Will that be Robert’s next outing or will he have fathered another unbelievable budding genius whilst his daughter, who was thankfully missing for most of this story, becomes the greatest lawyer Scotland has ever witnessed. I would also describe this story as rip-roaring - just when you think, as a reader, you've been done out of a story one emerges and the ending will surprise everyone. But again, you will have to read the next book to find out what happens, ha ha. So once again the old gang come out to play with the omnipotent puppet master Skinner still hanging smugly around like the ghost of Christmas past. He is now on some astronomical salary in the media business yet holds an unhealthy position of influence in the Scottish police force. His son is now an IT genius - well he would be wouldn’t he ? And his old mate Andy Martin makes an appearance to apologise profusely to the great man and duly receives the Skinner Blessing - so you want to be an MSP then Skinner will make it so, such is the power of Sir Robert. As ever with this series it is the Bob Skinner show as he has an imposing, authoritative personality. He tries to move on with his media job and accepts that the new Chief Constable, Neil McIlhenny, wants him to bow out of his behind the scenes role, but even he can see the irony of him soon begging for help when both cases need his expertise. Again, clever plotting to come up with a scenario that makes him indispensable.

So once you have been taken down the most complex of family trees and “Super Bob” has once again been the power behind the two murders being solved you are still left with the unsolved Glasgow case. This is number 33 in the Bob Skinner series – if it’s not a series you are familiar with, I would highly recommend it if you enjoy crime fiction.The gripping new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Bob Skinner book 33?! I admit I've NEVER read a book by Quintin Jardine, but given he is Scottish (and I went to uni in Glasgow), I thought I'd give it a go. Loved it. Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing , extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' Scots magazine

Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' SCOTS MAGAZINE And Bob Skinner himself. Well, he is the gift that keeps on giving. Not the stereotypical MC but he has had his fair share of personal tragedy which has both expanded his ever growing family and made him a wiser man all told. I really do love my time spent seeing what he is up to next which is why the only bad thing about this book is the fact that now I have a long wait for the next one! I found the novel intriguing in both investigations. The Glasgow murder has top level connections that foreshadow trouble and that proves to be the case. It has a few neat twists that surprised me at every turn and a wee bit of humour to keep it real. It’s great stuff. The deaths of the pensioners is intriguing in a different way, chiefly because if it is murder, why? That’s where the clever comes in. I think the solution to this mystery is ingenious and inventive. I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of The Roots of Evil, the thirty second novel to feature former Chief Constable Bob Skinner, set in Edinburgh.With evil on one hand and intrigue on the other, will Skinner escape with either his integrity or career intact . . . or is it open season on him? As Skinner helps the elderly in his local community, several residents seem to die of natural causes. But when a gruesome discovery is made in a Glasgow flat and one of Skinner's long-time friends - an aspiring politician - emerges as the prime suspect, things become very murky indeed. I have read all the Skinner series, but am beginning to think it may have "jumped the shark" a they say. Skinner has now been retired from the police for some time and the way appointments have fallen into his lap become a little unbelievable, although perhaps I am being naive! He is starting to come across as a bit of a bombastic bully these days. It also gets a little repetitive in the way the members of his old team seem to get promoted, often on his say so though retired. With that and the way his family and friends get involved makes it feel a little incestuous to be honest.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Roots of Evil, which is an absorbing tale of greed and violence with its roots deep in the past. I was utterly gripped and ignored everything to read it in one sitting. In the cold, hard light of post read analysis it probably doesn’t fare too well in the realistic stakes but it was so compelling at the time I didn’t notice or question it. Anyway, who cares when it’s entertaining? The dialogue continues to be be stilted as the author tries to use conversations to provide context from previous novels, or to convey the genius of Skinner and his considerable number of talented offspring who will never grow up to be anything other than lives in the shadow of the “great” man. Aside from all that, we have all the necessary to make this a very decent read. Plot twists and turns, about faces and more than its fair share of secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour. Pacing is good throughout and there is little padding to distract. OK so it's a wee bit OTT and maybe a fraction far fetched but I do love this series, I have invested a lot of time in the characters and have enjoyed every second of my time with them so I am well placed for forgive a little. Whatever happens next one lives in hope that some almighty secret from Skinner’s past comes out and blows the ego out of the water.

Customer reviews

As ever I awaited the return of the most egotistical policeman, now media mogul, in fictional history and was I disappointed ? Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SUN So... part of the fallout from Covid means that Bob is called upon to head the board of the media company he works at. This means travelling to head office more - something not that easy these days. Meanwhile there are a few fatal accidents happening at the homes of the same vulnerable he has been visiting - putting him on the radar of the Police as a suspect no less! Alongside each inquiry as it evolves is former Chief Constable Sir Robert Skinner, relishing his new role as a media magnate, but drawn into reluctant action and towards a chilling discovery of his own.

Amidst a family celebration, a cataclysmic storm uncovers long-buried horrors - and a team of detectives struggle to solve a thirty-year-old double murder. The police are also searching two countries for traces of a mysterious crime novelist who appears to have vanished. Has the faking of his own death been his masterpiece? When struggling ex-copper Terry Coats was discovered in bed with an air hostess, his excuse that he was 'going undercover' cut no ice with the force - or his wife. But now he's been brutally killed on Hogmanay night, it seems there may have been more to his plea. Early hours of New Years Day and Bob Skinner gets a call to arms. He is summoned to Torpichen Police Station where two people have been found shot dead in car abandoned outside. But if that wasn't bad enough, the two bodies are very familiar... former Detective Terry Coates and Inspector Griff Montell who used to date Bob's daughter Alexis.

Is Quentin going to stretch this story over two books or do we just assume that “the sample” will prove fruitful and that it’s the usual slam dunk. Unlikely as old smug boy Skinner wasn’t in at the kill and that is very unlikely. From acclaimed author Quintin Jardine comes the latest gripping mystery in his bestselling Bob Skinner series, perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter May.