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Rose McQuinn Books In Order

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Publication Order of Rose McQuinn Books

The Inspector's Daughter (2000)Description / Buy at Amazon
Dangerous Pursuits (2003)Description / Buy at Amazon
An Orkney Murder (2003)Description / Buy at Amazon
Ghost Walk (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon
Destroying Angel (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon
Quest for a Killer (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
Deadly Legacy (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Balmoral Incident (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon
Murder Lies Waiting (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon

Western is a genre that simply refuses to die. It stormed through its golden years many decades ago, it was on the verge of extinction, and then resurrected with more or less success. Today it is hanging on a thread between the earth and the sky, in other words, it simply exists. On the other hand, crime fiction is strong as ever, and it seems that this genre will never fall into crisis, at least when the circulation is concerned. There is something deeply symbolic, hence, in the opening chapters of Rose McQuinn series as, the main character returns from the Wild West to her native Scotland in order to solve mystery cases. Alanna Knight shows us much more in her Rose McQuinn series. Knight is one of the most acclaimed crime fiction writers out there. She is after all “a Master of Crime” according to “The Times”. How does that play out in the case of Rose McQuinn? Pretty good it appears.

Rose Mcquinn is a character whose story started in 2000 with the novel “The Inspector’s Daughter”, which means that her career lasts more than a decade. She appeared in eight novels and the interest in Rose’s cases does not seem to fade. It is not a surprise, as there is something peculiarly appealing while reading about a doughty woman solving crimes in the outskirts of Scotland in a deeply conservative society. Miss Marple showed this in her cases, but what makes Rose McQuinn even more interesting is the fact that her career takes place at the end of the 19th century- the time when women were still considered to be “the angels of the house”, quiet and invisible. Rose McQuinn does not blend in the picture and there lies the catch of her popularity. That and the gripping storylines.

The very first of those storylines, as it was previously mentioned, is called “The Inspector’s Daughter”. This novel presents us with the outlines of Roses’s life- she lived in the Wild West and was a wife of Danny McQuinnn, a dedicated private investigator associated with Pinkerton’s agency. Pinkerton was a household name even in the time of the setting of this saga, and it was a big deal for a detective to work there. Alas, Danny goes missing and even larger tragedy falls upon Rose as she loses her baby. There is no other logical solution for Rose than to return to her native Scotland, Edinburgh, more precisely, and try to start a new life. She is welcomed by her father, a character who will most certainly be recognized by Knight’s fans- Inspector Faro. Faro has a status of a legend in his country and gives his best to try to make life easier for his widowed daughter. Rose expects to find her stepbrother, but he has moved to London long ago in a search for a job. This is the first moment when Rose notices that things have changed in her absence. Edinburgh has changed and is not the same city she left ten years ago. That can be testified by Alice, Roses’ best friend, who implores Rose to investigate the strange behavior of her husband Matthew Bolton. Alice suspects that her husband is cheating on her, however, Rose gets another impression. If she is right, Matthew is in a much bigger trouble than expected, and poor Alice is going to be devastated.

“Dangerous Pursuit” is the second installment of the series published in 2002. This time, Rose herself is dragged into the center of the murderous circle. On her casual stroll on Arthur’s Seat, Rose’s very own Fortress of Solitude, protagonist of the novel stumbles upon a body of a woman in the old chapel. She immediately rushes to seek for some help, and meets a constable on a way, whom she informs about a corpse. After a while, Rose comes back to the crime scene, but she is in for a surprise- neither the body or the constable are around. Townspeople frown upon Rose, implying that she deluded herself into believing there was any corpse at all. Unfortunately, this applies for Detective Jack Macmerry, Rose’s lover, as well. Indeed, facts speak against Rose. There is no blood and there are no records on missing woman. This does not discourage the bold heroine, as she conducts her own investigation, in order to prove her sanity, and find out the truth. On her way to solve the mystery she will face various obstacles, including an acting troupe, which is crucial to the plot. Rose’s life will be endangered, but the apple does not fall far from the tree- her father, famous Inspector Faro, did not wince in the face of danger and nor will Rose. Is this case going to be too much for Mcquinn? The question remains.

The Rose Mcquinn series has swept away the readers since the very beginning. “The Inspector’s Daughter” was selected as one of the best crime novels in 2001 by The Times. A strong presence of Robert Louis Stevenson can be felt throughout the novels of the series. This should not come as a surprise as Knight is a great fan of the renowned Scottish writer and a great expert in his life and work. When a reader plunges into the mindset of a strong-willed, stubborn Rose McQuinn, he can not help himself but think of Sarah Brandt, another woman detective who lives in times far more modern than Rose, but still faces the same problems. Crime fiction usually brings an underlying motive to its plot. It is usually satirical social criticism on the greed and corruption, especially among powerful people, but sometimes, like in the case of Rose McQuinn, it is more subtle. Rose’s struggles are familiar and when you take away the murders and corpses, you get a bright lady who often has a solution to each problem, but is often ignored and has to fight fiercely to prove her opinions and hypotheses. In addition, she is shaded by the presence of a man in her life and has a hard time being taken seriously. Rose McQuinn series is no Tolstoy, to be sure, but when you add up all these elements that form it, it can be rewarding after all.

Book Series In Order » Characters » Rose McQuinn

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