I have read a number of Val McDermid’s books in the past but
this was the first with Chief Inspector Karen Pirie I have read. I should say
here that this is the fourth book in the series and I would have rooted out the
first 3 but I am taking part in a ‘read the alphabet’ challenge and this fitted
a book which started with ‘O’ so I read it.
Brief plot:
Karen works in the unsolved crimes division of police
Scotland and new evidence has turned up for an unsolved crime but it is not
going to be that straight forward….
Also another recent crime as triggered a memory in Karen
about a crime 22 years ago no-one was ever brought to justice for but to
resolve this one she will need to tread on toes and it will really upset her
boss….
What I thought of it:
In some respects I do regret not reading the first 3 novels
as I feel I have missed the back story of the main character but this is
covered in some respects in this novel.
The unsolved crimes unit well if you think of the BBC series
‘new tricks’ you would not be far off the work they do. However, one thing
readers need to understand is that there are some differences between the law
in Scotland and the law in England and Wales. As this novel mainly takes part
in Scotland it is Scots law that is applied in most areas (except for the bits
which take place south of the boarder).
As with most Val McDermid novels she has been able to
combine plots and subplots with a mastery which I feel is second to no other living
crime writer I have read. Her ability to at time build the tension then throw
you off the scent works exceptionally well. The layers of complexity of the
story are built up layer by layer as well as what appears to be insignificant
subplots to combine well to the conclusion of the novel. The novel is well
written and there are enough red herrings and twists in the plot to keep you engaged and guessing as
to who has done it. There is also the occasional use of regional dialect words
which adds to the setting of the novel.
The setting is mainly in Edinburgh where I visited for the
first time last year and this gave me more of an appreciation of the
descriptions McDermid has used as well as the geography of the parts of the
city I saw. The fact that McDermid uses the nice and the not so nice parts of
the city works well. As does the resentment of some characters have to the
change from the 8 regional constabularies to just one force of Police Scotland.
The main character of Karen Pirie is shown as highly
capable, not someone to back down easily but with an underlying vulnerability
which does make the reader warm to her (for me her fondness for gin was almost
enough). She has one colleague in the unsolved crimes unit who compares well to
Captain Hastings (the Poirot novels). Not that bright but will, at times, have
a revelation or just say an off the cuff remark that makes things fall into
place. Karen has, as all detectives have, a network of experts she can call on
to help her clear up certain things which helps to add some reality to the
novel. Whilst her boss clearly does not like her and would like to demote her
he cannot argue with the fact that she gets results.
One thing which did grate on me slightly was that McDermid
made a mistake in her description of what is used to make the mixture known as Thermite. Now this could have been simply to prevent anyone using what was
written in the book to recreate the mix but as a chemistry teacher of 20 years
experience it did stick out like a sore thumb to me.
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