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Still Midnight Hardcover – March 22, 2010

by Denise Mina (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 2,352 ratings
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Alex Morrow is not new to the police force-or to crime-but there is nothing familiar about the call she has just received. On a still night in a quiet suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, three armed men have slipped from a van into a house, demanding a man who is not, and has never been, inside the front door. In the confusion that ensues, one family member is shot and another kidnapped, the assailants demanding an impossible ransom. Is this the amateur crime gone horribly wrong that it seems, or something much more unexpected?

As Alex falls further into the most challenging case of her career, Denise Mina proves why "if you don't read crime novels, Mina is your reason to change" (Rocky Mountain News).
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Alex Morrow
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Reagan Arthur Books
  5. Publication date
    March 22, 2010
  6. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780316015639
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0316015639
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

Critics called Still Midnight an auspicious debut to Mina's new police procedural series, and its heroine "just as beguiling as O'Donnell and Meehan"--and just as dark, rude, and troubled by gender politics (Times). Although the novel contains the same wry wit and compassion that mark her other books, here Mina casts a sharp eye on her characters' mental states, blurring the lines between the villains and the good guys as she explores their life trajectories. The only criticism was that this focus on inner motives and personal tragedies overwhelms the plot. A minor complaint: critics are anxiously awaiting the next in the series. Also see our discussion of Mina on page 17 of this issue.

From Booklist

Eddy and Pat, two Glasgow yobs, are hired to snatch a man named Bob from a modest home in a Glasgow suburb and hold him for a two-million-pound ransom. They botch the job, finding no one named Bob, accidentally shooting a teenage girl, and snatching the girl’s father, a Ugandan émigré who owns a none-too-prosperous convenience store. Police-department sexism leads to DS Alex Morrow’s dim rival, Grant Bannerman, being placed in charge of the investigation; but Alex’s efforts uncover the only leads in the case. An award-winning crime novelist, Mina knows her gritty hometown, and Still Midnight offers a stunning portrait of transcendent bleakness. Alex is close to a breakdown; curiously, we don’t learn the full why for 270 pages. The kidnap victim is haunted by his mother’s rape as they fled Uganda. Even Eddy and Pat are tormented. Similarly, Glasgow is vividly portrayed as an avatar of urban poverty, violence, and utter despair; the lashing rains and raw winds of October in Scotland only serve to deepen the sense of desperation. Grim but compelling. --Thomas Gaughan

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0316015636
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Reagan Arthur Books; 1st edition (March 22, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780316015639
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316015639
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 2,352 ratings

About the author

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Denise Mina

Denise Mina

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Denise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe, moving twenty one times in eighteen years from Paris to the Hague, London, Scotland and Bergen. She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs: working in a meat factory, bar maid, kitchen porter and cook. Eventually she settle in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.

At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.

Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.

'Garnethill' won the Crime Writers' Association John Creasy Dagger for the best first crime novel and was the start of a trilogy completed by 'Exile' and 'Resolution'.

A fourth novel followed, a stand alone, named 'Sanctum' in the UK and 'Deception' in the US.

In 2005 'The Field of Blood' was published, the first of a series of five books following the career and life of journalist Paddy Meehan from the newsrooms of the early 1980s, through the momentous events of the nineteen nineties. The second in the series was published in 2006, 'The Dead Hour' and the third will follow in 2007.

She also writes comics and wrote 'Hellblazer', the John Constantine series for Vertigo, for a year, published soon as graphic novels called 'Empathy is the Enemy' and 'The Red Right Hand'. She has also written a one-off graphic novel about spree killing and property prices called 'A Sickness in the Family' (DC Comics forthcoming).

In 2006 she wrote her first play, "Ida Tamson" an adaptation of a short story which was serialised in the Evening Times over five nights. The play was part of the Oran Mor 'A Play, a Pie and a Pint' series, starred Elaine C. Smith and was, frankly, rather super.

As well as all of this she writes short stories published various collections, stories for BBC Radio 4, contributes to TV and radio as a big red face at the corner of the sofa who interjects occasionally, is writing a film adaptation of Ida Tamson and has a number of other projects on the go.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
2,352 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

EJ
4.0 out of 5 stars Scotland comes alive
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2010
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I am a huge fan of Denise Mina's books, for the simple reason that she is able to make mystery/thriller types of books more layered and atmospheric than just your average procedural. This book is one of those, as Glasgow comes alive on the page with Mina's deft descriptions.

Still Midnight takes place over approximately a 2-day period, and follows several threads told from different perspectives: the story of the police as they try to discover who has kidnapped an elderly shopowner, the man's family as they struggle with the crime, the kidnappers, and victim himself. With her usual flair, the author creates an atmosphere and characters that go much deeper than just the mystery at the book's center, and includes examinations of race and class in present-day Scotland.

In summary: I very much enjoyed the new lead character, Alex Morrow, and look forward to seeing her in more books, but the too-tidy ending kept this one from getting 5 stars from me.

One final note for buyers who are not fans of naughty language: beware. To me, the language lends credibility and atmosphere to the book, but others may not enjoy it.
52 people found this helpful
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jt52
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific multicharacter Denise Mina novel
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2012
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To me, Denise Mina is a big-time writing talent. Her sentence-by-sentence prose is relentlessly interesting and in "Still Midnight," she dives right into the plot, with three criminals waiting to execute a home invasion, planned by a mysterious third party, into an apparently innocent, middle-class Indian home in the Glasgow suburbs: "The van, barely three weeks old, had already been stolen and bore false license plates. It was parked carefully at the curb... and in six hours' time it would be found smoldering in woodland, all forensic traces of the men inside obliterated."

"Still Midnight" takes place in Glasgow, her home and site of all her seven previous crime novels, but it marks a departure from her prior work, which concentrated on the interior lives of single individuals, the victimized Maureen or the investigative journalist Paddy, in each of her trilogies, for example. Instead, "Still Midnight" is a multi-character novel, each following their own particular suspense story, linked but not identical to the home invasion at the story's inception. They are (no spoilers, I promise):

Alex Morrow, the bitter, bitchy police investigator. Something is troubling Alex very, very much. What is it?

Pat, the recalcitrant home invader, who conceives an impossible crush.

Aamir, the hostage with a buried past and unhappy present. Does he have the will to live through this ordeal?

Will Alex manage to surmount the police department politics behind the investigation without a career setback?

What exactly is the side business run by "Bob" and how can he afford a Lamborghini?

And the central mystery: why this house? Is the raid simply a mistake by clownish criminals?

Mina maintains these story threads and resolves them with impressive skill. This is the first installment of Mina's new series centering on Alex Morrow, a Glasgow detective, and it looks to represent a stylistic extension with a coherent plot with a believable and meaningful resolution. The criticism I would make of it - one of the middle sections drags due to a series of retrospection by the characters, the troubled central police character is hackneyed - doesn't detract from the book's overall quality and suspense.
7 people found this helpful
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William Skipper
3.0 out of 5 stars Another Stunning Heroine
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2011
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Mina has done it again. Alex Morrow is a great leading lady. She's also a cop with a terrible secret. Fascinating to watch her navigate treacherous police politics while hot on the trail of kidnappers. Sadly, the caper fails to thrill and the bad guys are dopes. The ending defies credulity.

It's a surprisingly quick and easy read, considering the intricacies of her previous work. Mina devotees will definitely want to spend some time with Alex Morrow. I look forward to her next case--preferably one that involves cooler crooks.
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Annie Athens
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Crime Writer
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019
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I cannot quite understand why there are one and two star reviews for this book, unless it's the bad language. If this is in bad taste for you as a reader then don't read this book. However, if you are an avid reader and enjoy well written crime novels with good characters, an interesting plot and a story that keeps you engrossed then this author is for you. I actually read her second novel first as was on offer and then read this. The second was even better and I am now an avid fan and am on the third book in the series.
9 people found this helpful
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Blue Eyes
5.0 out of 5 stars I am very impressed with Denise Mina’s writing
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2023
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I enjoy reading British authors and Denise Mina is now on my favorites list.
Alex Morrow is a woman fighting for her talents to be recognized by her super and her peers as she copes with personal tragedy.

A great book, and I will be reading more of this series and this author.
2 people found this helpful
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Vkirkwood
2.0 out of 5 stars Story had too many characters and too many plots.
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020
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Although I totally love this author, she took on too much in one book. Started skipping the chapters with the bad guys and then eventually got tired of the good guys and gave up.
2 people found this helpful
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Lynn T.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Book Full of Little Surprises
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
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I wanted to read a book written by Denise Mina as I had read some interesting reviews about her work. I chose Still Midnight because it is the first in her Alex Morrow series. So many have written a synopsis of the story that I don't think one more will add to the reviews. My impression of the book was that it was full of little surprises. Some authors lay out the back ground at the beginning of the first book in a series. I found that the author would give information along the way that surprised me about the characters. I read some reviews that said that Alex Morrow was unlikable but I didn't feel that way about her. She grew up in poverty and was trying to make her way or career as a police woman in Glasgow. She was smart and seemed able to read people. Did she seem to have an edge? Yes but that was ok with me. The POV was told from various characters-even some of the criminals had their POV. The book is a police procedural and moved forward like one but it was never slow for me. It held my interest. The ending was, if I think about it, a surprise too like other surprises in the book. Will continue with the series.
24 people found this helpful
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Karolina
4.0 out of 5 stars Düstere Entführung als Entwicklungsmotor
Reviewed in Germany on July 17, 2021
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Ein manchmal düsterer Glasgow-Krimi, der in einer sehr kurzen Handlungszeit viel Spannung und viel Personenentwicklung packt.
Der erste Band der "Alex-Morrow-Serie" schildert 2 Tage einer Ermittlung. Eine mittelständische Familie in Glasgow wird überfallen, die Teenager-Tochter angeschossen und der alte Familienvater, ein muslimischer Einwanderer, entführt, um 2 Mio. Pfund zu erpressen. Obwohl qualifiziert und motiviert wird der Fall nicht Alex Morrow, sondern einem ehrgeizigen und taktierenden Kollegen übertragen, der ununterbrochen versucht, Alex nach hinten zu drängen.
Denise Mina erzählt aus mehreren Perspektiven die ca. 48 h, die zwischen dem Überfall und dem Ende der Entführung vergehen. Neben der Ermittlerin Alex Morrow wird die Sichtweise eines der Entführer und des Entführungsopfers eingenommen. Obwohl man dadurch von Anfang weiß, wer Täter und Opfer sind, baut sich eine große Spannung auf, da die Hintergründe so unklar sind. Die Story bringt verschiedene kriminelle "Wirtschaftszweige" ins Spiel, da unklar bleibt, warum gerade diese Familie Opfer wird. Es gibt Hinweise auf Drogengeschäfte, Terrorismus, organisierte Kriminalität, aber auch banalen Betrug. Alex Morrow wird als Ermittlerin mit einem guten Gespür für Ungereimtheiten geschildert, die Zeugen und Verdächtige zu mehr Aussagen bringt, als sie eigentlich wollen. Wie im modernen Krimi nicht zu vermeiden, hat auch Alex Morrow privat eine traumatische Erfahrung hinter sich, ein Geheimnis, dass bei der Arbeit niemand wissen darf, und versucht, trotzdem im Beruf voll da zu sein.
Die Autorin erschafft eine Reihe von eindrucksvollen Figuren. Alex Morrow bleibt in diesem ersten Band noch etwas blass. Aber die Schilderungen des Entführungsopfers sind sehr eindrucksvoll und gut gemacht und auch die Figur des Entführers Pat ist ambivalent und glaubwürdig gezeichnet. Für ihn wird die Entführung zu einem Wendepunkt, ebenso für Alex Morrow, da beide an diesem Fall verstehen, dass sie so nicht weiter machen können. Die Story ist in sich stimmig und interessant. Leider geraten einige der Nebenfiguren zu Klischees und manchmal fast zu Karikaturen, vermutlich um in die düstere Story etwas Witz rein zu bringen. Und das Ende verlässt leider den Realismus ziemlich weit. Man hat den Eindruck, dass Mina unbedingt ein Happy End wollte und deshalb die Handlungsstränge sehr biegt! Aber insgesamt ein spannender, düsterer , aber gut zu lesender und unterhaltsamer Krimi.
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ceecee
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019
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This started really well with a kidnapping by possibly the most inept gang in Glasgow. This is a really intriguing book that is well written and the author seems to be able to ‘paint’ a scene with just a few brush strokes. I really like DS Alex Morrow, she’s clever, acerbic hardworking and from time to time rude, although in her defence the recipients often deserve it! There are dashes of humour which I also like. Parts of the story are sad especially Aamir’s experiences fleeing the Ugandan regime of Idi Amin and he relives some of those in the story.

I really enjoyed this story and I’ll definitely read more by Denise Mina. The ending is rather surprising but that’s preferable to something predictable!
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Jackie Clarts
5.0 out of 5 stars Kept me guessing and engaged from the start
Reviewed in Australia on September 7, 2015
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This is my first Mina novel and I found it very rewarding. From the opening pages the characters and scenes alike were beautifully constructed. I enjoyed the author's use of language - clearly Scottish but not presented in some hackneyed way - serving to enrich the story and the people at its centre with distinctiveness and authenticity. The locations were well chosen to give a real life feel to the book and the narrative structure was clear, though not at all over simple. The plot courses wildly through a pivotal few days in the lives of several families revealing secrets and several shocking details that even bring in DS Morrow, who herself is as beguiling as she can be harsh. The writing is beautifully rich and I will be looking further into Denise Mina's catalogue again soon.
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Richard W
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, well told
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2023
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Loved the detail and the writing. She really captures the sad inadequacy of the criminal class and frailty and vulnerability of the detectives.
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Gisela Steinle
1.0 out of 5 stars Too long-winded
Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2019
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Lengthy.
Too long-winded.
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