Quintin Jardine's blog

Remember what Maggie Thatcher said about ‘the oxygen of publicity’? No, maybe you don’t. I appreciate your observation, but I always have done it my way. Wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.

Skinner 21 should be published in the UK next June. The Aussie release date will probably be different, but it’ll be available from the start through Campbell Read Books.

I’m amazed and impressed. After ** years someone has come up with a new way of spelling my name. ‘Quintan’. Sounds like a sun product. I may market it; thanks.

Sorry about the yellow card. I did something similar once, about ** years ago. The book involved was Day of  the Jackal, a pre-publication copy. Awesome.

Keep your eye on Cheeky; she’ll be back, I’m sure. The boy Sauce may come to regret opening his door.

I’m not entirely certain what you mean, Brian. How many massage parlours would you like?

An update from Amazon. Its Kindle UK store is now up and running. This means that British customers can now access this format directly, without going through the US. All the QJ titles are available there, apart from A Rush of Blood, which will be released on Kindle soon.

In addition, there are a couple of titles you won’t find anywhere else, or in any other format. They couldn’t be further removed from what I normally do. One’s called ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow‘; it’s a fantasy set in another time and another place, drawn from the world of politics that I used to inhabit. The other is very short . . . and consequently very cheap! It’s the only non-fiction work I’ve ever  written, an account of the scariest day of my life, and it’s called ‘A True Crime Story‘, because that’s what it is.

Finally, and very important: you don’t have to buy one of Amazon’s Kindle readers to access these works. There is free software available on its site that will allow you to download Kindle books directly to your PC, lap-top, Mac, iPad, iPhone, you name it, and read them there.

I flew into Edinburgh Airport last Thursday, into the middle of a controversy. If you’re from that city, you’ll know this already, but if not, the owners of the terminal have incensed most of its users by announcing that it plans to charge every driver £1, just to drop off friends and family. I had a long conversation with a Scotsman journalist last week, in which I tried to nail down a single overwhelming reason why this is an intolerable proposal. I couldn’t; some things are just too outrageous for logical criticism and this is one of them. There is nothing to justify it. If there was decent public transport to the place, maybe, but there isn’t. Even if there were, it would be impractical for those travellers who don’t live in the city, and that’s actually a hell of a lot of us.

I wound up saying two things to the Scotsman reporter. The first was that if a client had come to me in my PR days with such a plan, I’d have told him that I was not in the business of defending the indefensible, and that he’d better find himself a new advisor if he planned to proceed. The second was that it’s a huge irony that Edinburgh Airport’s ultimate owner is a Spanish company called Ferrovia. If an airport operator tried to introduced such a charge in Cataluna, they’d be blown away, and these people know that. But it’s fine for them to fleece us Scots. Eff you, Ferrovia, and the plane you flew in on.

Here’s a little story to back up my outrage. A few years ago, the town council in L’Escala, where we live, decided that all the boat-owners who wanted to park in the town’s marina, one of the most expensive in Spain, would have to pay for that too. However they forgot one thing. The town’s commercial fisherman, small and medium sized, all work out of the same place. A hut was built, a barrier was put in place and a man was hired to take the money. On the first morning, the fishermen arrived. They took their tickets and said nothing, but gathered together and a meeting was held. When it was over, they walked back up to the hut, broke the barrier and threw it in the sea. It was never replaced. I’d love to think that Edinburgh’s travellers might take similar direct action. But we won’t. Let’s face it; in our city corporate stupidity is an art form, and in its face we are all law-abiding sheep.

Jesus Christ, Jim. There can be no nit left unpicked in your house if that’s the level you’re at. You have too much time on your hands, man.

That’s a perfectly reasonable question. What does happen to the money that criminals stash out of sight of the authorities? In the case of Jewish assets lodged in Switzerland by the Nazis, its banks managed to hang on to them, tenaciously, for sixty years after the fall of Hitler. If nobody comes looking, I guess that cash might stay were it is forever, or until an enlightened government decides to confiscate assets that have lain dormant for a certain period.

Walking the streets of Edinburgh is just about all anyone can do these days. With tram works, gas mains and frequent redirections of traffic, every other means of transport has become a complete shambles.

Favourite character? It has to be Bob, natch, but just lately I’ve been warming to a guy called Xavi. You’ll hear a lot more of him next year.

I wasn’t planning that Margie, until right now. But, on the basis that when you’re me, all things are possible . . . I may well change the name of that hotel, but not for the reason you suggest.

Yes, John, I know. My pal lives straight across the road. But since it is so lavish that it is something of a joke locally, it seemed  quite reasonable (and still does) to extend that by borrowing it for the stated purpose, in a work of fiction. When the French translation appears, I’ll change it to the George V, or something similar, but until then, let the ex-pats have a chuckle.

I’m working on the third in the series right now. And yes, I am.

The first time I went to Canada, I was told that I’d never meet a Canadian. I’d meet lots of people with Canadian passports, but they’d all say they were Irish, Welsh, Ukrainians, etc, but not Canadian. The person who told me that was Ukranian, by the way. From your email address I see that you’re a Scot. You may be a new immigrant, you may be umpteenth generation, I don’t know. But I do know that what you are suggesting is of no importance to those of us who actually live in Scotland today. It is also, with respect, utter bollocks. (See the following link http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/misc/macvsmc.html)

BUT . . . I thank you for your Scottishness, for flying the Saltire so proudly, even if only figuratively, for your sheer enthusiasm, and for your interest.

You’re dead right; I am asked that question often. And the answer is ‘Yes’.

Lethal Intent touches down there, and so does Screen Savers, but it isn’t the location of either.

Thanks for that. I’m glad you agree with me, but I don’t see a vacancy arising for another year or so, although a defeat in an early Euro 2012 qualifier and Don Fabio might be on his bike.

Watched Spain beat Germany last night. Thank God for Paul the psychic octopus correctly tipping the winner, yet again. Spain played them off the park, but until Puyol scored, I didn’t think they ever would. Pobolski just didn’t turn up, and Schweinsteiger spent all night chasing, rather than being chased. So Klose, the danger man, rarely saw the ball. As Low, the German coach, said after the match, Germany couldn’t keep up with them. We watched the game in a favourite place called L’Esculapi.    http://www.esculapi.com/ When it was over, I told the owner that I don’t expect to see Amanida de Pop (octopus salad) on the menu any time soon.