Denise Mina
(born 1966 -) East Kilbride
Denise Mina was born in the new town of East Kilbride, just outside Glasgow. Her father was an engineer who rode the boom time in North Sea Oil exploration. The family moved twenty-one times in eighteen years to areas all round Europe, including London, Paris and The Hague.
Mina left school at sixteen and worked in a variety of low-paid jobs that included: meat factory worker, barmaid, kitchen porter and cook. She eventually settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty-one she passed exams and entered Glasgow University, where she studied Law. Following this she took on research for a PhD thesis in 'The Ascription of Mental Illness to Female Offenders', at Strathclyde University. She then taught Criminology and Criminal Law part-time.
Instead of studying, she wrote what would be her first novel, Garnethill - obviously not time wasted. Garnethill, which was published in 1998, won the Crime Writer's Association John Creasy Dagger for the Best First Crime Novel in that year.
Mina writes in what is popularly known as the Tartan Noir style and her writing includes work on the comic, Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy, which is to be published as a graphic novel by Vertigo. She has also written her own graphic novel, A Sickness in the Family, about spree killing and property prices, to be published by DC Comics.
She also writes short stories for collections and stories for BBC Radio 4. She wrote her first play, 'Ida Tamson', which was performed at Oran Mor as part of the 'A Play, a Pie and a Pint' series, starring Elaine C. Smith.
To Mina's great surprise, enquiries were made by none other than Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's production company, who were interested in optioning the film rights to her fourth novel, Sanctum. At the time, however, the rights were held by the BBC.
Her novels have been translated into over thirty languages. Denise Mina's most recent book, The Dead Hour, was published by Bantam in 2006.
- The Dead Hour
Paddy Meehan, Glasgow's aspiring journalist, is back on the beat, trawling the streets of Glasgow for a story - something to prove she can write. And then she meets the woman with the poodle perm at the door of a wealthy suburb in the north of the city - blood dripping from her chin. - Empathy Is The Enemy
When John Constantine tries to help out a man cursed with the ability to feel the same things as everyone around him, no matter how awful, he is led on a journey to a remote Scottish island, where an ancient power waits for him - as does a vengeful fellow magician. - Exile
Travelling down from Glasgow to London to investigate the murder of one of the former patients at the Glasgow Women's Shelter, Maureen O'Donnell quickly finds herself out of her depth and in danger of suffering a similar fate. - The Field Of Blood
In Glasgow, a toddler goes missing, snatched from the front garden of his home. But while the city braces itself for the discovery of a lone sexual predator, the police are led to the doors of two 11-year-old boys. - Garnethill
Mental breakdown survivor Maureen is about to end her affair with a married man when she discovers his body in her living room, his throat slit. Suspected of murder, Maureen must act fast - before the real killer comes after her. - The Red Right Hand
John Constantine's trip to Scotland has ended in disaster, as Steve Evans' well-intentioned Empathy Engine has caused mass suicides and the quarantine of Glasgow. Now John, Evans, Angie, Chas and a motley crew of survivors must seek the cause of the horror, while desperately trying to stave off its terrible effects. - Resolution
Mental breakdown survivor Maureen is facing the darkest episode of her life. Her abuser has returned to Glasgow, her friend Ella has died in hospital after a brutal beating and Maureen's life is under threat at a time when she has very few protectors. - Sanctum
Lachlan Harriot is in a state of shock. His wife Susie has been convicted of the murder of serial killer Andrew Gow, a prisoner in her care. But as he goes through the documents in her study to clear her name, his search for the truth soon raises more questions than answers.
Bibliography
- Garnethill - 1999
- Exile - 2000
- Resolution - 2001
- Sanctum - 2002
- The Field of Blood - 2005
- The Dead Hour - 2006
- Empathy is the Enemy (Graphic Novel) - 2006
- The Red Right Hand (Graphic Novel) - 2007