The Bone Yard

Mr. Johnston's series takes place just a bit in the future, in Edinburgh. And the future he envisions here is not all that bright. But it is darn interesting. The protaganist is a free lance detective who works for a system that he doesn't believe in, and that doesn't like him. But they do need him. Quint is an outsider, even though his parents were behind the new government. In this book, bodies are found with tapes stuck inside them. And since most music is outlawed.... well only an outlaw, or in this case outsider would recognize the music.This gives Quint an edge in investigating the crimes. The story is well thought out, and the futuristic world portrayed in the books seems real. And the mystery writing is solid. Quint is a detective from the same school as Rebus, Amos Walker,and Harry Bosch. A bit of a smart [alec], cynical, self doubting. But also, very good at what he does. This is a very entertaining read and well worth your time.Jon

The Bone Yard is the second book in this series from Paul Johnston. The first was titled The Body Politic. The series is set in Edinburgh, Scotland. In the 2020's. The general run down is, the world has gone to hell, and the city has closed itself off. The allow tourism, which is the source of income. The city is ruled by a group of people known as The Council. There is also a police group known as The Guardsmen. Our hero, Quintilian Dalrymple, is a former guardsman who now operates as a detective for hire. Quint is approached by a citizen who is being followed/stalked, and Quint doesn't think much of it. He promises to look into it just to make the guy happy. Of course mysteries being what they are, the guy turns up dead. And it's then that the story kicks in. The council brings him in to find the killer. He asks for and is given the assistance of a guardsman named Davie who is also a freind of Quint's. Together they investigate the murder, which turns into murders. Along the way there are illegal drugs, strange deaths, and people hiding the truth. The book is a great read. Social commentary mixed in by way of Quint's outlook on the future city, and who runs it. The story is tight and the investigative work believable. Quint is a hardboiled detective typical of this fiction and fun because of it. The book wraps everything up in a wonderful ending that left me wanting more. Which I will soon have, as I have ordered everything available by this author.Jon Jordan

The independent city-state of Edinburgh trained a new group of guardians who run a much tighter ship. The locals dub them the "iron boy scouts" for their zeal to supervise everyone's activities. The city has some economic troubles caused by troubles in other parts of the world such as a nasty flu epidemic in Asia and the Russian Mafia tossing warheads into the Middle East.On January 1, 2022, detective Quintilian Dalyrmple visits a potential client Roddie Aitken, but finds Roddie's sexually mutilated corpse with a cassette tape of Clapton playing the Blues inside the corpse. Other brutal murders follow with their own tapes. Quint and his partner investigate the killings, not yet realizing the peril they will soon face as they close in on THE BONE YARD.The sequel to the award winning BODY POLITIC, THE BONE YARD is an entertaining futuristic science fiction tale. The story line centers on Quint and Davie's inquiries into the vicious killings in the midst of 2021 Edinburgh. The background is fully developed so that the city-state has a real feel to it with references to twentieth century music adding to the luster. The who-done-it will please readers of future mysteries, as the prime plot is clearly fun to follow. However, the charcaters, even Quint, seem flat as ice so that anyone who failed to read the first book never fully becomes attached to anyone. Still Paul Johnston provides a luscious landscape that brings his audience into a different society that makes for a pleasant visit solving a series of brutal homicides.