Scan barcode
3catsinatrenchcoat's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lisaarnsdorf's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this Karen Pirie story! I’m pretty WWII’d out, but this angle was different and interesting. I was fascinated by Karen’s involvement in a domestic violence incident, and I loved meeting Hamish. And Jason is just so adorable. McDermid makes the long slog off sorting through paperwork and asking the same question endlessly of different people interesting, and that is an amazing skill! I just wish the ending hadn’t been wrapped up quite so quickly.
hollyxbeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
thechemicaldetective's review
5.0
Is there a word for that delicious feeling when, after putting off finishing a captivating book, you discover that the same author has already written many more? Vielmehrbuchfreude?
After hearing Val McDermid conducting slick interviews at Theakstons’ Festival of Crime, then talking eloquently about her own books before headlining a rock band, I purchased “Broken Ground” and made a glorious discovery.
Two motorcycles and a body preserved in Highland peat pose a challenge for the cold case squad led by Karen Pirie. The dual timelines and interlocking stories are skilfully plotted, but what makes this such an easy read (in a good way) are the characters: Dog Biscuit, the Macaroon, the ginger ninja Mint, River, Ruari, Dandy and Willow, Joey and Shirley and the gorgeous Hamish Mackenzie, the kilted hipster sex bomb. All mouth and no trousers? Or something more dangerous? No spoilers here.
Police procedural at its finest. And a full back catalogue to look forward to!
After hearing Val McDermid conducting slick interviews at Theakstons’ Festival of Crime, then talking eloquently about her own books before headlining a rock band, I purchased “Broken Ground” and made a glorious discovery.
Two motorcycles and a body preserved in Highland peat pose a challenge for the cold case squad led by Karen Pirie. The dual timelines and interlocking stories are skilfully plotted, but what makes this such an easy read (in a good way) are the characters: Dog Biscuit, the Macaroon, the ginger ninja Mint, River, Ruari, Dandy and Willow, Joey and Shirley and the gorgeous Hamish Mackenzie, the kilted hipster sex bomb. All mouth and no trousers? Or something more dangerous? No spoilers here.
Police procedural at its finest. And a full back catalogue to look forward to!
rhihill's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
antiopelle's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely love Pirie and I’ve devoured all previous installments. Although some of the storylines seemed far fetched I still enjoyed it until the last pages. What felt like 25% of the book was crammed
in a few pages and the epilogue was just information that should have been included in the main chapters. However, this will not stop me longing for the next one.
in a few pages and the epilogue was just information that should have been included in the main chapters. However, this will not stop me longing for the next one.
pipparature's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lgpiper's review against another edition
4.0
I have no idea how this came to be on my kindle. But it was in the group of the last half dozen downloaded books. Looking through my messages from Amazon, it wasn't on any of them. So, it just appeared magically...or else I did snag it for some strange reason and, due to my developing a "mature" brain, I forgot.
Well, it seems I downloaded it from Netgalley back at the end of July. Who knew? So how did it end up grouped with December downloads? Whatever, I decided to read it and am glad I did.
It would have been even better, of course, had the folks at NetGalley bothered with a bit of formatting. It's not that difficult to produce a decent EBook these days, but the formatting was so amateurish that I think it might have been done by a beginning student just learning the ropes of InDesign, or Quark, or whatever publishers use these days. Clearly not one of the better students in the class, just someone filling space because his mother made him or her do so. It's not that difficult. I took one of those classes and made both print and EBooks.
Whatever, we are up in Scotland with Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie and her faithful, if not all that competent, sidekick, Detective Constable Jason Murray, also known at "The Mint". They work in the HCU, or "Historical Cases Unit". That is, they investigate things long unsolved in the light of recent information.
So, it seems that a couple, Alice and Will Somerville have heard a story from Alice's grandfather about a pair of vintage Indian motorcycles that were buried in a bog in 1946. They have a crude map, and with the help of a local crofter (who is also rather a stud and runs a chain of coffee shops), Hamish Mackenzie, manage to decode the crude map they have and go to dig up the motorcycles, and thereby, retrieve some of Alice's "inheritance". Well, it turns out that there's a body in one of the holes along with the motorcycle. But, the strange thing is, the body can't have been there for more than about 20 or so years. Thus we have a case for the HCU.
There are, of course many complications. Karen's boss, ACC Ann Markie (aka "The Dog Biscuit") has embedded one of her minions, Detective Sergeant Gerry McCartney, into the HCU to keep track of Karen Pirie's doings. It seems that Karen doesn't always go by the book even though she is generally successful, and The Dog Biscuit wants some dirt on Karen so as to remove her and retain greater glory for herself, or something.
There's also the complication that Karen finds herself attracted to the crofter, Hamish, although she's not sure he's to be trusted. Then too, Karen overhears two women talking in a coffee shop about the husband of one of them. They way they're talking, it sounds like one of them could get embroiled in some serious domestic violence. So Karen warns them. Naturally, one of the women along with the husband of the other woman get murdered. Thus, Karen is involved, even though she should not be: more grist for The Dog Biscuit's mill, so to speak.
The story line moved back and forth between events as they occurred in the past and events as DCI Pirrie worked to unfold the history. A rather interesting touch.
This book is the fifth in a series of books about DCI Karen Pirie, and I'm likely to check out a few of the earlier books. Actually, I've already placed a hold on the first in the series.
Well, it seems I downloaded it from Netgalley back at the end of July. Who knew? So how did it end up grouped with December downloads? Whatever, I decided to read it and am glad I did.
It would have been even better, of course, had the folks at NetGalley bothered with a bit of formatting. It's not that difficult to produce a decent EBook these days, but the formatting was so amateurish that I think it might have been done by a beginning student just learning the ropes of InDesign, or Quark, or whatever publishers use these days. Clearly not one of the better students in the class, just someone filling space because his mother made him or her do so. It's not that difficult. I took one of those classes and made both print and EBooks.
Whatever, we are up in Scotland with Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie and her faithful, if not all that competent, sidekick, Detective Constable Jason Murray, also known at "The Mint". They work in the HCU, or "Historical Cases Unit". That is, they investigate things long unsolved in the light of recent information.
So, it seems that a couple, Alice and Will Somerville have heard a story from Alice's grandfather about a pair of vintage Indian motorcycles that were buried in a bog in 1946. They have a crude map, and with the help of a local crofter (who is also rather a stud and runs a chain of coffee shops), Hamish Mackenzie, manage to decode the crude map they have and go to dig up the motorcycles, and thereby, retrieve some of Alice's "inheritance". Well, it turns out that there's a body in one of the holes along with the motorcycle. But, the strange thing is, the body can't have been there for more than about 20 or so years. Thus we have a case for the HCU.
There are, of course many complications. Karen's boss, ACC Ann Markie (aka "The Dog Biscuit") has embedded one of her minions, Detective Sergeant Gerry McCartney, into the HCU to keep track of Karen Pirie's doings. It seems that Karen doesn't always go by the book even though she is generally successful, and The Dog Biscuit wants some dirt on Karen so as to remove her and retain greater glory for herself, or something.
There's also the complication that Karen finds herself attracted to the crofter, Hamish, although she's not sure he's to be trusted. Then too, Karen overhears two women talking in a coffee shop about the husband of one of them. They way they're talking, it sounds like one of them could get embroiled in some serious domestic violence. So Karen warns them. Naturally, one of the women along with the husband of the other woman get murdered. Thus, Karen is involved, even though she should not be: more grist for The Dog Biscuit's mill, so to speak.
The story line moved back and forth between events as they occurred in the past and events as DCI Pirrie worked to unfold the history. A rather interesting touch.
This book is the fifth in a series of books about DCI Karen Pirie, and I'm likely to check out a few of the earlier books. Actually, I've already placed a hold on the first in the series.
erinnejc's review
4.0
Great story, great plot and a fabulous author. What more could I ask for! Another winner by Val McDermid.