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A review by stacielynn
The Distant Echo by Val McDermid
3.0
This is a book in which the plot is satisfyingly complex and the mystery takes time to untangle. That said, my early suspicion about the murderer turned out to be correct but I believe that was just luck.
Anyway, the flaw for me was largely the awkwardness of the writing. Referring alternately to the four main characters by their given names and their nicknames made it hard to keep everyone straight. While they were all individuals we were introduced to them as a pod and it was ages before I had them properly sorted.
Some of the scenes are gruesome and I didn't enjoy reading the details. There are a number of tropes that are simply stale and offensive when the book is a few decades old.
I don't know Karen Pirie and picked this because it was the first in the series, but like others I find that she played a minuscule role in this storyline, so I do t know if I will want to read others.
Anyway, the flaw for me was largely the awkwardness of the writing. Referring alternately to the four main characters by their given names and their nicknames made it hard to keep everyone straight. While they were all individuals we were introduced to them as a pod and it was ages before I had them properly sorted.
Some of the scenes are gruesome and I didn't enjoy reading the details. There are a number of tropes that are simply stale and offensive when the book is a few decades old.
I don't know Karen Pirie and picked this because it was the first in the series, but like others I find that she played a minuscule role in this storyline, so I do t know if I will want to read others.