The Red Road by Denise Mina***

Reading dates: 19 May–07 June 2015

The Red Road is a very good crime novel, enjoyable because of its simplicity and its characters. The plot is straight forward, not a whodunit but a when are they going to find them out. Because of this, it is believable, which makes the reading even more satisfying. While I did not like the main detective character (Alex Morrow, I found her a little bland compared to Maureen O’Donnell from the Garnethill trilogy, whom I adored) some of the people portrayed, especially Anton Atholl, are vivid and alive. The Red Road flats don’t feature enough in terms of word count but the scene that takes place there is graphic and evocative, a very embodied experience. It is a fast read, but not a trashy one. There is something to the moral and social commentary of Denise Mina that puts her crime novels a tad above everyone else’s save, perhaps, David Peace.