In her search for the truth, Karen uncovers a network of lies that has gone unchallenged for years. She is perhaps best known for her Wire in the Blood series, featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, which was adapted for television starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris. Her most recent TV series Traces aired in a BBC1 primetime slot in January of this year (2021), and a second series is currently in production, as is ITV’s adaptation of Karen Pirie, based on Val’s cold case detective of the same name. Raith Rovers ladies' first match since breakaway". BBC News. 6 February 2022 . Retrieved 28 June 2022. I find it fascinating that Karen Pirie has a reputation for being crazy. She is strong, intelligent, and determined, and far from crazy. She has gone through some horrible traumas, but despite them, she is even more grounded. She has little drama in her life, and even her romantic life is straightforward.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Val McDermid, and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid is a popular Scottish author who was born on June 04, 1955 in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom. She is particularly famous for writing all her novels in the Mystery, crime and Thriller genres.But Karen is already grappling with another case, one with even more questions and fewer answers. A skeleton has been discovered in an abandoned campervan and all clues point to a killer who never faced justice - a killer who is still out there. McDermid, Val (5 April 2016). "Scotland is now a place where you can be glad to be gay". The Guardian. The book opens with a body being pulled from the sea by a local fisherman. The dead man is identified as the chief suspect in the disappearance of his brother, a high-ranking Scottish civil servant, a decade ago. Pirie was the last detective to review the file, some two years ago. However, she’s already been called in to investigate another seemingly ‘cold-case’ – a skeleton discovered in an abandoned camper van. McDermid was a lifelong fan of Raith Rovers football club, her father having worked as a scout for the club. [11] [13] [14] In 2010, she sponsored the McDermid Stand at Stark's Park, the club's ground in Kirkcaldy, in honour of her father. [14]

Macdonald, Stuart (25 October 2016). "Author Val McDermid gets married to long-term partner Jo Sharp". Daily Record. The police work is necessarily plodding as Karen and her team must dig for information and sush out clues to take the cases forward but I enjoyed the pace at which everything is revealed. The teamwork between these officers is excellent and I enjoyed the way the author brings Karen's personal life and theirs into the story without being too heavy handed about it. There's enough action and suspense to keep the reader riveted till the exciting conclusion!This book delves into two mysteries. Clues and witnesses have Karen traveling to Paris and Ireland. One case involves a dead body found in a van in a woman’s garage. The other is the murder of a man whose brother went missing 10 years ago. The cases are not connected, but both are easy to follow and are equally interesting. Val McDermid: 'Even on a romantic holiday my thoughts turn to murrrder' ". the Guardian. 19 August 2017 . Retrieved 16 April 2022.

McDermid knows how to tell a story, how to take all the different threads and weave them into one glorious picture that never could be imagined from the outset.The previous books in the series were mainly supported by the main character, Karen Pirie, a grieving widow using her work to get past the hurt of losing her partner. But she has changed in such a way that it is very difficult to feel any sympathy for her anymore. In this sixth book in the Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie series, the police investigate two cold cases. The book works fine as a standalone. Some aspects of the story stretch credulity a bit, but I enjoyed this compelling police procedural. a b Coreena Ford (29 December 2012). "Author Val McDermid assaulted at Sunderland book signing". Journal Live . Retrieved 11 January 2012. Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Val McDermid), and the publisher (Atlantic Monthly Press) for a copy of the book.