Reviews

The Dead Hour by Denise Mina

jhaverinen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

emckeon1002's review against another edition

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4.0

Leave it to me to begin in the middle. I somehow picked up book two of a series (though completely able to be read as a standalone), after reading some words of praise for Mina's writing. Those words were well-deserved. Mina is an accomplished writer. She brings the dark, dour, bleak streets of Glasgow to life with her artfully descriptive prose, and her characters roam the pages like flesh and blood. Paddy Meehan had a life before this book (and I guess I'll go backward and read book one before I skip forward to book 3), but she's a strong, compelling protagonist plagued with the kind of self-doubts we all can appreciate. While the complex story pulls the reader with steadfast intrigue, this is not your typical action detective novel. Mina draws a time and place in history, and places us there to "appreciate" it. Highly recommended but begin your companionship with Paddy Meehan in the Field of Blood.

sandin954's review against another edition

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4.0

Set in 1980s Glasgow this was a dark and gritty story of journalism, crime, and how the economic downturn of the time was affecting the city. The characters were all very well drawn, the plot quite suspenseful, and the ending made me want to find out what will happen next with Paddy's life.

readingbecs83's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars

ecka2's review against another edition

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5.0

http://frokenchristina.blogspot.se/2012/05/vargtimmen.html

newejersey's review against another edition

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5.0

If this book is a good indication of things to come, this series definitely gets better. Paddy Meehan is a great character.

doobyus's review against another edition

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4.0

Great story, gallus characters, perfect setting... Glasgow.

rukmini's review against another edition

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4.0

Excellent. Well plotted and paced. Solid characterisation.

afwyt's review against another edition

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3.0

*3.5 stars.
The last page of this book made me incredibly annoyed. Paddy is independent, vulnerable, intelligent and empowering and then the book ends with such a dumb ending that is so completely out of character for her. I didn't catch on to the subtle hints for the last few chapters, unfortunately. Actually, it's a good thing I didn't because I really enjoyed this story up until the last page. GAH! There is nothing worse than a stupid ending. I really would have given this 4 stars otherwise. Right away, you pretty much figure out what's going on, but it's the process of catching the bad guy and the story that goes along with it, that keeps you reading.

mspearlman's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0