Jardine is a Scots writer who unwisely courts comparison to Ian Rankin, the talented and creative writer of the Rebus novels. Jardine has a relatively successful series of police-based mystery novels set in Edinburgh, involving a policeman named Skinner, and the Oz Blackstone series. Blackstone is a former policeman, who stumbled into private detective work, and into acting in the movies.
This novel - the 6th in the serial - finds Blackstone at the end of a marriage marred by the retaliatory infidelities of both spouses, discovering the joys of fatherhood with a woman that he slept with during his honeymoon with his legal wife. The mom is the girlfriend of his best friend, a crooked cop killed in a drug raid. Blackstone is cast in a movie in Edinburgh, an adaptation of - guess what - a Skinner novel! The director is an Australian who may vaguely resemble Mel Gibson, and the lead is carefully written to not be Sean Connery. Or not, or ...
Jardine spent the first part of his life in advertising and PR and he seems to bring his experiences in that field into his writing, and into this novel. He writes about celebrity and PR with apparent authority. He writes about celebrity cads convincingly, and the story is as engaging as a British soap.
Unfortunately, it is just a celebrity soap which almost become a drawing room farce. It is poorly structured, with Jardine spending the first third of the book discussing Blackstone's personal life and back story, without reaching the murder. The story rambles around aimlessly. Most of the book is show and tell about shooting movies in Edinburgh and the movie industry. Most of the characters are predictable cardboard cut-outs. Blackstone is a shallow, vain, lout who occasionally examines his conscience in a rationalizing, guilty-with-a-shrug kind of way, written without a hint of irony.
This book is cheesy. It is nearly a total waste of time. I don't know how Jardine got this far unless his other books are better.
Article comments
1 - Quintin Jardine
I've read your comment policy, and although I will retain what civility I can, I don't care whether you post this or not. All I'm concerned about is that it makes its way to Mr Tony Dalwyn wherever he might be concealing himself. I don't usually get annoyed on the very rare occasions when egos like his rubbish my work. I content myself with the positive feedback I get from thousands of readers and from real reviewers. But this one is different. I have never in my life courted comparison to Ian Rankin, [edited]. Mr Dalwyn, Ian is a friend of mine, I admire and respect his work, and I do not seek nor have ever sought to emulate it. If you knew anything at all about either of us you'd appreciate that we are very different guys writing in very different ways about the same city. And actually, sonny, I have got pretty far, further, I suspect that a cyber-sniper than you ever will.
2 - Mark Sahm
Quintin: We all get ripped at some time or another. It's part of the business. But instead of threatening Dalmyn over his review, perhaps you can offer a rebuttal to his points.
Since Dalmyn states that he didn't read the other books, how does Poisoned Cherries figure into the rest of the series?
3 - DrPat
I would also note that the post went uncommented for nearly a year.
And this reviewer has also ripped Carl Hiassen, Larry McMurtry, Neil Gaiman, and Spider Robinson, so you're in excellent company!
4 - Mark Sahm
DrPat: Good point. Now if only Hiassen and Gaiman stop by to comment as well, things would get very interesting!
It does bring to mind whether it's proper for authors to comment on open thread reviews about their books. I recall Anne Rice writing angry replies on Amazon threads that ripped one of her books... but does that make the author seem hypersensitive to criticism?
5 - Quintin Jardine
You miss the point. I'm not interested in this guy's view of my work, or anyone else's. I take exception to something he said that is untrue and I won't allow it to stand uncorrected. BTW, I didn't threaten him. That would breach the 'Official Comment Policy'.
6 - Mark Sahm
Actually, I did see your point, Quintin... and you're right--- Dalmyn ripped your book without enough explanation as to why he thought so. I'm not defending him by any means, if that's what you thought.
I merely suggested to you that you refute the reviewer's points with facts from the author himself and the book's place within the series. That way, anyone thinking about purchasing your book will get to hear your original intentions. You should care about this, because that's potential readership for you.
Lastly, that's why this is an open forum, because anyone has the power to comment... even the author of the book being reviewed.
7 - Tony Dalmyn
Mr. Jardine is often mentioned in connection with Ian Rankin as part of current Scottish crime fiction. He can't help that, and that isn't courting comparison. Nor would I say that writing police procedurals (more his Bob Skinner series than his Blackstone) set in Edinburgh is courting comparison. But his publisher or publicist makes sure this quote shows up as it does at Amazon and elsewhere on the Internet: Glasgow Herald: "If Ian Rankin is the Robert Carlyle of Scottish crime writing, then Jardine is surely its Sean Connery." I don't recall if that was printed on the dust jacket. I assume these people work for Mr. Jardine. It doesn't hurt to be associated with Mr. Rankin when it comes to publicity.
I didn't like the book. It should appeal more to an established readership (fan base) with some loyalty to the characters as established in other books. The idea of a narcisstic actor - almost as caddish as Flashman - solving crimes in the entertainment world isn't bad. But the product was sloppy. I mentioned several good reasons for not liking it. I didn't think a longer review was called for.
I'm comforted to read that Mr. Jardine has a loyal readership and takes comfort in their fan letters. It seems to take less than a crowbar to make a dent in his skin.
8 - Quintin Jardine
"But his publisher or publicist makes sure this quote shows up as it does at Amazon and elsewhere on the Internet: Glasgow Herald: "If Ian Rankin is the Robert Carlyle of Scottish crime writing, then Jardine is surely its Sean Connery." I don't recall if that was printed on the dust jacket. I assume these people work for Mr. Jardine. It doesn't hurt to be associated with Mr. Rankin when it comes to publicity."
I had a feeling that I would flush out that quote when I started this running. Tony, if you think that my publisher's design and marketing people work for me, then you know very little about the mechanics of Uk mass market publishing. I don't control or seek to control what goes on covers. Sure, some quotes I like more than others. For example, " 'A tour de force'-- New York Times. " ranks among my favourites.
The Herald quote was a purely physical comparison, likening Ian Rankin to one Scottish actor and me to another. It was the intro to a review of one of my Edinburgh Book Festival appearances, and we all had a laugh about it. In fact the Connery thing comes up in my gigs quite often and I brush it off, because as much as I admire Sir Sean, he's 15 years older than me. (Coincidentally, I'm fifteen years older than Ian.)
You seem construe that as me seeking to ride on Ian's coat-tails, and that's the basis of my objection to your comments. I truly don't care whether you liked Poisoned Cherries or not; we do our best at the time, but sure, that's your right. I don't even mind you posting your views on an obscure internet site. (Do they have an audience anywhere else? I ask this sincerely, as I live a sheltered life.)
Truth be told, Poisoned Cherries is not my favourite Jardine book either, although when I created it I had fun writing in a couple of names whose owners bid quite a lot of money at a charity auction for that doubtful privilege.
All that said, I do care, a lot, about gratuitous remarks that reflect upon my character and integrity. That's not being thin-skinned, that's all part of my aggressive Scottish nature, and I'm not about to curb it.
Finally, be comforted by whatever you like, but please, do your critical credibility a favour and think, before you take any more cheap shots at me, Carl Hiaasen or anyone else.
So long.
9 - Quintin Jardine
PS
One last question, Tony, which may interest other players. How did you know about the crowbar reference since that was edited out of my first post?
10 - Tony Dalmyn
That's a good explanation of where the quote came from - but your publisher compares you to Mr. Rankin to sell your books. It's there, it's clear, it's not accurate. I didn't want to call your character into question beyond calling attention to the puffery involved in using Rankin's name in your publicity in that way.
You wrote with some authority, and it was witty, engaging - you know your craft. That gets you - and it did - some credit in my review. Having said that, I gave you a bad review.
I knew about your remark about battering my door with a crow bar because the comment notification system in Movable Type created an instant email message that forwarded your comment before it was edited.
I didn't take it as a threat, by the way.
11 - DrPat
Reviews are, by their nature, opinions. It's obvious that your opinion differs from Tony's, Mr. Jardine. But you're not the only author participating on this site, nor is Tony the only reviewer.
Some reviews appear only on Blogcritics, but the vast majority appear in other places as well. You can console yourself with a belief that this is "an obscure internet site." But you should be aware that reviews from this site are regularly posted on Advance.net, which feeds them to a 34-newspaper network.
It sounds to me like Tony made an assumption based on published PR for your novel, and used it in a single phrase of his review -- which, frankly, you are now spinning into a big deal nearly a year later. If the reference disturbs you, but you've not had it removed from the PR materials, there is little point in objecting to it on our "obscure internet site."
12 - Quintin Jardine
Okay guys. I've made my point and honour is satisfied. As a rule I don't do forums, but I'll be happy to have feedback from any of you on my own obscure site. Good luck with yours.
13 - Tony Dalmyn
The Scots have gone back above the border. The sheep may safely rest.
14 - G Brown
Tony - I'm not going to get into the discussion between Quintin and yourself, you've both made your positions quite clear; however I do take offence at the racial sterotype used in your last comment which does you no credit what-so-ever.
15 - Tony Dalmyn
Oh for heaven's sake. Jardine plays the uncivilized Hibernian: "That's not being thin-skinned, that's all part of my aggressive Scottish nature, and I'm not about to curb it" as his excuse for bombast and rhetorical threats. Since when do Scots all have an aggressive nature? Write to Jardine and tell him to stop stereotyping his fellow Scots.
16 - G Brown
Tony - resorting to immature insults is pretty pathetic, I could resort to rude comments about Canada but I won't; as a fellow Scotsman I found your sheep comments rude and irrelevant to the previous posts!