Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
Blackstone Pub (2013), Edition: Unabridged, 9 pages
Description
"It's the week before Christmas when a lone robber bursts into a busy Glasgow post office carrying an AK-47. An elderly man suddenly hands his young grandson to a stranger and wordlessly helps the gunman fill bags with cash, then carries them to the door. He opens the door and bows his head; the robber fires off the AK-47, tearing the grandfather in two. DS Alex Morrow arrives on the scene and finds that the alarm system had been disabled before the robbery. Yet upon investigation, none of the employees can be linked to the gunman. And the grandfather--a life-long campaigner for social justice--is above reproach. As Morrow searches for the killer, she discovers a hidden, sinister political network. Soon it is chillingly clear: no corner of the city is safe, and her involvement will go deeper than she could ever have imagined"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DowntownLibrarian
I am a fan of British police procedurals, but they have to be good. This novel is much better than good. I greatly admire the way Mina gets inside the psyches of her characters, good and otherwise. There is a lot of darkness - Tartan Noir, indeed! - but some people care about making things right.
Show More
Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Denise Mina won the 2013 Theakston's Old Peculier crime novel of the year for the second time in a row with GODS AND BEASTS, making it another must read. (See the other contenders)
To my mind, it is not as good as THE END OF THE WASP SEASON but it is certainly thought provoking.
On the surface, Alex
But really the novel is about Glasgow's underbelly of crime, the connections between politicians and criminals, between the police and criminals, and about corruption among those who should be incorruptible. Even police officers close to D.I. Morrow are flawed, and she herself is still in touch with her half-brother Danny, himself a crime boss, drug supplier and money launderer.
Strands of the novel that begin separately: the post office robbery; the fall of a well thought of politician; a sting involving drug bosses and money launderers; and union politics; converge into a stunning web. Morrow is put on a short leash by her commanding officer, as it also becomes inevitable that there will be an internal investigation into police corruption.
To my mind, it is not as good as THE END OF THE WASP SEASON but it is certainly thought provoking.
On the surface, Alex
Show More
Morrow is investigating why a grandfather assists a masked robber in a post office armed robbery after he has apparently recognised the robber. He is then gruesomely murdered.But really the novel is about Glasgow's underbelly of crime, the connections between politicians and criminals, between the police and criminals, and about corruption among those who should be incorruptible. Even police officers close to D.I. Morrow are flawed, and she herself is still in touch with her half-brother Danny, himself a crime boss, drug supplier and money launderer.
Strands of the novel that begin separately: the post office robbery; the fall of a well thought of politician; a sting involving drug bosses and money launderers; and union politics; converge into a stunning web. Morrow is put on a short leash by her commanding officer, as it also becomes inevitable that there will be an internal investigation into police corruption.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bfister
Third in the series, and a strange and dark one involving a man who helps a boy during a robbery gone wrong when his grandfather, who apparently knows the robbers, follows orders, helps them with their crime, and then is shot dead. As the police probe deeper, the young man turns out to have a dark
Show More
secret: he's rich, and he's not at all comfortable with his money. It's a complicated novel to put together - Mina is a terrific writer who respects readers and doesn't spell it all out for you in short chapters and simple prose. She also usually has a surprise up her sleeve - not the standard double-axle plot twist at the end, but a tilting of the fictional universe, when things suddenly aren't what you thought. The ending really left me thinking. Show Less
LibraryThing member sheilaref
I really enjoyed this latest Alex Morrow book. In Mina's newest Scottish police procedural featuring the female DI, the edges have been softened. No longer does one need to wonder why anyone in his right mind would even consider living in Glasgow. It's still noir, but not horrifyingly so. Perhaps
Show More
it's that Morrow's home lie has improved? Whatever, I can highly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
DC Alex Morrow has changed over time. In the first few books of this series she was combative and angry, but now, what with being a mother of twins and happy in her personal life, she's mellowed at work and worried that the officers working under her can sense she's gone soft. And this is Glasgow.
A few days before Christmas and there's been a brutal shooting during a robbery at a post office, leaving a man dead. There are questions about the victim's behavior before he was shot and the man who had been standing behind him seems to be more than just a by-stander. Morrow wants to do more than just find the perpetrator, she wants to find out why it happened. Along the way, there's a disgraced politician and the possibility of police corruption.
Mina always writes fantastic books, tartan noir at its finest. Alex Morrow is a wonderful protagonist; she's tough and ballsy, while still able to hurt for all the people scarred by life in a tough city.
Show More
No place for a cop who's lost her edge. A few days before Christmas and there's been a brutal shooting during a robbery at a post office, leaving a man dead. There are questions about the victim's behavior before he was shot and the man who had been standing behind him seems to be more than just a by-stander. Morrow wants to do more than just find the perpetrator, she wants to find out why it happened. Along the way, there's a disgraced politician and the possibility of police corruption.
Mina always writes fantastic books, tartan noir at its finest. Alex Morrow is a wonderful protagonist; she's tough and ballsy, while still able to hurt for all the people scarred by life in a tough city.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ElizabethBevins
I love a good British mystery. This series by Denise Mina featuring Alex Morrow is superb.
LibraryThing member jerhogan
Interesting take on Tartan Noir. The humanity of Morrow shines through. Well worth a read.
LibraryThing member elizabeth.b.bevins
I love a good British mystery. This series by Denise Mina featuring Alex Morrow is superb.
LibraryThing member idiotgirl
A very understated "thriller." A number of threads. None of them come together in some kind of shoot out. High-energy, trhilling end. But they do come together and settle in a chilling way. Some of the characters come out better as a result, some don't. And we're left with some thinking to do about
Listened Audible. Understated reading.
Show More
where the story might be comng from here. A 3.5. I like that this is understated and thoughtful. But keeps up the ongoing story. And of course I'm there because of the Glasgow connection.Listened Audible. Understated reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nancyewhite
This is the third in the Alex Morrow series set in Scotland. The previous two were 4 star reads for me, but this one was just off. Clunky. The mystery heads into politics and organized crime. Given the previous two and her reputation in general, I'm pretty sure this was a fluke or that I just read
Show More
it at the wrong time. I will certainly read the next one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Laura400
As others are saying, I thought this was a disappointment after her terrific previous novel, the End of the Wasp Season.
The only part of Gods and Beasts that was engaging, for me, was the part with the police officers, but that was less than half the novel. I ended up skipping the political parts
The only part of Gods and Beasts that was engaging, for me, was the part with the police officers, but that was less than half the novel. I ended up skipping the political parts
Show More
after a while, and that helped. I am left uncertain about whether I want to start the fourth in the series after all. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Gods and Beasts by Denise Mina is the third instalment in her DS Alex Morrow series. The plot revolves around a grandfather who is gunned down during a post office robbery but also involves a corrupt politician and the criminal gang leaders of Glasgow. As Alec’s brother, Danny is a major player
This is a challenging case in a city where police corruption and criminal activities are seeming intertwined. As Alex and her partner Harris conduct a series of interviews of the colourful and eccentric characters that are part of the investigation it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide.
Denise Mina is an expert at combining fictional crime and social commentary and delivering a fast paced, exciting story. The case is closed but not until Alex realizes to her shock that the corruption has even infected her own squad, yet there is still a powerful connection to the underworld that will most certainly have an effect in future books in this series. Books like Gods and Beasts are why this author remains a favorite of mine.
Show More
in the criminal community and police corruption comes into play, this case runs close to home for her.This is a challenging case in a city where police corruption and criminal activities are seeming intertwined. As Alex and her partner Harris conduct a series of interviews of the colourful and eccentric characters that are part of the investigation it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide.
Denise Mina is an expert at combining fictional crime and social commentary and delivering a fast paced, exciting story. The case is closed but not until Alex realizes to her shock that the corruption has even infected her own squad, yet there is still a powerful connection to the underworld that will most certainly have an effect in future books in this series. Books like Gods and Beasts are why this author remains a favorite of mine.
Show Less
LibraryThing member susandennis
These Alex Morrow books keep getting better and better and thee are so many left to read. In this one, an old man, shoves the grandson he was carrying to a stranger when the bank they were in was robbed and then appears to join and help the robber.
LibraryThing member cathyskye
You can always count on Denise Mina to tackle uncomfortable truths in her books, and she does it again in this third Alex Morrow mystery, Gods and Beasts. The framework of the book can be found in two quotes she uses. One from Abraham Lincoln: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to
Mina is a master at writing about the marginalized, at writing about the grit and grime of living "outside the city walls" of Glasgow, and I once again found myself immersed in Alex Morrow's world as she tries to solve this crime, deal with her co-workers, and be a wife and mother. Mina's world isn't always pleasant. The days are often overcast and gloomy, and violence can blindside you. But there's comfort in knowing that someone like Alex Morrow is on the job. That someone like Alex Morrow will keep fighting the bad guys with intelligence and determination.
There's a power to Mina's writing that you don't see every day. Take, for example, this one tiny scene that doesn't mean all that much in the scheme of things: "On the ground, by the side of the concrete front step, was a small ash tray, four half-smoked cigarettes laid out in a neat row, filters by filters, the burnt tips concertinaed. They made him think of diagrams of slave ships." This one small descriptive scene made this reader think of the smoker, so precise with those half-smoked cigarettes, so enslaved by an addiction to nicotine, but the scene keeps on giving. Diagrams of slave ships? My mind went on to think of people stolen from their homes, packed into filthy ships holds, and taken to work in tobacco fields. Of how slavery and poverty and drudgery grind people down.
It's a tiny scene with so much depth and power that it still takes my breath away, and it's one of the many reasons why I read Denise Mina's books. If you haven't, I hope you'll give them a try. As much as I enjoy Mina's Alex Morrow series, I found her Garnethill trilogy and her novels featuring Paddy Meehan to be excellent. Don't miss out on Denise Mina, one of the founders of Tartan Noir.
Show More
test a man's character, give him power." The second from Aristotle: "Those who live outside the city walls and are self sufficient, are either Gods or Beasts." Gods and Beasts is the story of how some people abuse power, of how some people face the possibility of losing their jobs, of how the marginalized find themselves living from day to weary day. Mina is a master at writing about the marginalized, at writing about the grit and grime of living "outside the city walls" of Glasgow, and I once again found myself immersed in Alex Morrow's world as she tries to solve this crime, deal with her co-workers, and be a wife and mother. Mina's world isn't always pleasant. The days are often overcast and gloomy, and violence can blindside you. But there's comfort in knowing that someone like Alex Morrow is on the job. That someone like Alex Morrow will keep fighting the bad guys with intelligence and determination.
There's a power to Mina's writing that you don't see every day. Take, for example, this one tiny scene that doesn't mean all that much in the scheme of things: "On the ground, by the side of the concrete front step, was a small ash tray, four half-smoked cigarettes laid out in a neat row, filters by filters, the burnt tips concertinaed. They made him think of diagrams of slave ships." This one small descriptive scene made this reader think of the smoker, so precise with those half-smoked cigarettes, so enslaved by an addiction to nicotine, but the scene keeps on giving. Diagrams of slave ships? My mind went on to think of people stolen from their homes, packed into filthy ships holds, and taken to work in tobacco fields. Of how slavery and poverty and drudgery grind people down.
It's a tiny scene with so much depth and power that it still takes my breath away, and it's one of the many reasons why I read Denise Mina's books. If you haven't, I hope you'll give them a try. As much as I enjoy Mina's Alex Morrow series, I found her Garnethill trilogy and her novels featuring Paddy Meehan to be excellent. Don't miss out on Denise Mina, one of the founders of Tartan Noir.
Show Less
LibraryThing member xaverie
Maybe I'm missing something by reading the third book in a police series but what even was the point? A lot of shallow characters, no resolution, and a teenage girl getting sexually assaulted for a slimy sexist politician's lacklustre career in the latter pages with, again, very little point.
Maybe
I kept hoping for some sort of depth, some hint that more nuance might appear in the novels dwindling pages but to no avail. Disjointed, the crime didn't even matter and was barely investigated but neither were any of the other corruption issues that plagued the characters. Below mediocre.
Maybe
Show More
all the Alex Morrow characterization was in previous novels?I kept hoping for some sort of depth, some hint that more nuance might appear in the novels dwindling pages but to no avail. Disjointed, the crime didn't even matter and was barely investigated but neither were any of the other corruption issues that plagued the characters. Below mediocre.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
This wasn't quite as good as the second instalment, but nevertheless I read it in one gulp. There were a lot of strands which sort of came together by the end, but I think there was more page time devoted to Kenny Gallagher than was really warranted. I was hoping Martin Pavel's story would turn out
Show More
to be more interesting than it did, but the police corruption angle was gripping. Show Less
Awards
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2012)
Theakstons Old Peculier Prize (Longlist — 2013)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Mystery/Thriller — 2013)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
7.3 inches
ISBN
161969915X / 9781619699151
UPC
883761699184