Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Sometimes a girl has to read a mystery, and this was a pretty good one. Nice pace, twists and turns, interesting characters, overall a fun read. Not too disturbingly gory, at least for those well versed in the genre.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent tense straightforward thriller/whodunnit, first I’ve read from this author. Some good red herrings, but also some reliance on sharing selective thoughts of characters to mislead, which is maybe cheating a bit. The mood drifted away from gritty realism towards the end into something a little contrived, but it was exciting enough for any minor niggles to not spoil the enjoyment.
The cover for my edition, promoting a TV series that I haven’t seen, is misleading - this isn’t a female-led police procedural.
The cover for my edition, promoting a TV series that I haven’t seen, is misleading - this isn’t a female-led police procedural.
Picked it up after watching the Karen Pirie series. Dragged a little bit, but a decently-constructed story. I'll probably make my way through the others at some point.
first time reading val mcdermid and i enjoyed it. love the settings and the characters are interesting enough. the mystery didn't stump me... figured it out pretty early on. but that didn't matter. the book jumps around in time and place, so if you like linear narratives, you may not like this format. took awhile for karen pirie to appear in the plot.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My first Val Mcdermid. Will certainly not be my last. Excellent!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Four students are in the wrong place at the wrong time when a young woman is murdered in St Andrew’s on a wintry night. Twenty five years later and the friends seem to be getting picked off one by one meaning they have a race against the clock to survive. A brilliant mystery which ties up even the tiniest of details leaving you feel completely satisfied with the denouement. One tiny thing is it’s called a ‘Karen Pirie’ mystery yet this titular character is more of a sidekick in the solving of the various mysteries.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
slow-paced
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No