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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
"In order for evil to triumph, Alex remembered, it is necessary only that good men do nothing."
My first and only other experience with Val McDermid was reading her [b:A Place of Execution|91487|A Place of Execution|Val McDermid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311971779l/91487._SY75_.jpg|1179513] for my crime fiction class. It was far from my favorite book on that course, but we did get to have Val as a special guest on one of our seminars, which was very cool, and I've since had a great deal of respect for her, especially as a local author, even if I wasn't overly keen on picking up any more of her work.
But then they filmed the TV adaptation of this book in St Andrews, which put the story on my radar, and I simply could not resist a murder mystery set in such familiar territory. By far my favorite part of this book was seeing how Val employed various locations across Fife, and especially in St Andrews, to form the backdrop of this story. Super fun, but also rather chilling — I run to Hallow Hill, where Rosie was found, almost every day!
It's clear to me now that Val's strength is definitely in her plots. For most of the book, you feel frustrated with the lack of a clear answer or suspect, just as the characters do, only for it all to seem so obvious by the end. For about 3/4 of this one, I was convinced that
Spoiler
Rosie's brother Colin was the culprit, but the Jimmy Lawson revelation dawned on me with probably about a hundred pages to go.The downside here was that, in all honesty, the writing itself is not great. The dialogue especially will make you wince; it's hard to picture grown adults talking the way the characters do. In general, the style here is pretty basic, the kind of simplicity you would expect from a creative writing major who is starting to realize that they may need to pursue other paths.
But I can also respect the fact that most people don't come to these books for the writing, and that the plot is really what counts, which, as I said, Val does tremendously well. I had a hard time getting over the style, which is why I settled on 3 stars, but don't let that deter you from picking up what is really a super absorbing and carefully crafted crime thriller.
Another very good book by Val McDermid. I always find her characters compelling, and her plots have enough twists and turns to keep you guessing all the way through.
this was like crack, I could NOT stop reading it at all. it's not on the same level as our queen Tana French - some of the early sections dragged, a bit of telling rather than showing - but it's still an engaging if not riveting mystery story. I will be honest, I did not see the twist coming AT ALL.
also it's hilarious to me that in spite of the series being named after Detective Karen Pirie anyways, off to the next instalment.
also it's hilarious to me that in spite of the series being named after Detective Karen Pirie
Spoiler
that lady did 0 detecting in the entire novel. all of the crime solving was done by the poor ppl being framed.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Rape, Murder
This was a fun thriller and definitely had me on the edge of my seat wanting to figure it out. However, I expected Karen Pirie to be a central character to this story, but she was only briefly mentioned and enters the story about 200 pages in. The story focuses on the 4 suspects/witnesses who found the body and it was very interesting to read most of the story through their perspective.
McDermid flows very flawlessly through the perspectives and voices of her characters throughout the book and within each chapter. The effect is that you see these different perspectives without ever really knowing who did it or gaining specific clues from a certain character.
Looking forward to reading the rest of this series and hopefully the upcoming TV show does the book justice!
McDermid flows very flawlessly through the perspectives and voices of her characters throughout the book and within each chapter. The effect is that you see these different perspectives without ever really knowing who did it or gaining specific clues from a certain character.
Looking forward to reading the rest of this series and hopefully the upcoming TV show does the book justice!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
At first I wasn’t too sure what I was reading. I didn’t like the jumping from real name to nicknames and vice versa.
I did find it a bit repetitive from time to time but nearer the end it did pick up the pace a bit and I did get frustrated a little with the characters not being believed etc.
It was a reasonably good book but not one I want to read again in a hurry. It was a shame that we were introduced to the ‘main’ character half way through and she only made a few appearances.
I did find it a bit repetitive from time to time but nearer the end it did pick up the pace a bit and I did get frustrated a little with the characters not being believed etc.
It was a reasonably good book but not one I want to read again in a hurry. It was a shame that we were introduced to the ‘main’ character half way through and she only made a few appearances.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No