and turns along the way. The characters are fully fleshed out and believable, with Jasmine taking steps to remedy her lack of social life and Catherine worried about her son’s exposure to violent video games. Plot wise, this one is probably a little more convoluted than the previous but it all comes together in the end. A good solid mystery and there’s already a third volume in the series for me to look forward to.
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wants her to find her younger sister that she hasn’t seen or heard from for thirty years. Last thing she can remember was that her sister had just joined a repertory company after leaving drama school. Meanwhile, Catherine McLeod has been lumbered with the murder of a prominent member of the arts world. Shot from long range while posing with the cast of a play performed at Cragruthes Castle and standing just a few feet away from the local Laird. With no clear motive it’s going to take some digging and maybe a bit of luck to find out who the killer was.As with the previous book, we follow both investigations as they provide twists and turns along the way. The characters are fully fleshed out and believable, with Jasmine taking steps to remedy her lack of social life and Catherine worried about her son’s exposure to violent video games. Plot wise, this one is probably a little more convoluted than the previous but it all comes together in the end. A good solid mystery and there’s already a third volume in the series for me to look forward to.
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LibraryThing member Cassandra2020
When the Devil Drives by Chris Brookmyre - good
So we're back to CB's second strand: he's Chris not Christopher, so we know we're getting less comedy more crime. Happily he's carried forward, not just, Jasmine, but also, Catherine and Glen Fallon. Some of the other cops from the first book make an
An outdoor performance of a Shakespeare play is being performed at a privately owned Castle for the high and mighty of a Scottish Bank. At the end of performance photo op, a sniper kills someone. This is still in Strathclyde jurisdiction, so Catherine and her team are called in.
In parallel, Jasmine has been asked to find a missing person. A woman calls to see her, she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness and is trying to find her estranged sister.
This being a novel - the two stories are inevitably interlinked and, of course, both are solved.
This being Chris Brookmyre, the stories are well plotted, the humour and dialogue is sharp and the pages turn really quickly!
Looking forward to hearing him talk about the latest in this strand next month and in the meantime have picked up the latest of his 'Christopher' offerings to tide me over.
So we're back to CB's second strand: he's Chris not Christopher, so we know we're getting less comedy more crime. Happily he's carried forward, not just, Jasmine, but also, Catherine and Glen Fallon. Some of the other cops from the first book make an
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appearance, in passing, but those are the three characters we're focused on.An outdoor performance of a Shakespeare play is being performed at a privately owned Castle for the high and mighty of a Scottish Bank. At the end of performance photo op, a sniper kills someone. This is still in Strathclyde jurisdiction, so Catherine and her team are called in.
In parallel, Jasmine has been asked to find a missing person. A woman calls to see her, she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness and is trying to find her estranged sister.
This being a novel - the two stories are inevitably interlinked and, of course, both are solved.
This being Chris Brookmyre, the stories are well plotted, the humour and dialogue is sharp and the pages turn really quickly!
Looking forward to hearing him talk about the latest in this strand next month and in the meantime have picked up the latest of his 'Christopher' offerings to tide me over.
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