I really enjoyed this book, and even though I haven't read the previous books in the series, it was still a thrilling read, and I will read more of this author in future!

Another great addition to this series.
It's a gripping, gritty and highly exciting story that kept me on the edge till the end.
I loved the solid plot and the great cast of characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Roots of Evil was a Skinner book worth waiting for, back to his best...gritty and intriguing. Excellent. Can't wait for the next one.

The Roots of Evil by Quintin Jardine is an Edinburgh based crime novel that inevitably brings to mind Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels. But Jardine’s hero, Bob Skinner, is a very different character, a retired Chief Constable who is still highly respected in the new integrated Scottish police force.

It’s new year’s morning and a former police officer with a slightly tainted past is found shot dead in his car alongside an active officer who was also one of Skinner’s officers who also had an affair with Skinner’s daughter. Add in a complex and barely credible relationship with Skinner’s ex-wife now married to the head of one of Edinburgh’s leading crime families who has disappeared as a gang war may be breaking out and you have a plot full of twists and turns.

Roots of Evil is an easy read and quite enjoyable but somehow the plot didn’t hang together and I was left a little disappointed.

3.5/5

It felt a bit bizarre reading a book set at the beginning of 2020 with its early mentions of a new virus coming out of China but once I started reading The Roots of Evil I immediately became caught up in the intricate story woven by Quintin Jardine and current events faded away. The plot is full of twists and turns with the suspense building throughout. There were a few times when I honestly couldn’t imagine how each piece of the story could be related but by the time I reached the final page all the pieces fit together like a complex jigsaw and everything was explained away. The cast of characters is huge and for newcomers to the series it might be a bit confusing at first straightening out who’s who and their relationships to other characters but I don’t think that would spoil anything to any great length.

My one slight issue with this book, and this is solely my personal opinion, is that I would’ve loved a flashback scene featuring the original crime in South Africa just so I could’ve had a better insight into one of the characters and what really made them tick. After all I’m assuming that’s where the title “The Roots of Evil” comes from.

Is this book realistic? Of course not. As plots go it’s totally farfetched especially for Scotland. But then again if someone had said in January that the world would be spending 2020 paralysed by a super flu on steroids who would’ve believed that! But this book allowed me to forget all that and escape reality for a couple of hours so deserves 5 stars for that alone.

The Roots of Evil is the thirty-second instalment in the retired Chief Constable Bob Skinner series, set in Edinburgh. It's New Year's Eve 2020 and Sir Robert Morgan Skinner and his wife Professor Sarah Grace, along with daughter Alex and her live-in boyfriend, Dominic Jackson, are celebrating at Harcourt Golf Club in West Lothian. The party return home not long after midnight having indulged in all the "eat, drink and be merry" attitude they can muster. Even still, Skinner's heart sinks when his phone rings and it's Deputy Chief Constable Mario Maguire on the other end requesting his presence at a fresh crime scene in the heart of Edinburgh. Although technically retired from the police force, he is still very much respected and his knowledge, experience and mentoring hugely valued. When the car sent to collect him pulls up at the scene he's flabbergasted; a car has been abandoned outside Torpichen Police Station with two men, who appear to have been shot dead, inside. But he is rocked to his core when the victims are identified as Terry Coates, a former Strathclyde Detective and Inspector Griffin Montell, known to Skinner primarily as daughter Alex's on/off lover. Can Skinner help get to the bottom of the double murder of two of their own?

Just when you think that this series has got to be flagging at least a little, Jardine produces a fantastic addition to the Tartan Noir canon. It opens with a bang and from the beginning is palpably tense and the action never lets up the whole time. I am in awe of how Jardine can spin such a complex and convoluted yarn without causing the reader any confusion at all; it's no easy feat, and I love a challenging procedural but many authors have issues keeping everything straight; no such issue here. I picked it up intending to read a couple of chapters before bed and ended up awake all night until I had finished. There's plenty of intriguing mystery, twists and episodes of misdirection throughout with some subtle wit, and despite Skinner being retired, like many former law enforcement employees, he simply cannot stay away from helping out and mentoring those who are lower ranked. It's a superbly written and impeccably plotted story featuring an intriguing case with its roots going back years, which is so intricate that it's impossible not to get sucked in. Captivating, compulsive and full of riveting developments, this is an unmissable page-turner I highly recommend to all crime connoisseurs. Simply sublime. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

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.
I'm going to stop there as it all gets a bit complicated, convoluted and interconnected and has a cast of many. As with all series, it's best starting from book one and reading in order. It's especially important here I think due to the past histories of certain characters and their place in the backstory. We go back and delve into quite a few familial friends' pasts and upset a fair few apple carts along the way too.
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.
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!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Bob Skinner is back, in charge and doing what he does best. Another great read from Quintin Jardine in this series. I was engaged from the beginning to the end with the writing, characters and plot. Over 30 books and still as fresh and exciting. A master of police crime fiction. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another gripping addition to the ‘Bob Skinner ‘ series. The narrative of this brings a New Years Eve murder close to Skinners door. The implications link to his own family and that of one of his favoured police characters. Skinner despite his retirement from the police still had a key role to play through acting as a mentor to upcoming members of the police force and uses that to ‘solve’ the murder trail in his own inimitable way being mikes ahead of the others in thinking.. the storyline is both compelling and convoluted . The characters have become like old friends to dedicated readers of the series

I’m biased. But for anyone not to enjoy a Bob Skinner novel is difficult to imagine.
I once visited the Writers Museum, just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where there was a temporary Ian Rankin exhibition. Small post-it notes were there to leave comments. I did. “Skinner is better than Rebus” I wrote and stuck it in a prominent position.
Having received the latest Skinner book, I eagerly devoured it in twenty four hours. It was typical Quintin Jardine and typical Skinner. You think you have solved a bit of the mystery, but you are soon blown off course.
Quintin Jardine never disappoints, be it Skinner or whatever, but for some reason, that I cannot fathom out, he always gets pushed behind Rankin. He deserves the same respect that Bob Skinner has.
Obviously the book is recommended, as are all the others written by the author.
IAIN McCARTNEY.

Lord Robert Skinner returns, or Big Bob as he is also known!

It's New Year's Eve and Bob is celebrating at his local golf club with his wife Sarah (who is also a top notch Pathologist) his daughter Alex and her friend Dominic (a reformed criminal), they all leave shortly are the bells ring in the New Year.

As Big Bob and Sarah are sitting down to a drink in the early hours of the morning, he is called by Mario McGuire, DCC. Two men have been found sitting a car outside a police station both shot in the head, one is a former police officer, Terry Coates and Griff Montell, a current serving police officer. There are a lot of relationships both of the dead men are involved in, in some ways it's six degrees of separation.

The story involves an armed robbery in South Africa, smuggling, and a crime from years ago, it is convoluted but draws you in. I didn't see the end coming at all. Try to keep up with some of the threads/people, they do get explained along the way.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

Lord Robert Skinner aka Big Bob returns in The Roots of Evil which is the latest book in the long running series from Quintin Jardine and it is an excellent addition which will keep readers entertained

The author has created a fantastic “Skinner” world with numerous well sketched characters the majority of which make an appearance in this very readable book which starts off with a bang on New Years Day and then never slows down until the final page.

This is definitely a page turner of a book and one I would undoubtedly recommend

A masterclass. Best book I have read this year. Familiar characters and an intricate and complex storyline that keeps you guessing.

This series of books is by far one of the best Crime series available. This needs to be on TV. I absolutely love every single one of these books.
Bob Skinner, I've read about him so much over the years I almost think he's become a family member. In fact I may know him better than I know some of my family. He's Big Bob, a warm cuddly teddy bear or Big Bob, the ferocious, lethal, detective who you don't want to be on the wrong side of.

Why has a car with two dead men in the back seat been left outside a police station. More to the point who has left them here. It's a brazen act, dumping a car with dead bodies in anywhere but why the police station.
Mario Maguire interrupts Bob and Sarah's new year by requesting Bob at the scene of crime. Bob is no longer working for the police, or should I say he's no longer a copper. But his expert advice is always welcomed and he now has a badge that means he can help on cases the top brass feel they need him for. This is one of those cases.
The abandoned car with the 2 dead men in the back is the scene he's required to attend. It turns out one of these men is an Ex police officer and the other one is a current police officer. Why together, what do they have that links them, both.
These men are also link with a whole host of officers, does that mean the wider force are in trouble. The team with the help of Bab have to work out the whys, the how's and the who. The investigation will see them talking to a whole host of people who knew the 2 guys and slowly they need to piece parts of the puzzle together.
Have we finally found a case that doesn't seem solvable.
What an absolutely gripping read, the story flows well and leads you on a great journey. Back with some familiar characters who we have gotten to know through the previous books.
​Jardine writes a crime novel like no other. I can not wait each time I finish a book I need the next one. Long may this series continue.

All the stars and more for this book..




Here is the series in order just in case you fancy giving them a go..
I really recommend you read them all in order.

Series
Bob Skinner
1. Skinner's Rules (1993)
2. Skinner's Festival (1994)
3. Skinner's Trail (1994)
4. Skinner's Round (1995)
5. Skinner's Ordeal (1996)
6. Skinner's Mission (1997)
7. Skinner's Ghosts (1998)
8. Murmuring the Judges (1998)
9. Gallery Whispers (1999)
10. Thursday Legends (2000)
11. Autographs in the Rain (2001)
12. Head Shot (2002)
13. Fallen Gods (2003)
14. Stay of Execution (2004)
15. Lethal Intent (2005)
16. Dead and Buried (2006)
17. Death's Door (2007)
18. Aftershock (2008)
19. Fatal Last Words (2009)
20. A Rush of Blood (2010)
21. Grievous Angel (2011)
22. Funeral Note (2012)
23. Pray for the Dying (2013)
24. Hour Of Darkness (2014)
25. Last Resort (2015)
26. Private Investigations (2016)
27. Game Over (2017)
28. State Secrets (2017)
29. A Brush with Death (2018)
30. Cold Case (2018)
31. The Bad Fire (2019)
32. The Roots of Evil (2020)
A Hint of Death (2014)
Skinner's Elves (2017)

I really enjoyed reading this latest Bob Skinner novel. Great plot, with plenty of twists and turns which keeps you engaged throughout. This is a fast paced novel, with plot twists and secrets that keep on being revealed. The upshot is a novel which keeps you on your toes right to the end.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
The Roots of Evil by Quintin Jardine is the latest in the Bob Skinner series and is as convoluted , as many of the other books in the series , that I have read over the years. It is yet again a masterclass in storytelling and we meet many of the characters we have been introduced to over the years. We.even say goodbye to some and welcome the promotion of others to new ranks in the police force.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this latest book and look forward to reading more in the years to come.
Highly recommended.

On New Year's Eve, Sir Robert Morgan Skinner was celebrating at the golf club with his wife, Professor Sarah Grace, daughter Alex Skinner and the man with whom she shares a house, Dominic Jackson. Jackson would be better-known to the criminal fraternity of Edinburgh as Lennie Plenderleith but he's reformed and the new name reflects a new man. The Skinners don't stay much after midnight at the clubhouse and are dropped home not long into the new year. Skinner's tempted to let the phone ring but knows that he cannot: it's Mario McGuire asking for his presence at a crime scene in the centre of Edinburgh. Skinner's not technically with the police now - he's chairman of InterMedia UK - but the police value his knowledge and experience.

Even he's shocked when they reach the scene: a car has been left outside a city-centre police station and inside are the bodies of Terry Coats, a former police officer and a serving inspector, Griffin Montell, who had an on/off sexual relationship with Alex Skinner. The Chief Constable, Maggie Steele, is there but it's obvious that she's barely holding herself together and she makes an insensitive mistake when she calls DS Noele McClair to the scene. McClair is the ex-wife of Terry Coats - and currently in a relationship with Grif Montell.

Get past the opening when Skinner and his wife bring each other up-to-date on the names of their children and what's been happening. This is book thirty-two in the series and you need a quick resumé of what's gone before and who's who. Suspend disbelief too about the role which Bob Skinner gets to play in the investigation: it's dressed up as mentoring DI Sauce Haddock but the reality is that Skinner's the man in charge. DCI Sammy Pye is off sick and the story that he's got a virus is not going to hold out for much longer: he'll not be back at work and Sauce Haddock is going to have to step up as Senior Investigating Officer in what's bound to be a high-profile case. Maggie Steele's not going to last much longer as Chief Constable of Police Scotland: the job's far too big for any one person to control and she'll be the second casualty. Right now it's Mario McGuire who's running things in all but name. Sauce Haddock is not the only one who wonders if everything is beginning to fall apart.

Skinner's just as full of himself as he ever was. In real life, he'd probably be a nightmare to be around but he makes for a good police procedural and this one is a cracker. We're going to range through a gold bullion robbery in South Africa of more than a decade ago, a body which has been lying in a Manchester mortuary unidentified for months and how a serving police officer can afford to wear quite so many designer clothes. There's a real pace about the story and I finished it in under twenty-four hours. I didn't have any idea about whodunnit: it's one of those books where you're along for the ride, not to see if you can second guess it. I didn't even try!

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Ian Rankin is usually the go-to man for Edinburgh crime but of late the Skinner novels have had a bit more complexity to them. Long may they continue.

Having followed this series since its inception almost 30 years ago, I was excited to read the newest title – and it didn’t disappoint.

Sir Bob Skinner is back and although he is no longer a full time police officer, he mentors members of the current force and through this becomes involved in a brutal double murder of a current and ex member of the force. As the investigation unfolds and the body count increases, events from both the past and present come together to form a complex and intriguing case.

I enjoyed this title, as always Jardine has an excellent handle on the workings of Scotland’s police force covering everything from procedures to internal politics. He keeps the reader engaged throughout both with the story line and the characters – many of whom have been with him since the start of the series and it’s always interesting to see these develop.

Highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy police crime.

Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley UK for the review copy.

I look forward to reading every Bob Skinner instalment; a chance to catch up with old friends. I enjoyed finding out how their narratives move on as the story unfolds. The characters remain fresh and interesting. Fast paced and captivating plot with unexpected twists and turns. Did not anticipate the final outcome. Congratulations to Quintin Jardine on another good read.

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.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day Bob is asked to consult on a difficult case. Two bodies have been found in a car outside Torpichen Police Station and both have been shot. One is Terry Coates, a former detective with Strathclyde Police and the other is Inspector Griff Montell, former lover of Bob’s daughter, Alexis.

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 plot is fairly complicated with a large cast of characters. The characters may be difficult for new readers to keep track of but for us old hands it’s a doddle as the author brings back the same characters book after book. There’s a lot of comfort in this familiarity as the reader knows who they are dealing with. This is not the case with the plot which pushes the reader this way and that with each new revelation. I felt it was a bit of a tour de force with much of the novel taken up with events that are shocking, revelatory and compelling but which do not propel the murder enquiry forward. That final resolution is a bolt from the blue with a subtle irony to it. Delicious.

The novel is told mostly from Bob Skinner’s first person point of view. This is interesting as I never really understand where he is coming from. He always seems so many steps ahead of the rest and sees angles no one else could conceive. It seems exhausting. At the same time he is a family man, albeit rather unreconstructed with the job coming first.

The Roots of Evil is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.