Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
This book was good overall but the story felt like it was dragged out over a long period of time in order to reach the climax. The twists were OK and the ending was satisfying and conclusive.
Никак не могу понять смысл называть серию «Карен Пири», если Карен Пири оттуда можно спокойно убрать и никто не заметит. Две звезды ставлю за неплохой психологический замес в первой части. Вторая же половина ужасно тягомотная, читать невозможно.
И ещё на каком то этапе начинает раздражать, когда подозреваемых подгоняют под преступление, а не ищут другие варианты.
В общем слабо, плоско, скучно.
Сериал смотреть не буду.
И ещё на каком то этапе начинает раздражать, когда подозреваемых подгоняют под преступление, а не ищут другие варианты.
В общем слабо, плоско, скучно.
Сериал смотреть не буду.
This is the first book by Val McDermid I have ever read, and I will be definitely be reading more!
This book is an awesome murder mystery. There are a fair amount of characters in this story and McDermid did an awesome job giving depth to each character. I appreciated the story being in two parts; first in the time period of the original murder and then 25 years after the murder. The progression of the plot and development of characters seemed very natural and it kept me reading (especially the last third of the book!).
Fairly early (maybe 1/2 way into the book) I had a strong suspicion of who the murderer was, and then it was confirmed (in my mind). Now usually I get upset when a book makes the murderer apparent so early on. However, this book has so much stuff going on that there was still quite a build up to see the how and why. I should specify, the book was not written to give away the murderer, I just happened to figure it out early on. So it is completely possible that someone can read this book and make it to nearly the end before they realize.
Without giving away any details, there was only one thing that I had a problem with that didn't quite make sense which was revealed in the last couple of pages (more of a note to myself if I discuss this book in the future).
Overall, this is definitely a good murder mystery read!
This book is an awesome murder mystery. There are a fair amount of characters in this story and McDermid did an awesome job giving depth to each character. I appreciated the story being in two parts; first in the time period of the original murder and then 25 years after the murder. The progression of the plot and development of characters seemed very natural and it kept me reading (especially the last third of the book!).
Fairly early (maybe 1/2 way into the book) I had a strong suspicion of who the murderer was, and then it was confirmed (in my mind). Now usually I get upset when a book makes the murderer apparent so early on. However, this book has so much stuff going on that there was still quite a build up to see the how and why. I should specify, the book was not written to give away the murderer, I just happened to figure it out early on. So it is completely possible that someone can read this book and make it to nearly the end before they realize.
Without giving away any details, there was only one thing that I had a problem with that didn't quite make sense which was revealed in the last couple of pages (more of a note to myself if I discuss this book in the future).
Overall, this is definitely a good murder mystery read!
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Very easy to read, I felt pulled into the storyline. A good twist at the end, didn't see it coming although perhaps I may have if I had pondered it more so beforehand?
I was disappointed that the first book in the DI Karen Pirie book barely featured her at all but it does give important background for future books. There were some surprises to be sure, and I was pretty engrossed, but at least 100 pages less and better writing would've made for an improvement. Same goes for the perspectives - too many!
As a female, what struck me most about this book was 'the lads'. I've been heterosexually married several decades but I still find 'the lads' as foreign as I would find walking about under a blue burqa in Afghanistan. So, this book ended up being kind of a National Geographic article for me on a certain level.
I tried to 'connect' with 'the lads' that the author created as the characters we were to be interested in, since they were the victims of prejudice and nefarious plots, but I found myself thinking a lot 'see what a mess you got yourself into?' In the end, I gave up trying for sympathy and read the story as about an exotic culture I cannot understand. I realize many 'lads' do very well later in life and that is when they make sense to me. However, because I kept expecting the four protagonists to die tarnished by their own blaring misdeeds, even if blameless of murder, I couldn't really connect at all. Most of my friends generally have been nerds and geeks, or activists or religious people, not that I haven't been friends with a variety of folks. 'The lads' types in my life did not seem as if they would survive their 20's, and to be their friend was expensive since they seem to destroy every room, every stick of furniture and other belongings or goods, cars, and gambled or drank up or smoked or snorted up their paycheck in a few hours. They invented the modern concept of meaningless sex before girls had a clue. They scared the crap out of me. McDermid obviously has an intimate insiders grasp of what 'lads' are, and kindly allows her lads to be seen as decent young men (deep down) for the first half, and as normal middle-class men later.
Anyway.
The lads are being lads, meaning getting as drunk as they can possibly get between vomiting fits (always makes it a challenge) at a party. They stole (borrowed) a classmate's car to get there, and then they tried very hard to talk the women at the party into a one-night acquaintance in a bed. Having enjoyed reaching a state of mental derangement where walking is peculiar, they stumble through a park after leaving the party and trip over a woman's body. The friends, Alex (Gilly), Tom (Weird), Davey (Mondo) and Sigmund (Ziggy) get her blood all over themselves since being drunk has made the processing of coordination a bit difficult. Being basically wonderful lads, they decide to get a policeman (at least three of them decide - Weird is giggling at how funny the woman looks because he got high on hallucination-causing drugs on top of the alcohol). The policeman takes a look and soon the 19-year-old men are under suspicion of murdering the barmaid. It seems two of them have been trying to get laid by her for some time. It doesn't help their offended and frightened protestations of innocence when the cops find juvenile records of laddy hi jinks and mayhem. The brothers of the murdered girl are not university lads like our heroes, but are pure small-time thugs who decide beating up and dumping our lads individually down into wells where they won't be found for three days will get them to confess when the police are unable to make them talk. However, the police clear up the brothers' muddy sense of injustice with threats of long terms in prison if they try anything like that again, so they slander the lads as much as possible. Three of the lads end up leaving the country when they graduate from college, profoundly affected by the suspicion heaped upon them as well as the vision of the bloody body, which haunts them when they sober up.
The second half of the book finds our lads no longer lads, but respectable family men earning incomes in respectable middle-class work. Then they begin dying one by one in 'accidents'. Oh oh.
A very well-written book which explores the psychological impact of a murder on four friends who never could resolve what happened that night to themselves or others. The quartet breaks up and only two maintain contact as the years pass; but when the quartet starts dying in accidents, the surviving lads know they need to find out who the real killer is. The question for us readers is, who will still be breathing by the last page? Hopefully it will be the one you liked best.
I tried to 'connect' with 'the lads' that the author created as the characters we were to be interested in, since they were the victims of prejudice and nefarious plots, but I found myself thinking a lot 'see what a mess you got yourself into?' In the end, I gave up trying for sympathy and read the story as about an exotic culture I cannot understand. I realize many 'lads' do very well later in life and that is when they make sense to me. However, because I kept expecting the four protagonists to die tarnished by their own blaring misdeeds, even if blameless of murder, I couldn't really connect at all. Most of my friends generally have been nerds and geeks, or activists or religious people, not that I haven't been friends with a variety of folks. 'The lads' types in my life did not seem as if they would survive their 20's, and to be their friend was expensive since they seem to destroy every room, every stick of furniture and other belongings or goods, cars, and gambled or drank up or smoked or snorted up their paycheck in a few hours. They invented the modern concept of meaningless sex before girls had a clue. They scared the crap out of me. McDermid obviously has an intimate insiders grasp of what 'lads' are, and kindly allows her lads to be seen as decent young men (deep down) for the first half, and as normal middle-class men later.
Anyway.
The lads are being lads, meaning getting as drunk as they can possibly get between vomiting fits (always makes it a challenge) at a party. They stole (borrowed) a classmate's car to get there, and then they tried very hard to talk the women at the party into a one-night acquaintance in a bed. Having enjoyed reaching a state of mental derangement where walking is peculiar, they stumble through a park after leaving the party and trip over a woman's body. The friends, Alex (Gilly), Tom (Weird), Davey (Mondo) and Sigmund (Ziggy) get her blood all over themselves since being drunk has made the processing of coordination a bit difficult. Being basically wonderful lads, they decide to get a policeman (at least three of them decide - Weird is giggling at how funny the woman looks because he got high on hallucination-causing drugs on top of the alcohol). The policeman takes a look and soon the 19-year-old men are under suspicion of murdering the barmaid. It seems two of them have been trying to get laid by her for some time. It doesn't help their offended and frightened protestations of innocence when the cops find juvenile records of laddy hi jinks and mayhem. The brothers of the murdered girl are not university lads like our heroes, but are pure small-time thugs who decide beating up and dumping our lads individually down into wells where they won't be found for three days will get them to confess when the police are unable to make them talk. However, the police clear up the brothers' muddy sense of injustice with threats of long terms in prison if they try anything like that again, so they slander the lads as much as possible. Three of the lads end up leaving the country when they graduate from college, profoundly affected by the suspicion heaped upon them as well as the vision of the bloody body, which haunts them when they sober up.
The second half of the book finds our lads no longer lads, but respectable family men earning incomes in respectable middle-class work. Then they begin dying one by one in 'accidents'. Oh oh.
A very well-written book which explores the psychological impact of a murder on four friends who never could resolve what happened that night to themselves or others. The quartet breaks up and only two maintain contact as the years pass; but when the quartet starts dying in accidents, the surviving lads know they need to find out who the real killer is. The question for us readers is, who will still be breathing by the last page? Hopefully it will be the one you liked best.
Not bad. Might have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t seen the TV version so I always knew “who dunnit.”Although billed as the first Karen Pirie book, Karen Pirie has a very minimal role.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated