In my opinion, this element of the story was handled very poorly and I may be the first time in my life I was longing for the author to just give us an info dump instead of another storyline. In order to tell us this parallel story, the author uses a confusing mesh of chapter and "parts" to tell us of Paddy's conviction as well as his backstory. Paddy Meehan was also the name of the name of a famous low level crook who was framed for a crime that he did not commit. The author clearly makes an attempt to make multiple parallels to another person with same name as our protagonist. The story is set in 1981 and does an excellent job of conveying the sensibilities of a conservative family at this time and the prejudices and assumptions of Paddy's society. This is entertaining as it is at the same time a coming of age story for Paddy. The investigation is at times a series of blunders as an inexperienced character feels her way through clues, suppositions and gut feelings. Set against the background of these wonderful characters is a main plot that is quite engaging. In terms of characterization alone, Paddy is one of the best characters I have read in many years.
I was drawn into Paddy's life and despite the issues with the story formatting, I was reading to see what choices Paddy would make and how her issues would resolve. It is the characters that make the novel.
Even the secondary characters are drawn with care and developed beyond the average crime novel. Her character and her flaws are enjoyable, interesting and compelling.
Paddy Meehan is so delicately crafted that she would not be out of place in a Tana French novel. As the mystery unfolds, she learns about family, herself and what it means to be an adult. This leads her to question their guilt and follow the leads down some dangerous paths. When Paddy learns of the identity of the boys, he life is thrown into disarray as one of the children is related to her fiancée. The city is buzzing after a three year boy is brutally murdered and two preteen boys are arrested for the crime. She is not content to work a low level position at the paper and fancies a future as a journalist. These elements of her life conflict on a regular basis. She comes from a conservative Catholic family, has a fiancée, career aspirations, image issues and a healthy temper. Patricia "Paddy" Meehan is a 20/21 year old "copyboy" at her local Glasgow newspaper. This had the potential to be a 5 star read but was ultimately weighed down by these issues. Unfortunately, questionable story formatting and unnecessary side stories lead to confusion and frustration in the first half of the book. It is a great story with an incredibly engaging protagonist.
This novel is an exercise is what could have been. An Excellent Character novel with Format Issues 3.5 Stars
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