Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre

Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 hours I think it was

Pages - ?

Publisher - Hachette books audio

Source - Audible

Blurb from Goodreads

Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things. Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it's not the corpse, what is that awful smell? A post-Thatcherite nightmare of frightening plausibility, Quite Ugly One Morning is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue, and villains both reputed and shell-suited.



My Review

Book one of Jack Parlabane, the journalist with a knack for being in the wrong place and the wrong time, or the right place for a story? This is my first ever audiobook, my o/h got this for us driving home (signal often cuts out on the radio). We have both read this book, years ago so knew we liked it and when we saw David Tennant was the narrator, win win.

If you aren't familiar with Brookmyre, especially these earlier books - they are laced with Glasweigan style humour, swearing, shade, cheek, murder and Parlabane is right in the thick of it all. There is so much banter, we laughed out loud despite knowing some of what was coming.

If you are easily offended this book is so not for you. If you don't mind the darker side of Scots banter and potty mouth, with a murder and dodgy characters you will love this. I think I want to reacquaint with the Parlabane books, I have read most but not all of them, 4.5/5 for us this time. I am not a convert to audio books as I listened to samplers of a few others and hated the narrator voices. I would absolutely read/listen to more by Tennant for sure!

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Whisky from Small Glasses by Denzil Meyrick

Whisky from Small Glasses by Denzil Meyrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 368

Publisher - Polygon

Source - Waterstones

Blurb from Goodreads

When the body of a young woman is washed up on an idyllic beach on the west coast of Scotland, D.C.I. Jim Daley is despatched from Glasgow to lead the investigation. Far from home, and his troubled marriage, it seems that Daley’s biggest obstacle will be managing the difficult local police chief; but when the prime suspect is gruesomely murdered, the inquiry begins to stall. As the body count rises, Daley uncovers a network of secrets and corruption in the close-knit community of Kinloch, thrusting him and his loved ones into the centre of a case more deadly than he had ever imagined. The first novel in the D.C.I. Daley Thriller series, Whisky from Small Glasses is a truly compelling crime novel, shot through with dark humour and menace.


My Review

When the body of a young woman is discovered in the small town of Kinloch, DCI Daley is dispatched to investigate. Whilst Daley tries to deal with police politics, large egos, his personal life and a killer at large things are heating up.

So, we have a murder, team dynamics those established with Daley and those in Kinloch who are adverse to city cops stepping on toes. We follow the investigation, the boundaries breached and set by Daley, grieving families and breaking through small town ranks.

This isn't a gore fest crime, it is a lot on police procedural with Scottish banter, swearing, secrets, good old fashioned police work and family dramas thrown in for fabulous effect. The wife I didn't like to start with, Daley I really took to quickly as with members of his team. He is a good cop who just wants to do his job and be happy. The locals were a mixed bag, predictions, helpfulness, standoffish, wanting to make sure Daley is fed, it is a wee town (barring the murder) you would want to go visit.

For me a fantastic opening to the series, yes there is a murder and investigation but it is a strong builder for who the characters are. I look forward to more of Daley and his team, 4/5 for me this time. I have the whole series on my tbrm so I am looking forward to catching up with what is in store for the team next.

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Buy Buy Baby by Helen MacKinven - Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the Buy Buy Baby Blog tour, the second book released by Helen MacKinven. Her first was Talk Of The Toun, you can find my review of that here.



Helen had the book launch night last night in Falkirk, I was working so I am gutted to say I missed it, this is Helen from her first book signing. She will be chatting about Buy Buy Baby in Waterstones Glasgow Argyll Street on the 19th of July, for more info click here.







Buy Buy Baby is quite a different feel from Talk Of The Toun however both are Scottish, deal with some delicate issues and laced with humour, you can read my review for it here.







You can find Helen on Twitter at @HelenMacKinven or visit her website here.



Buy Buy Baby is available to buy now. I have one paperback copy up for grabs, as usual entries below using the Rafflecopter, I will leave the giveaway open for approximately 1 week. Good luck if you are entering & thanks for stopping by for the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buy Buy Baby by Helen MacKinven

Buy Buy Baby by Helen MacKinven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Cranachan

Pages - 298

Blurb from Goodreads

What price tag would you put on a baby?

Set in and around Glasgow, Buy Buy Baby is a moving and funny story of life, loss and longing.

Packed full of bitchy banter, it follows the bittersweet quest of two very different women united by the same desire - they desperately want a baby.

Carol talks to her dog, has an expensive eBay habit and relies on wine to forget she's no longer a mum following the death of her young son.

Cheeky besom Julia is career-driven and appears to have it all. But after disastrous attempts at internet dating, she feels there is a baby-shaped hole in her life.

In steps Dan, a total charmer with a solution to their problems.

But only if they are willing to pay the price, on every level...



My Review

Two women living in Glasgow, Carol who, life as she knew it halted after her son's death and is now filled with Ebay impulse buys and talking to, and for, her dog Jinky. And Julia, a career driven woman with disastrous online dating attempts and a ticking biological clock. The two women could not be more different but both have a longing for a baby and one man could be the answer to their prayers.

I don't often comment on book covers, although to be fair, of late, I have found myself drawn to or passing comment on some. Buy Buy Baby sports the face of a doll with piercing blue eyes which I think most people would stop for a gander passing it on a bookshelf. It catches your eye and draws you to it, not giving much away to what the genre or content could be, kudos to the designer & team, it certainly deserves a mention. My copy is the exact same as the picture featured on this review & synced picture on Goodreads, if you normally scroll past have a wee scroll back up and check it out, eerie and eye catching!

This is MacKinven's second book and sports her trademark humor stamp but also having, a deeper, more adult feel to it. The themes cover grief, loss, love, relationships, abuse, friendship and many more infused with Glasgow humour whilst tackling some dark subjects. Looking at how one woman tries to cope with the loss of a child and get through everyday with the other coming to realise something is missing in her life and just how far each will go to obtain their goal.

I think this book may stir up a host of emotions for many readers, the content addresses some brutal aspects of adult life that many readers may have experienced or identify with. Buy Buy Baby is a story that will make you snort with laughter & well up as you go on an emotional rollercoaster with two ladies desperate for a baby. Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review, 4/5 for me this time. I look forward to more from this author and you can get a copy for yourself from 7th July 2016 from any good retailer.

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Talk of the Toun by Helen MacKinven

Talk of the Toun by Helen MacKinven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days on and off

Pages - 288

Publisher - Thunderpoint Publishing

Blurb from Goodreads

‘She was greetin’ again. But there’s no need for Lorraine to be feart, since the first day of primary school, Angela has always been there to mop up her tears and snotters.’

An uplifting black comedy of love, family life and friendship, Talk of the Toun is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale set in the summer of 1985, in working class, central belt Scotland.

Lifelong friends Angela and Lorraine are two very different girls, with a growing divide in their aspirations and ambitions putting their friendship under increasing strain.

Artistically gifted Angela has her sights set on art school, but lassies like Angela, from a small town council scheme, are expected to settle for a nice wee secretarial job at the local factory. Her only ally is her gallus gran, Senga, the pet psychic, who firmly believes that her granddaughter can be whatever she wants.

Though Lorraine’s ambitions are focused closer to home Angela has plans for her too, and a caravan holiday to Filey with Angela’s family tests the dynamics of their relationship and has lifelong consequences for them both.

Effortlessly capturing the religious and social intricacies of 1980s Scotland, Talk of the Toun is the perfect mix of pathos and humour as the two girls wrestle with the complications of growing up and exploring who they really are.



My Review

The first thing I would say to anyone going to pick up this book is, it isn't for the easily offended. It isn't that it is out and out offensive however, it is set in Scotland, the mid 1980s and captures the people from the scheme and the language of the times perfectly. It is black humour, unpc and you find yourself laughing, sometimes out loud, at some of the antics and language which nowadays would be frowned upon and all kinds of labels flung about. The story centers around Angela, whose viewpoint the story is told from, and her best friend Lorraine. Angela has always looked out for Lorraine and lately their friendship is starting to get strained, Angela isn't about to let go and is sure when she gets Lorraine to Filey for the caravan holiday with her family all will slot back into place. However things don't go as Angela planned and events come to play that will impact their friendship and lives forever.

This book took me down memory lane, just some of the things discussed or some of the terms, I haven't heard geggie in absolutely years, just evoked a plethora of long forgotten memories. I think anyone who was born or lived during that time period will take a stroll back in time, not sure if that was the authors intent but it was a lovely wee addition and gift from just "reading a book". The main characters are teenage girls, seventeen and some of the things are a bit teen angst because well thats what they are. Angela, for me was a really dislikable character at times and as the story goes on you see a switch in the roles Lorraine and Angela initially played in each others lives.

One character I have to talk about, because in all honesty, despite not being a main character I think she stole the show. Senga, Angela's "gallus" granny was a typical figure from that time period, fabulous, straight talking, supportive but put you in your place when need be. I will be hitting the author up about any plans for a book on Senga herself and if not I really think she should. If you love books that delve into people from a scheme, with Scottish banter that captures the struggles of that time period, sectarianism, social divide and just trying to follow their dreams rather than the path carved out for a council scheme girl, then you will love this book. If I gave half stars this would be 4.5 for me so it is a 4/5 for me this time, I wasn't sure if the author was going to be able to round it up at the end but she pulled it off and it made me look at the character a little better than I had whilst reading. I think MacKinven is worth a watch and may well become a familiar name amongst authors who portray the Scottish people and times of old with affection and praise. Thanks to the author & ThunderPoint publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can buy this book from 29th October 2015, Kindle price & paperback from all good retailers.

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