And overcriticized by Amazon reviewers. It is another consummately skillful multi-character Alex Morrow novel from the very talented Denise Mina, who is operating at a level far above most other suspense novelists. "Gods and Beasts" is the third in a series centered around Glasgow inspector Morrow, a tough woman who has just given birth to twins and whose personal life has settled down a bit from prior installments. "Gods and Beasts" is a successor to "The End of Wasp Season", one of the best and most incisive thrillers I have had the pleasure of reading in recent years. Contrary to many of the other comments here, Mina hasn't lost her fastball here - she has changed her focus considerably and, while "Wasp Season" was notable for its evocation of family dysfunction, "Gods and Beasts" takes on a more social and political theme. In a disturbing way.
This theme is the rising tide of underworld economic influence - with it coming violence and extortion - in Mina's native Glasgow. Like the other Morrow novels, this is a multi-character effort centering around three basic plots: an odd larceny and murder at a post office, an attempted sting of an extremely violent drug-dealing network, and a quasi-Marxist Labour Parliament member's handling of a sex scandal.
I don't want to give away more of the plot for prospective readers so will stop there but want to emphasize that Mina ties these seemingly disconnected stories together and by the end they form both a COHESIVE and INCISIVE message. That's one of the reasons I am so impressed by Mina, once again. With most thrillers, if the author ties together the plot elements in a moderately credible way, we are satisfied. Mina ties the plot elements together like an expertly-made origami, surpassing the skill level we expect. But she does more than that: the tying together illustrates her underlying point about what is happening to Glasgow - and one presumes all of the UK -- and how it is happening.
So again the tepid reviews here are missing the point and underrating Mina's skill level. I have been enormously impressed with Mina ever since I first opened "Deception" and this latest effort is an extension of her range. I'm actually very interested to know whether readers from Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, agree that she is correct in her broader assertion about underworld influence. For non-Scots, this is an exceptional novel and, based on the fact that I finished it under twenty-four hours, it ain't boring either. Highly recommended.
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