Denise Mina's newest book opens with the shocking murder of Terry Hewitt, former boyfriend of her protagonist, Paddy Meehan. They had known each other since they were both in their teens, eleven years ago, but it had been six months since they had seen each other. Paddy is now 27, and has graduated from her lowly position at the Daily News to her present celebrity status with a regular column of her own, in addition to being a published author. Terry, in turn, had just signed a book deal of his own, and Paddy is told by the police that his killing "had all the hallmarks of an IRA hit...his body found stripped naked in a ditch, single shot to the head." He had been a journalist as well, later "went to war zones, conflict zones, did hard reporting on a world stage...the last of a dying breed...had witnessed corruption and brutality, women raped and murdered, children mutilated, whole villages put to the torch...a fifteen-year-old Angolan boy, shot between the eyes right in front of him." But in the moments before he is killed, after thinking that he "had been arrested in Chile, seen a woman necklaced in Soweto, stood on the edge of a riot in Port-au-Prince," he has no idea why he is about to be murdered on a road on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland.

In many respects Paddy has changed little over the years since she first appeared in Ms. Mina's books, of which this is the third: She still hates her appearance, believing she is too fat; still feels she has to prove herself to the misogynistic men around her; though she attends Mass, she still rebels against her family's Catholicism--her sister is a nun, "wasn't even prepared to take communion and had had a child out of wedlock," a son, Pete, now nearly six years old, who she adores. When she is told by the police that Terry had listed her as his next of kin, with her new address that she didn't even realize he had known, she has no choice. When the effects of that investigation threaten not only Paddy but her son as well, the stakes are raised all the way around.

A parallel story line deals with the release after nine years in prison of young Callum Ogilvy, who with another boy had been found guilty of the brutal murder of a toddler, following Paddy's investigation - she had been engaged to Callum's cousin, Sean - described in an earlier book.

Ms. Mina's descriptions conjure up her characters precisely, e.g., someone's wife is "blond, tall, and so thin she could have opened letters with her chin;" in a photo she sees "a woman of eighty, arms crossed, grinning, the folds in her skin deep enough to lose change in;" and, of her editor: "Nature, time and his temperament had conspired to perfect McVie's glower. His face and posture fitted around misery as neatly as cellophane over a cup." The author maintains an undercurrent of menace. Paddy is a gutsy, slightly vulgar and very human protagonist, the characters and the setting very well drawn, the writing and the story taut with a hold-your-breath quality. Highly recommended.

Although Ms. Mina is evolving to be slightly less bleak, this is still harsh stuff. I continue to follow her because she's unfailingly original, with non-stock characters, and a sly, sharp-edged humor. Her characters are not simple, and their decisions are not simple. Much of the action is unexpected, yet rings true.

It takes a good long while to get to the who and why of the murder in this book, and the journey is not very suspenseful or thrilling.

I found this book to be an absolute delight to read. The primary characters are three-dimensional, fallible yet honorable. The dialogue is often hysterical and the main character's thoughts and conversations sparkle with wit, sarcasm, charm and well-chosen Scottish profanity. As a reader, you'd love to spend some time with these people. The setting, Port Glasgow, Scotland, is another place I would love to visit after reading this book, just to sit and hear people talk. I should add (embarrassingly?) that I was skeptical about reading a novel in a first-person female voice, but it wasn't off-putting at all. In fact, I feel I learned something about the female condition. This is the first book by Denise Mina I've had the pleasure to read, but you can bet that I'll be devouring her other books as well.

Some reviewers express minor disappointment with the continuity between "Slip of the Knife" and the two previous books of Mina's with the same character, Paddy Meehan. Big deal; get over it, I say. It's great fiction and a superb stand-alone novel. Also, I did not find the plot too plodding or opaque at all. It's not an Elmore Leonard novel that is written sparsely, but the description of characters and settings is, once again, a pleasure to read. I didn't skip a single paragraph and I couldn't put this book down. Mina is one of the all-time best at her craft.

I have enjoyed the majority of this author's works. Slip of a Knive did not disappoint.

When the police interrrupt Paddy Meehan's relaxing evening at home she is told that Terry Hewitt, a dear friend of hers has been found murdered. Why? Who could possibly want to kill this photojournalist who chronicled so much action all over the world and survived. Paddy vows to herself that she will find the killer(s). But soon things get very complicated and the truth is a hard thing to hold on to. As the body count rises and Paddy knows that Terry's killer is after her she takes steps to face-off the murderer. Nothing can stop her since this evil man tried to kill her five year old son. Paddy gets help from Dub, a friend who lives with her and from Callum who has just been released from prison after serving a ten year sentence for murdering a baby. Paddy is a seasoned journalist/columnist who has seen everything on the job. But in SLIP OF THE KNIFE she must follow a trail that is dark and twisted. Readers will be riveted right from the beginning.
BARBARA LIPKIEN GERSHENBAUM