Resolution

In the conclusion of Mina's Garnethill trilogy, Maureen is forced to confront several of her demons at the same time. The trial of the man who gruesomely killed her lover in her apartment is about to start and she has to testify at it, the father who abused her as a child is back in town, and her sister is about to have a baby, frightening her about what her father might do to the baby. Then, because of a good deed she does for a strange old woman who also works in the down-at-the-heels market where Maureen and her friend Leslie are selling illegal cigarettes, she uncovers what is really going on at a brothel. Fortunately for Maureen, because a lot of creepy things are happening, her friendship with Leslie has been repaired, she has her show more new friend Kilty, and her brother Liam still is her only connection to her family, although her newly sober mother keeps calling her.

As with the earlier novels in this trilogy, the strengths of this one are the characters, the portrayal of the underside of Glasgow, and the pacing. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading although, especially at the end, some of it strained my credulity, including the impact of various plot developments on Maureen. But I will read more Mina. show less

Resolution is the final book in Denise Mina’s Garnethill trilogy and, although it makes for a powerful and disturbing standalone novel, it has an even greater impact if the three books are read in the order in which they were released. Sadly, as Resolution opens, not much has changed for Maureen O’Donnell and her friends. Everyday life in Glasgow can be tough enough, but Maureen, still recovering from the murder of Douglas Brady, her former lover, seems to be having way more bad days than good ones.

Never comfortable with the idea that Douglas left her a substantial amount of money when he died, Maureen blew through all of it before she realized that she would be taxed on her windfall. Now she owes more in back taxes than she makes show more in a year selling bootleg cigarettes in her little stall at Paddy’s Market. The trial of her lover’s killer is fast approaching, and Maureen feels certain that the man is somehow behind the mysterious packages that have started to appear at her door. And, just when she thinks things cannot possibly get worse, Maureen learns that the man who abused her when she was a child, her own father, is back in Glasgow – living with her sister and newborn niece. Maureen’s drinking is worse than ever, so bad that her friends are worrying about her blackouts and the mysterious bruises on her face that come and go (the source of those bruises is finally revealed at the very end of the book).

To say the least, Maureen needs a distraction if she is to save herself. She finds one in the person of an old woman she knows from Paddy’s Market. Sensing that the old woman is being physically and mentally abused by her gangster son, Maureen and her two friends decide to help the woman. After the older woman ends up in the hospital with broken bones, the trio of wannabe do-gooders stumble onto a complicated scheme involving forced prostitution and political collusion that they are determined to expose. Maureen, already feeling threatened by the potential release of Douglas’s killer, has now doubled the number of men who wish her dead.

Denise Mena’s downtown Glasgow is not a pretty place because Mena pulls no punches in portraying life there for those at the bottom of Glasgow’s economic and social ladders. It is a bleak setting filled with people the reader would not willingly choose to associate with in the real world. Even Maureen is someone most would avoid if they encountered her on a downtown street. Aggressive, down-and-out alcoholics with chips on their shoulders are simply best avoided. Mina’s talent is to make her readers care about people like Maureen, care enough about them to want to understand and accept them for what they are.

Denise Mina is a gem.

Rated at: 4.0 show less

In this third part of the Maureen O'Donnell trilogy, Maureen is dealing with having to testify against her boyfriend's murderer (see part one of the trilogy, Garnethill), a murder which leads to a prostitution ring, as well as her abusive father's return to Glasgow. As in the other parts of the trilogy, we are treated some crazy family issues and to a lot of binge drinking. I have enjoyed reading these stories, but I still cannot emphasize with Maureen - she tells the story well, however, and Mina's descriptions of time and place are as impeccable as ever, so I enjoyed this resolution to the bleak tale of life in Maureen O'Donnell's Glasgow, even though the ending is a little too fairy-tale for my taste and, considering what has gone show more before, somewhat unlikely, almost as if Mina wanted to make it up to Maureen for all the terrible things she has been put through. show less

Third in the [Garnethill] trilogy, a mystery that takes place in Glasgow. First of all, it was the characters themselves who kept me reading, flawed, courageous (sometimes accidentally so), loving, angry, violent, realistic and, ultimately, inspiring. Secondly, I know very little about Scotland and it was fun learning so much. Every time I picked up one of these books I found myself looking up a meaning for something, from architecture to food to pubs to politics and law. I am still amazed at the differences in the English language used in different countries, although really I don't know why because the English used in different states in the U.S. is often very different. However, for that I don't usually have to run to the show more dictionary.

There were a zillion twists and turns in this book and trilogy and I never knew what was going to happen. The stories play out on multiple levels. Highly recommended.

Five stars. show less

Immensely satisfying conclusion to a unique crime trilogy; for those of us who are not Scots but feel a connection to the place, these books limn out the mindset of the working Glaswegian with grit, compassion, and great humor. Maureen O'Donnell and her crew are wonderful characters to know.

Spoiler(?):
The most shocking twist was the happy ending.

Favorite lines:
"His chin was so weak it looked as if he was recoiling from the world in disgust."

"The soft breeze caressed her face, brushing her hair back like a kind mother..."

"'Oh, for fuck's sake, Leslie,' snapped Maureen, 'being humiliated doesn't mean you've done anything special, it just means you got out of bed. Life's humiliating.'"

Well-written. Dark. Marginalized people struggling. Lots of smoking.