Tony R Cox is an ex-provincial UK journalist. The Simon Jardine series is based on his memories of the early 70s - the time of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll - when reporters relied on word of mouth and there was no internet, no mobile phones, not even a fax machine.
Bob Skinner is back. He arrived on the crime fiction scene as head of Edinburgh’s CID, became Chief Constable, was knighted, left for private investigation work, and is now reaping the rewards of private industry, but he can’t ever stop being a copper.
It’s nearly 30 years since the series began with Skinner’s Rules, now, 32 books later, Sir Robert Skinner has lost none of his investigative powers, and thousands of avid readers worldwide will be sated and happy.
Sir Robert – “call me Bob” – is enjoying a relaxed Hogmanay when he is called upon by two very senior police officers. He has no uniform nor title, but his history and experience mean that he is the ideal mentor for those whom he used to command. Two bodies have been found murdered in a car outside an Edinburgh police station and their identities are not just known to the police but are linked directly to Bob Skinner’s family.
The reader is drawn into the plot through the dialogue of a wide range of protagonists, many of whom will already be familiar characters from the Skinner series. Investigations are hampered by elements of disbelief in what the detectives find until they have to accept what appears to be the truth and a rising body count in Scotland, England and South Africa.
Quintin Jardine is a master at understanding the complexities of police administration in Scotland, but The Roots of Evil takes this a stage further. The frustration of the key detectives is shared with the reader: we are aware of the major crimes and most of the killings, but who is killing the killers? The final denouement has a masterful twist that is both intriguing in its mystery and satisfying in its completeness.
