Body Politic
Registered by Lunapilot of Southampton, Hampshire United Kingdom on 4/28/2006
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
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.
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.
Journal Entry 2 by Lunapilot at Bus stops in Earlsdon in Earlsdon, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, August 20, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (8/20/2006 UTC) at Bus stops in Earlsdon in Earlsdon, West Midlands United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
On a bus stop seat somewhere in Earlsdon!
Coventry Bookcrossers regulary meetup on the first Tuesday (7pm to 9pm) and second Saturday of the month (2 pm till 4pm) at liquid, Fancy joining us?
To join the Coventry bookcrossing group, go to
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On a bus stop seat somewhere in Earlsdon!
Coventry Bookcrossers regulary meetup on the first Tuesday (7pm to 9pm) and second Saturday of the month (2 pm till 4pm) at liquid, Fancy joining us?
To join the Coventry bookcrossing group, go to
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/bccov/
