Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172193 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 345 pages

Synopsis
It is the year 2020, and Edinburgh is now independent. When a gruesome series of murders is committed, Quint Dalrymple is called on to track down the murderer. In doing so he uncovers a tale of government corruption, sex-slave rings, and a killer who specializes in a unique form of organ removal.

Customer Reviews

Not just entertainment, a warning...
I read this book shortly after it was published. Now, in 2008, it does not require a great leap of the imagination to suggest aspects of Paul Johnson's dystopian future seem a few steps closer to becoming a not so distant reality. This book should serve as a warning as to what could happen if we conceed too much of our hard-earned liberty in return for greater 'safety' which is currently being slowly eroded through the proliferation of CCTV, the rights of the individual rapidly superceding the rights of the collective, possible introduction of ID cards etc. If you think some of the ideas in this book seem far fetched, 5 minutes of a 24 hour news channel should prove to be sobering viewing indeed. Those who watched the compelling 'The Last Enemy' series on BBC a few weeks back will know exactly what is at stake.

Intriguing Setting Doesn't Rescue Flat Story
The debut in Johnston's series set in Edinburgh circa 2020 suffers from having a more interesting setting than plot-which is a rather banal serial-killer number. In this world, the UK has dissolved and Edinburgh exists as a kind of repressive city-state run according to Plato's Republic. The "Enlightenment" led to the elimination of crime, along with individuality, resulting in a combination Stalinist/Puritan society rife with rules, regulations, fines and work camps. The city's primary economic driver is tourism, which the city achieves by combining the gambling of Las Vegas with the sex trade of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, while Johnston does a good job showing how corruption undermines this dystopian society, he never develops the city and its people enough to fully convince. The lives and status of "guardians" (police) are well-depicted, but we never see much of the average citizen and how the rest of the city functions (perhaps this developed later in the series).

The book's nominal hero, Quint, is a standard issue haunted former policeman hero who is recalled from disgrace by the city officials who decide he is the only one with the knowledge/skills to solve the murder of a public guardian-the city's first murder in years. He's typically reluctant, nosy, lustful, burdened with old guilt, and all those other noir detective traits, but his character never quite fully develops. It doesn't help that Quint's parents were both founding members of the Enlightenment, and that his mother is the head of the council. In any event, he is assigned to track down a grisly killer before any damage is done to the tourist industry. This part of the book (ie. the story) is pretty standard stuff, and the few red herrings are easily recognized for what they are. If you're looking for a mystery with an unusual setting, thus might fit the bill, just don't expect the story to live up to the milieu. Future entries in the series such as The Bone Yard and Water of Death may be more fulfilling.

I Thoroughly Enjoyed This Book....
I found the character development to be excellent...I felt I got to know these characters and their thoughts, feelings and motivations. The story I found to be absolutely engrossing and forward-moving. In short, I really enjoyed this and have ordered the other three novels in this series.