Denise Mina is on the leading edge (along with Ian Rankin) of the wave of Scottish crime novelists known as "Tartan Noir." Rankin hails from Edinburgh. Mina is from Glasgow. This is not a unified movement. They are
quite different writers.In her latest effort, "The End of the Wasp Season," she depicts a scenario where the financial collapse has destroyed a family and sent lethal ripples out into the world. In this interview the author reveals how she has tried to write a different sort of crime novel here, one where the plot is not character driven. The lead character, the heavily pregnant detective Alex Morrow, becomes just another player in the story which unfolds here.
The book opens in classic style with a gruesome murder. As you delve into this mystery you will hopefully savor Mina's choice for the title. As autumn approaches the wasps seek shelter and there's one last ominous buzzing frenzy as the insects do go just a wee bit mad.
