Publication
Carroll & Graf (2001), Edition: Reprint, 348 pages
Original publication date
1998
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Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:Maureen O'Donnell wakes up one morning to find her therapist boyfriend murdered in the middle of her living room and herself a prime suspect in a murder case. Desperate to clear her name and to get at the truth, Maureen traces rumors about a similar murder at a local psychiatric hospital, uncovering a trail of deception and repressed scandal that could exonerate her - or make her the next victim. "A shattering first novel... You can't look away from it."-New York Times Book Review "I can't think of a more interesting - and less likely - crime hero than Maureen O'Donnell, the damaged but determined center of Denise Mina's marvelous debut mystery. . . . The book bristles with angry energy and the spare urban poetry of its unique language." -Chicago Tribune "A groundbreaking book . . . its emotional rawness and visceral honesty pack a punch more potent than any boxer-turned-PI could provide."-Washington Post Book World "This raw, powerful story is an exceptional debut." -Kansas City Star "A compelling story. . . . This is the reason we read mysteries." -Rocky Mountain News.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Garnethill is a good example of a first novel in series that works and works well.
The main character in this story is a young woman, Maureen O'Donnell. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, the back story finds Maureen in a mental hospital for a nervous breakdown (for reasons explained but which I will not go
Normally, I'm not a reader of stories involving dysfunctional families, but this one really works. Although the subject matter is serious, the author's characterizations are nearly perfect, and at times I found myself actually laughing out loud. It's a very well-balanced book, a very good mystery, and I loved Maureen O'Donnell. I've already bought Exile, the second book because this one was so good. It's not really a hard-boiled crime novel, nor is it a police procedural, and it's not a cozy by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is well worth the reading time, and I can highly recommend it.
The main character in this story is a young woman, Maureen O'Donnell. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, the back story finds Maureen in a mental hospital for a nervous breakdown (for reasons explained but which I will not go
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into here), and as this story opens, she's home again, with a job and in an affair with a married therapist named Douglas. Maureen didn't know he was married until just recently, and has decided to break it off. Off with a friend she goes for a few drinks, comes home blotto and passes out in her bed. The next morning, however, she wakes up, and finds Douglas dead, sitting tied to a chair with his throat slit from one end to the other. After a panic attack, Maureen calls the police, but it becomes painfully obvious to her that they think she's the killer. So in order to clear her name, she needs to find out why Douglas was murdered, why it happened in her apartment, and becomes embroiled in a situation where her very life is at stake. And, as if all of this isn't enough, she's got an extremely dysfunctional family to deal with, some of whom think she's probably guilty.Normally, I'm not a reader of stories involving dysfunctional families, but this one really works. Although the subject matter is serious, the author's characterizations are nearly perfect, and at times I found myself actually laughing out loud. It's a very well-balanced book, a very good mystery, and I loved Maureen O'Donnell. I've already bought Exile, the second book because this one was so good. It's not really a hard-boiled crime novel, nor is it a police procedural, and it's not a cozy by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is well worth the reading time, and I can highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member sjmccreary
Maureen O'Donnell just received confirmation that her lover is married and she is planning to break off the relationship. She goes out with her girlfriends after work and comes home drunk, going straight to bed. In the morning when she gets up, she discovers his mutilated body tied to a chair in
This book started slow for me, but gradually built up momentum. Maureen has had a hard life, and that has given her a steely edge, but inside she is compassionate and caring - especially with other mentally ill patients. She talks several times about how she had been treated when she was in hospital, and is especially unforgiving of her family for not believing her or supporting her. Not a lot of direct attention was given to the abuse from her father, but quite a lot of time is devoted to the repurcussions of that abuse. It is hard to tell sometimes, who is a "good guy" and who isn't. The mystery of the murder is revealed in the end, but lots of other lose ends were left hanging - I'll be checking to see if there is a sequel.
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her living room. She was pretty angry at him, and doesn't really remember anything from the night before, and there was no sign of forced entry into her house, so of course police suspect her from the beginning. The fact that she had been confined to a psychiatric hospital, and continues to receive psychiatric care, only increases the police's reluctance to trust Maureen or believe any of her statements. Her mental problems came about as a direct result of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Her mother and sisters have not been supportive of her, and have even questioned her assertions of incest. As a result, the family relationships are very strained and only her brother is firmly on her side. Maureen decides that, if she is to avoid being falsely accused of the crime, she needs to discover the true culprit before anyone else is hurt.This book started slow for me, but gradually built up momentum. Maureen has had a hard life, and that has given her a steely edge, but inside she is compassionate and caring - especially with other mentally ill patients. She talks several times about how she had been treated when she was in hospital, and is especially unforgiving of her family for not believing her or supporting her. Not a lot of direct attention was given to the abuse from her father, but quite a lot of time is devoted to the repurcussions of that abuse. It is hard to tell sometimes, who is a "good guy" and who isn't. The mystery of the murder is revealed in the end, but lots of other lose ends were left hanging - I'll be checking to see if there is a sequel.
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LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
Maureen O'Donnell has spent time in psychiatric care due to having a breakdown caused by the surfacing of suppressed memories of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her own father. She's also having an affair with a therapist which she manages to justify because she's not his patient. Nobody
This was such an accomplished story that I was surprised that it was the author's début novel. The characters are first rate and the pacing was spot on. It was very easy to read in large chunks so was quickly devoured. I'll look forward to picking up more of another tartan noir author.
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else can seem to recognise the fine distinction though so when she confirms suspicions that he's also a married man she decides to end it. When waking up after a particularly heavy night of drinking, when all she did after getting home was to fall into bed, Maureen discovers him tied to a chair with his throat cut she didn't think this was the kind of end that she meant. With no signs of forced entry and Maureen's mental illness history she and her drug dealer brother, Liam, quickly become the main suspects in the police investigation. Maureen manages to pick up on some clues that have eluded the police so sets about trying to find the real killer and the motive behind this brutal act.This was such an accomplished story that I was surprised that it was the author's début novel. The characters are first rate and the pacing was spot on. It was very easy to read in large chunks so was quickly devoured. I'll look forward to picking up more of another tartan noir author.
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LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
Maureen O’Donnell comes home drunk one night and falls into bed. The next morning she discovers the mutilated body of her lover Douglas in the lounge room of her flat. She’s viewed with suspicion by just about everyone including the Police, Douglas’ mother (a member of the European
If I were supreme overlord of the universe (don’t think I haven’t dreamt of it) this is the kind of book that people would think of when they heard the term chick lit. Maureen is funnier than Bridget Jones, has better friends than Carrie Bradshaw and is the kind of practical, non shoe-obsessed woman that fiction needs more of. She is ‘pathologically independent’ (Mina has a way of describing things perfectly yet succinctly), a loyal friend, a helpful though perhaps misguided patient (she makes up stories that she thinks will make her therapist happy) and doesn’t define herself only terms of the bad things that have happened to her. In a nutshell she’s fantastic.
Fortunately Maureen has some helpful if unlikely allies. There’s her drug dealer brother Liam, her best-friend Leslie who volunteers at a women’s shelter and even one of the policemen working her case who all help her out and take risks for her. Just like any chick lit heroine’s mates would. Of course it wouldn’t be a great book if Maureen didn’t also have some crosses to bear including an alcoholic mother and several sisters who think she has a false memory of her father’s abuse of her. All of them though, the goodies and the not, the victims and the heroes are exquisitely depicted in a few of Mina’s evocative lines so that they all became quite clear images in my head while I was reading.
I know that not everyone likes humour in their fiction and also that humour is an elusive quality not easily shared. The humour here is of the dry, sarcastic ‘never let the bastards get you down’ kind that might not be for everyone but allowed me to relate to the characters far more than I would have if they’d been consistently earnest and worthy (as others in their predicaments might have had a yen to be). Plus it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.
But the book is not all laughs by any stretch of the imagination. It depicts the systematic abuse of a city’s dispossessed and tackles hefty issues like domestic violence against women far more realistically than is often the case.
The whodunnit aspect of Garnethill is solved almost as an afterthought, although it is a very satisfactory and quite unexpected resolution, because it’s the characters and their respective journeys through the crap life throws at them that make this book a page turner and a treasure.
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Parliament) and his wife. Even her own mother questions whether she did it or not. As the victim of incest by her own father and having recently spent a stint in a psychiatric hospital Maureen has already experienced some of the worst life can throw at a person. But when she realises that no one else might be looking for the real murderer and suspects that the murderer has it in for some already abused people she takes action.If I were supreme overlord of the universe (don’t think I haven’t dreamt of it) this is the kind of book that people would think of when they heard the term chick lit. Maureen is funnier than Bridget Jones, has better friends than Carrie Bradshaw and is the kind of practical, non shoe-obsessed woman that fiction needs more of. She is ‘pathologically independent’ (Mina has a way of describing things perfectly yet succinctly), a loyal friend, a helpful though perhaps misguided patient (she makes up stories that she thinks will make her therapist happy) and doesn’t define herself only terms of the bad things that have happened to her. In a nutshell she’s fantastic.
Fortunately Maureen has some helpful if unlikely allies. There’s her drug dealer brother Liam, her best-friend Leslie who volunteers at a women’s shelter and even one of the policemen working her case who all help her out and take risks for her. Just like any chick lit heroine’s mates would. Of course it wouldn’t be a great book if Maureen didn’t also have some crosses to bear including an alcoholic mother and several sisters who think she has a false memory of her father’s abuse of her. All of them though, the goodies and the not, the victims and the heroes are exquisitely depicted in a few of Mina’s evocative lines so that they all became quite clear images in my head while I was reading.
I know that not everyone likes humour in their fiction and also that humour is an elusive quality not easily shared. The humour here is of the dry, sarcastic ‘never let the bastards get you down’ kind that might not be for everyone but allowed me to relate to the characters far more than I would have if they’d been consistently earnest and worthy (as others in their predicaments might have had a yen to be). Plus it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.
But the book is not all laughs by any stretch of the imagination. It depicts the systematic abuse of a city’s dispossessed and tackles hefty issues like domestic violence against women far more realistically than is often the case.
The whodunnit aspect of Garnethill is solved almost as an afterthought, although it is a very satisfactory and quite unexpected resolution, because it’s the characters and their respective journeys through the crap life throws at them that make this book a page turner and a treasure.
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LibraryThing member rkreish
Garnethill is the first in a trilogy of books featuring Maureen O'Donnell, a reluctant PI in Glasgow. She recently returned to work at her dead-end job in a ticket booth after a stint in a psychiatric hospital. After a night spent drinking with her friend Leslie, who runs a battered women's
It's a book with heavy subject matter besides murder: Maureen was hospitalized after recovering memories of being abused by her father, the crimes involved women institutionalized in psychiatric hospitals, and Maureen's family displays quite an array of dysfunction in reaction to Maureen's abuse. Thank goodness for the close relationships Maureen has in the book or the book would be exceedingly grim: her friends are funny and supportive, and Maureen herself has learned some productive coping mechanisms that help her as she is investigates the crime further.
My only quibble with the book is the rogue-PI turn the book takes: I've read that story before many times, and it seems a bit out of character for Maureen. The world the characters live in and their relationships is the strongest part of the book. I'm looking forward to reading lots more by Denise Mina. This book is the perfect antidote to the tortured-male-antihero books/shows I'm growing a bit bored of.
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shelter, she finds her lover Douglas, a psychiatrist, murdered in her living room. She is sort of a suspect in parts of the book, but basically she decides-- foolishly at times-- to investigate Douglas's murder on her own without help from her younger brother Liam and Leslie, both of whom are very protective of her.It's a book with heavy subject matter besides murder: Maureen was hospitalized after recovering memories of being abused by her father, the crimes involved women institutionalized in psychiatric hospitals, and Maureen's family displays quite an array of dysfunction in reaction to Maureen's abuse. Thank goodness for the close relationships Maureen has in the book or the book would be exceedingly grim: her friends are funny and supportive, and Maureen herself has learned some productive coping mechanisms that help her as she is investigates the crime further.
My only quibble with the book is the rogue-PI turn the book takes: I've read that story before many times, and it seems a bit out of character for Maureen. The world the characters live in and their relationships is the strongest part of the book. I'm looking forward to reading lots more by Denise Mina. This book is the perfect antidote to the tortured-male-antihero books/shows I'm growing a bit bored of.
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LibraryThing member Shutzie27
I read this book in one day primarily because of Denise Mina's unflinching, unforgiving and brutally honest portrayal of a myriad of social issues--all wrapped up nicely in an absorbing mystery told from a new point of view.
Maureen O'Donnell, who only recently was released from a mental health
Maureen, despite her struggles with the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her father, is smart, funny and rough edged, making her a good foil for DIC MeEwan.
Mina puts a refreshing (though at times almost difficult to read) perspective on mysteries by letting the reader see the chain of events through Maureen's eyes as opposed to the inspector's.
And Maureen isn't pretty and perfect. She smokes, drinks too much, swears and (more often than not with terrible timing) tells it like she sees it. She doesn't understand everything about why the police are pawing through her life (though she has a good idea, and isn't a fan of it), has an alcoholic mother, a drug-dealing brother, and two sisters with their own issues.
Aside from her brother, they all think that not only is she going to have another psychotic breakdown, but that she did it.
Helped by friends she made while in the mental institution and her best friend Lizzie, a worker at a shelter for battered women, Maureen gets closer to a shocking truth.
If anything about this book sounds familiar, than I have failed in this review. Nothing, not the characters, the narrative style, the setting or the point of view, has ever been done in the contemporary mystery genre before.
Maureen O'Donnell, who only recently was released from a mental health
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clinic and scrapes by as ticket vendor in Glasgow, didn't need to wake up after a night of drinking with a friend to see her boyfriend tied to a chair in the living room with his throat slit and his head barely hanging on to his body. But she did, and after the shock wears off, quickly realizes she's a suspect.Maureen, despite her struggles with the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her father, is smart, funny and rough edged, making her a good foil for DIC MeEwan.
Mina puts a refreshing (though at times almost difficult to read) perspective on mysteries by letting the reader see the chain of events through Maureen's eyes as opposed to the inspector's.
And Maureen isn't pretty and perfect. She smokes, drinks too much, swears and (more often than not with terrible timing) tells it like she sees it. She doesn't understand everything about why the police are pawing through her life (though she has a good idea, and isn't a fan of it), has an alcoholic mother, a drug-dealing brother, and two sisters with their own issues.
Aside from her brother, they all think that not only is she going to have another psychotic breakdown, but that she did it.
Helped by friends she made while in the mental institution and her best friend Lizzie, a worker at a shelter for battered women, Maureen gets closer to a shocking truth.
If anything about this book sounds familiar, than I have failed in this review. Nothing, not the characters, the narrative style, the setting or the point of view, has ever been done in the contemporary mystery genre before.
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LibraryThing member femme_letale
A good story, well thought through and executed, mostly (I took some small consistency issue with the scene where she finds out who the killer is). Glasgow appears interesting and a worthy context, making me consider visiting some of the buildings and sites mentioned, like the lightbulb factory in
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Renfrew, which sounds and looks amazing. The characters are hilarious and tragic at the same time (which makes them believable), and the subject matter is one that pre-dates and surpasses Stieg Larsson's treatment. I could not put it down and I will be reading the other two in the trilogy. More than a 3 star, as it is the best crime novel I have read all year, but not quite a 4, given my issues with that key scene. Show Less
LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Simply the best mystery/psychological thriller I have read in a long time. The protagonist is a deeply troubled woman with a sex addiction. Her drug dealing brother provides her with stability. Unique and brilliantly written!
LibraryThing member wwlw
Gritty Glasgow mystery, first in a series. Deals with a brutal murder, child abuse, substance abuse and familes. Gripping read.
LibraryThing member dbeveridge
Wonderful first novel, great characterizations, humor and a refreshing new heroine.
LibraryThing member ccayne
Great characters, very atmospheric but darker than I expected. This is a very impressive first mystery.
LibraryThing member Darrol
Good story about a incest victim and psychiatric patient detecting the killer of her boyfriend and rapist of patients.
LibraryThing member -Eva-
Maureen O'Donnell's boyfriend is found dead in her flat and she can't rest until she has done all she can to find the person actually responsible. It's not your regular whodunit since Maureen isn't a detective or journalist or similar, but rather a former mental patient, and because of this the
As with other Mina stories, the sense of place is uncanny - she does have a real knack for describing places and moods to make you feel you're there and I quite enjoyed my visit to this very bleak Glasgow. I can't say I was very fond of Maureen herself, though. I found her somewhat unlikely in her switches from clever and strong to, in a second, weeping and doing utterly stupid things. I also have a problem with characters who get into trouble by acting stupider than they are, and, unfortunately, Maureen falls into this category from time to time. Luckily, she gets most things right and, overall, manages to be a captivating enough narrator for the story.
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story will not only deal with the mystery but will involve Maureen's whole life and history, an introduction to her dysfunctional family, and an enormous amount of binge drinking.As with other Mina stories, the sense of place is uncanny - she does have a real knack for describing places and moods to make you feel you're there and I quite enjoyed my visit to this very bleak Glasgow. I can't say I was very fond of Maureen herself, though. I found her somewhat unlikely in her switches from clever and strong to, in a second, weeping and doing utterly stupid things. I also have a problem with characters who get into trouble by acting stupider than they are, and, unfortunately, Maureen falls into this category from time to time. Luckily, she gets most things right and, overall, manages to be a captivating enough narrator for the story.
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LibraryThing member anneearney
This book makes me think I don't like crime fiction. The book has a strong female lead, the British dialect was interesting, the other characters were interesting, but I never cared much about who did it or how it was going to work out. So it could be the book, or it could be my personal taste in
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fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member safetygirl
I don't usually read mysteries, but I love British mysteries that are heavy on character development and have a female protagonist, so this was perfect. I loved the Glasgow setting. It's not a pleasant read, but the devastated lives Mina describes were gritty and real. I would call this a feminist
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mystery too. Show Less
LibraryThing member Icewineanne
I had heard a lot about Denise Mina, all excellent reviews so I had high hopes for Garnet Hill. I did like the book and would give it a rating of 3.5 stars. Not a book to blow off your socks, but a pleasant diversion nonetheless. The murderer is easy to deduce, but having said that, I look forward
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to reading the next book in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member LauraBLough
Brutally honest depiction of mental illness, poverty and domestic abuse. Much more about those societal issues than about the murder mystery.
LibraryThing member mkboylan
It was great spending a little time in Glasgow with these characters, especially since I haven't been there. I did get to beautiful Edinburgh in real life but now feel as if I know a little more about Scotland, so of course I need to return!
This is a murder mystery and I mostly had no idea how it
This is a murder mystery and I mostly had no idea how it
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was going to end. I thought the complex personalities and plot, along with descriptions that kept sending me back to google because after reading about places I HAD to see them, were excellent and I can't believe it is Mina's first book. I plan to read more, especially as this is the beginning of a trilogy, although it is a fine stand-alone. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member jkdavies
It read like a snarky sassy version of a mis-lit novel... Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did; I just felt a little ghoulish in places. Dysfunctional families and boyfriends, dead end jobs and dead men in your living room after a pissed up night out, pacey and entertaining.
LibraryThing member AJBraithwaite
Loved the strong main character, her struggle to escape from a troubled past and her determination to protect other vulnerable women. I also liked the fact that not all the men in the book were unlikeable gits. There's strong language, a lot of substance-bashing and a theme of sexual abuse: the
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story is powerful and moving and seems to capture Glasgow's seedier side really well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mercef
Gritty, Scottish crime fiction in an easy to read, page turning style. I’ll be trying the next one in this series.
LibraryThing member Bookish59
Because my mind was pre-occupied with concern over current events I had hoped Garnethill would help distract me. The fact that I completed it means it did help to a certain extent. But I would be the first to admit my review is definitely skewed.
I wasn't able to give it my full attention. Had a
While I understood Maureen's motivation at the end I would like to think there was another way to catch and stop a predator.
I truly don't understand how Maureen could consider remaining in her apartment, and having anything to do with her family except for Liam.
I wasn't able to give it my full attention. Had a
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hard time remembering all the characters' names, or understanding some of the Glasgow dialect. I did appreciate the plot as well as Maureen, Liam and Leslie. I did find the novel coarser and grittier than I care for. While I understood Maureen's motivation at the end I would like to think there was another way to catch and stop a predator.
I truly don't understand how Maureen could consider remaining in her apartment, and having anything to do with her family except for Liam.
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LibraryThing member judithrs
Garnet Hill. Denise Mina. 1998. Wow! What a great novel! I read the 400 pages it in two days! It is very powerful and readable. Maureen is an amazingly resilient character. She struggles with emotional problems caused by incest. She wakes up after a night of heavy drinking and discovers the body of
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her boyfriend, in her living room with his throat cut. Police initially suspect Maureen and then her brother so she decides she has to find out who killed her boyfriend, We admire Maureen and wonder at her strength and humor as she struggles against the doubts of the police, her own self-doubt, and the anger and denial of her alcoholic mother and sisters. This is the first volume of a trilogy. It may be too much for those who cannot take strong emotional, violent and sexual scenes. That is takes place in Glasgow is a bonus! Show Less
LibraryThing member Charon07
A twist on the typical police procedural—the “detective,” if you will, is the initial prime suspect, and the cops are not incompetent but they’re definitely unlikeable. This and another Mina novel I’ve read, Conviction, both deal with violence against women in a direct and powerful way. I
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just wish my library had more of her titles. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dabble58
Wow.
I could not put this book down.
Denise Mina's first book is wonderfully dark, has all the grittiness of a Glasgow alleyway, ties in a dysfunctional and abusive family dynamic that plays into the story effectively and adds tension. Maureen is a tremendously likeable character, flawed and damaged
My heart broke a bit at the end, as the family acted as families often do, but I knew Maureen would somehow be okay.
Warning: may be triggering for some who have experienced family sexual abuse
I could not put this book down.
Denise Mina's first book is wonderfully dark, has all the grittiness of a Glasgow alleyway, ties in a dysfunctional and abusive family dynamic that plays into the story effectively and adds tension. Maureen is a tremendously likeable character, flawed and damaged
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but good at heart, and we are cheering for her throughout the book, hoping against hope things work out and she figures out the crime before she gets locked away.My heart broke a bit at the end, as the family acted as families often do, but I knew Maureen would somehow be okay.
Warning: may be triggering for some who have experienced family sexual abuse
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0786708395 / 9780786708390
Physical description
348 p.; 6.25 inches
Pages
348