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Inspector Karen Pirie #7
Past Lying
Val McDermid returns with DCI Karen Pirie in a new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic.
It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot — the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed — but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have.
It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot — the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed — but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have.
452 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2023
About the author
Val McDermid
277 books4,762 followersVal McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
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December 14, 2023
Somber and Complicated
When a thriller depicting the death of a real-life missing person is discovered in the archives of a recently passed thriller writer, the case is directed to the Historic Cases Unit under DCI Karen Pirie.
Past Lying is the seventh book in the Karen Pirie series and can be read as a standalone.
The narrative picks up a few weeks after the ending of book #6 in early 2020 in Edinburgh during the start of the first COVID lockdown. The characters grapple with obeying the rules of lockdown, the fear of the unknown, and the trauma of having a loved one infected with COVID. This aspect of the novel is emotional, as McDermind manages to capture what it felt like in the early days of lockdown. The setting also matches the morose tone, as the streets of Edinburgh are dark and bare. Although I didn’t want to visit that time again, McDermid approached it with sensitivity.
The plot revolves around the mystery of a missing girl whose disappearance is somehow enmeshed in an unpublished crime mystery titled The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver. To determine if the fiction mirrors reality, Karen and her team immerse themselves in the novel. The reader also gets to read the manuscript, turning this into a mystery within a mystery. Sometimes, I find that the book within a book structure doesn’t work, but in this case, the manuscript is gripping, and it both fuels and adds to the central mystery.
POVs are shared from Karen, Sergeant ,Daisy, and Jason aka., The Mint. All are fleshed out and distinct, and the shifts in POV are well-balanced. There are a few others mixed in, but they were not necessary. In this installment, Karen and Daisy are a little too self-righteous and judgemental. Karen is especially overbearing; I have never felt this way about her character before, and I need her to ease up a bit. Jason is as lovely and innocent as ever. He adds a nice bit of humor, but his storyline also involves some chaos and sadness.
There are a lot of layers to unpack between the character dynamics, mystery, and COVID. The plotting is intricate and well-balanced. The pacing is slow, but it works in conjunction with the multiple plotlines. Thankfully, the final chapter pushes forward a year, and it looks like most characters have recovered from their COVID-related trauma.
Overall, this is another solid addition to the Karen Pirie series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review.
When a thriller depicting the death of a real-life missing person is discovered in the archives of a recently passed thriller writer, the case is directed to the Historic Cases Unit under DCI Karen Pirie.
Past Lying is the seventh book in the Karen Pirie series and can be read as a standalone.
The narrative picks up a few weeks after the ending of book #6 in early 2020 in Edinburgh during the start of the first COVID lockdown. The characters grapple with obeying the rules of lockdown, the fear of the unknown, and the trauma of having a loved one infected with COVID. This aspect of the novel is emotional, as McDermind manages to capture what it felt like in the early days of lockdown. The setting also matches the morose tone, as the streets of Edinburgh are dark and bare. Although I didn’t want to visit that time again, McDermid approached it with sensitivity.
The plot revolves around the mystery of a missing girl whose disappearance is somehow enmeshed in an unpublished crime mystery titled The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver. To determine if the fiction mirrors reality, Karen and her team immerse themselves in the novel. The reader also gets to read the manuscript, turning this into a mystery within a mystery. Sometimes, I find that the book within a book structure doesn’t work, but in this case, the manuscript is gripping, and it both fuels and adds to the central mystery.
POVs are shared from Karen, Sergeant ,Daisy, and Jason aka., The Mint. All are fleshed out and distinct, and the shifts in POV are well-balanced. There are a few others mixed in, but they were not necessary. In this installment, Karen and Daisy are a little too self-righteous and judgemental. Karen is especially overbearing; I have never felt this way about her character before, and I need her to ease up a bit. Jason is as lovely and innocent as ever. He adds a nice bit of humor, but his storyline also involves some chaos and sadness.
There are a lot of layers to unpack between the character dynamics, mystery, and COVID. The plotting is intricate and well-balanced. The pacing is slow, but it works in conjunction with the multiple plotlines. Thankfully, the final chapter pushes forward a year, and it looks like most characters have recovered from their COVID-related trauma.
Overall, this is another solid addition to the Karen Pirie series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review.
December 6, 2023
EXCERPT: He really believed it was a madcap game. A joke. A dare, played out between old friends. Why would anyone imagine otherwise? Writing twisted scenarios didn't mean he believed they happened in the real world. Strangers on a Train had the brilliant premise of two unconnected people swapping murders, but he didn't believe anybody would be daft enough to try it for real. Not even a card-carrying psychopath like the character in Highsmith's novel.
It had genuinely never crossed his mind that his best friend would actually commit a murder solely to demonstrate that the perfect crime was possible, and that he was capable of committing it. Not until he had to deal with the revelation that there was now a dead body in his garage.
ABOUT 'PAST LYING' (KAREN PIRIE #7): It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot—the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed—but a mere pandemic doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. When a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. At the center of it, a novel: two crime novelists facing off over a chessboard. But it quickly emerges that their real-life competition is drawing blood. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, and as Karen and her team attempt to disentangle fact from fiction, it becomes clear that their investigation is more complicated than they ever imagined.
MY THOUGHTS: I love books about books or people who write books and the twisted minds of authors. Past Lying is a complex book, but a tense and riveting reading.
Set at the beginning of the Covid lockdown, McDermid uses the eerie emptiness of the streets to great advantage as Pirie stretches the boundaries of the lockdown rules to further her investigation and rescue a refugee.
There is 'a story within a story' as the team read through manuscripts, authors notebooks, and diaries, then struggle to extract fact from fiction in order to catch a killer.
But there is plenty more going on to keep everyone busy and interfere with the investigation: a Syrian refugee whose life is in danger; the Mint's mum contracting Covid and his brother once again running off the rails; the strain of Karen and Daisy living and working together; Daisy's certainty that Karen is up to something that she doesn't want anyone else to know about; and the increasing strain on Karen and Hamish's relationship.
This is a very clever story of lies, manipulation and revenge set in a world where publicity is king, and gossip and scandal the common currency. I loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#PastLying #NetGalley
I: #valmcdermid @groveatlantic
X: @valmcdermid @groveatlantic
THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid, FRSE, FRSL is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in a grim sub-genre that McDermid and others have identified as Tartan Noir. At Raith Rovers football stadium, a stand has been named after McDermid.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Grove Atlantic via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Past Lying by Val McDermid for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
It had genuinely never crossed his mind that his best friend would actually commit a murder solely to demonstrate that the perfect crime was possible, and that he was capable of committing it. Not until he had to deal with the revelation that there was now a dead body in his garage.
ABOUT 'PAST LYING' (KAREN PIRIE #7): It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot—the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed—but a mere pandemic doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. When a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. At the center of it, a novel: two crime novelists facing off over a chessboard. But it quickly emerges that their real-life competition is drawing blood. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, and as Karen and her team attempt to disentangle fact from fiction, it becomes clear that their investigation is more complicated than they ever imagined.
MY THOUGHTS: I love books about books or people who write books and the twisted minds of authors. Past Lying is a complex book, but a tense and riveting reading.
Set at the beginning of the Covid lockdown, McDermid uses the eerie emptiness of the streets to great advantage as Pirie stretches the boundaries of the lockdown rules to further her investigation and rescue a refugee.
There is 'a story within a story' as the team read through manuscripts, authors notebooks, and diaries, then struggle to extract fact from fiction in order to catch a killer.
But there is plenty more going on to keep everyone busy and interfere with the investigation: a Syrian refugee whose life is in danger; the Mint's mum contracting Covid and his brother once again running off the rails; the strain of Karen and Daisy living and working together; Daisy's certainty that Karen is up to something that she doesn't want anyone else to know about; and the increasing strain on Karen and Hamish's relationship.
This is a very clever story of lies, manipulation and revenge set in a world where publicity is king, and gossip and scandal the common currency. I loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#PastLying #NetGalley
I: #valmcdermid @groveatlantic
X: @valmcdermid @groveatlantic
THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid, FRSE, FRSL is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in a grim sub-genre that McDermid and others have identified as Tartan Noir. At Raith Rovers football stadium, a stand has been named after McDermid.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Grove Atlantic via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Past Lying by Val McDermid for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 14, 2024
Covid is a character in this story.
And…
For those who remember the ordeal of those first weeks of lockdown, this may trigger those memories.
DCI Karen Pirie and her team deal in cold cases. In the midst of lockdown, one of her team members, Jason receives a call from an archivist from the National Library detailing a murder scene from a recently deceased author’s unpublished manuscript. It is reminiscent of a real missing person case.
So…
Now they are on the case.
What will they discover?
Will they be able to unravel its true meaning?
There is something disquieting and sometimes emotional about revisiting the pandemic through these pages…
And…
Yet the author does it sensitively and artfully…
While managing crime solving, too.
In true McDermid style, she provides a complex, gripping, page-turning, riveting mystery that keeps readers intrigued up to the last page.
Only one complaint…
Why, again do authors have to write a story with so many pages (449)?
And…
For those who remember the ordeal of those first weeks of lockdown, this may trigger those memories.
DCI Karen Pirie and her team deal in cold cases. In the midst of lockdown, one of her team members, Jason receives a call from an archivist from the National Library detailing a murder scene from a recently deceased author’s unpublished manuscript. It is reminiscent of a real missing person case.
So…
Now they are on the case.
What will they discover?
Will they be able to unravel its true meaning?
There is something disquieting and sometimes emotional about revisiting the pandemic through these pages…
And…
Yet the author does it sensitively and artfully…
While managing crime solving, too.
In true McDermid style, she provides a complex, gripping, page-turning, riveting mystery that keeps readers intrigued up to the last page.
Only one complaint…
Why, again do authors have to write a story with so many pages (449)?
December 5, 2023
4.5*
Past Lying is another engrossing instalment in Val McDermid's series featuring Edinburgh-based Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie.
It's April 2020 and Scotland has been in lockdown for three weeks, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. DCI Karen Pirie is in a domestic "bubble" with Historic Crimes Unit (HSU) colleague, Detective Sergeant Daisy Mortimer in her partner Hamish's upmarket Edinburgh apartment. Hamish himself is confined to his property in the highlands, where his presence is required to care for his livestock, and he's acquired a still to produce hand sanitiser. Detective Constable Jason "the Mint" Murray is in lockdown in the flat he shares with his hairdresser fiancée, Eilidh (pronounced Ay-lee). Each character is feeling the pressures, boredom and occasional delights of lockdown in their own way, and with varying levels of compliance as regards the strict travel and contact restrictions.
DC Murray receives a call from a contact who works in the Archives department of the National Library of Scotland, seeking his advice on a curious document she's found amongst a collection of papers donated to the archive. A partial manuscript entitled The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver, found amongst the papers of recently-deceased crime novelist Jake Stein, contains details which are eerily similar to those surrounding the real-life unsolved disappearance of Edinburgh student Lara Hardie a year previously. Other details within the story seem to echo events in Stein’s personal and professional life over the period preceding Lara’s disappearance. Is this simply a case of an author drawing upon real life events interwoven with thinly-veiled autobiographical details to create an imaginative story? Or could it be a devilishly clever plot to incriminate Stein’s one-time friend - later romantic rival - Ross McEwan, and Stein's ex-wife Rosalind Harris in a real life crime?
Meanwhile, other tantalising sub-plots involving the members of the HSU provide added character development. DCI Pirie is contacted by her Syrian immigrant friend Miran, who’s seeking her assistance with a challenging request. DC Murray's mother Sandra, who works part-time in a care home in Fife, contracts Covid 19 and is hospitalised. Murray has to resist his yearning to rush to her side, while his ne'er-do-well brother Ronan goads him about his lack of action in gaining access to their mother's secure hospital ward. DS Mortimer has commenced a new relationship just as the pandemic began, and struggles to find the privacy she needs to spend time online with her lover, while also becoming increasingly curious about Karen’s clandestine excursions into the outside world.
Val McDermid cleverly leverages the circumstances of the Covid-19 lockdowns, with which all readers will be personally familiar to some extent, as a means to further develop her series characters while they're in extremis, and also to add a layer of complexity to the police investigation plotline itself. Past Lying brought to my mind Josephine Tey's 1951 masterpiece The Daughter of Time, in which the Scottish author used her detective character's hospitalisation as an opportunity for him to solve an historical crime while confined to bed. In The Wench is Dead, itself an acknowledged homage to Tey's work, Colin Dexter employed a similar mechanism for his character Inspector Morse to solve a crime while physically restricted from undertaking the "usual" investigative process.
Past Lying is another high quality police mystery, with a twisty plot and convincing, well-developed characters, both those that have featured throughout the series and those who appear only in this story. McDermid's use of misdirection and intrigue are up to her usual superlative standard, and she draws upon her own decades of experience in the crime-writing community in building the background to the mystery. While the Edinburgh setting is necessarily narrowed in its depiction by the characters' enforced isolation, there remains a distinct Scottish flavour throughout, incorporated through the use of vernacular language, subtle cultural references and the characters' occasional opportunities to leave the confines of lockdown while carrying out essential face-to-face interviews, viewing crime scenes and gathering evidence.
I'd enthusiastically recommend Past Lying to any reader who's enjoyed previous series instalments over the past 20 years, and to those new to either D.I. Karen Pirie or Val McDermid's substantial body of much-lauded work.
My thanks to the author, Queen of Crime Val McDermid, publisher Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this engrossing title.
Past Lying is another engrossing instalment in Val McDermid's series featuring Edinburgh-based Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie.
It's April 2020 and Scotland has been in lockdown for three weeks, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. DCI Karen Pirie is in a domestic "bubble" with Historic Crimes Unit (HSU) colleague, Detective Sergeant Daisy Mortimer in her partner Hamish's upmarket Edinburgh apartment. Hamish himself is confined to his property in the highlands, where his presence is required to care for his livestock, and he's acquired a still to produce hand sanitiser. Detective Constable Jason "the Mint" Murray is in lockdown in the flat he shares with his hairdresser fiancée, Eilidh (pronounced Ay-lee). Each character is feeling the pressures, boredom and occasional delights of lockdown in their own way, and with varying levels of compliance as regards the strict travel and contact restrictions.
DC Murray receives a call from a contact who works in the Archives department of the National Library of Scotland, seeking his advice on a curious document she's found amongst a collection of papers donated to the archive. A partial manuscript entitled The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver, found amongst the papers of recently-deceased crime novelist Jake Stein, contains details which are eerily similar to those surrounding the real-life unsolved disappearance of Edinburgh student Lara Hardie a year previously. Other details within the story seem to echo events in Stein’s personal and professional life over the period preceding Lara’s disappearance. Is this simply a case of an author drawing upon real life events interwoven with thinly-veiled autobiographical details to create an imaginative story? Or could it be a devilishly clever plot to incriminate Stein’s one-time friend - later romantic rival - Ross McEwan, and Stein's ex-wife Rosalind Harris in a real life crime?
Meanwhile, other tantalising sub-plots involving the members of the HSU provide added character development. DCI Pirie is contacted by her Syrian immigrant friend Miran, who’s seeking her assistance with a challenging request. DC Murray's mother Sandra, who works part-time in a care home in Fife, contracts Covid 19 and is hospitalised. Murray has to resist his yearning to rush to her side, while his ne'er-do-well brother Ronan goads him about his lack of action in gaining access to their mother's secure hospital ward. DS Mortimer has commenced a new relationship just as the pandemic began, and struggles to find the privacy she needs to spend time online with her lover, while also becoming increasingly curious about Karen’s clandestine excursions into the outside world.
Val McDermid cleverly leverages the circumstances of the Covid-19 lockdowns, with which all readers will be personally familiar to some extent, as a means to further develop her series characters while they're in extremis, and also to add a layer of complexity to the police investigation plotline itself. Past Lying brought to my mind Josephine Tey's 1951 masterpiece The Daughter of Time, in which the Scottish author used her detective character's hospitalisation as an opportunity for him to solve an historical crime while confined to bed. In The Wench is Dead, itself an acknowledged homage to Tey's work, Colin Dexter employed a similar mechanism for his character Inspector Morse to solve a crime while physically restricted from undertaking the "usual" investigative process.
Past Lying is another high quality police mystery, with a twisty plot and convincing, well-developed characters, both those that have featured throughout the series and those who appear only in this story. McDermid's use of misdirection and intrigue are up to her usual superlative standard, and she draws upon her own decades of experience in the crime-writing community in building the background to the mystery. While the Edinburgh setting is necessarily narrowed in its depiction by the characters' enforced isolation, there remains a distinct Scottish flavour throughout, incorporated through the use of vernacular language, subtle cultural references and the characters' occasional opportunities to leave the confines of lockdown while carrying out essential face-to-face interviews, viewing crime scenes and gathering evidence.
I'd enthusiastically recommend Past Lying to any reader who's enjoyed previous series instalments over the past 20 years, and to those new to either D.I. Karen Pirie or Val McDermid's substantial body of much-lauded work.
My thanks to the author, Queen of Crime Val McDermid, publisher Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this engrossing title.
February 14, 2024
Karen Pirie is back!
She is handling a cold case involving crime writers, flanked by her two teammates, whilst navigating Covid rules in the midst of Edinburgh. Fortunately, in this installment we get to see the former Karen back, the one with compassion and emotions for those in need and ruthless for those who break the law. And I'm so glad that I decided to still go on with this series, as the previous book was such a letdown for me. But here, the author did what she does best and it results in a whirlwind of a mystery build on strong and believable characters.,
Setting the scene against the Covid lockdown was smart; it already seems such a long time ago that we were locked in for the sake of greater good. Also smart is a allowing us a peek behind the scene of crime writers, their gossip and their grievances. I actually never thought of writers as a community, just imagining them secluded behind their laptop in a cottage writing grueling stories for our pleasure, we the readers snuggled in a warm sofa with a cup of tea.
Thank you Mrs. McDermid for providing us again with a perfect book for the holidays. I can't wait to read the next installment!
And an extra thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic and the author for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
She is handling a cold case involving crime writers, flanked by her two teammates, whilst navigating Covid rules in the midst of Edinburgh. Fortunately, in this installment we get to see the former Karen back, the one with compassion and emotions for those in need and ruthless for those who break the law. And I'm so glad that I decided to still go on with this series, as the previous book was such a letdown for me. But here, the author did what she does best and it results in a whirlwind of a mystery build on strong and believable characters.,
Setting the scene against the Covid lockdown was smart; it already seems such a long time ago that we were locked in for the sake of greater good. Also smart is a allowing us a peek behind the scene of crime writers, their gossip and their grievances. I actually never thought of writers as a community, just imagining them secluded behind their laptop in a cottage writing grueling stories for our pleasure, we the readers snuggled in a warm sofa with a cup of tea.
Thank you Mrs. McDermid for providing us again with a perfect book for the holidays. I can't wait to read the next installment!
And an extra thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic and the author for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
November 14, 2023
The latest adventure of DCI Karen Pirie takes place in 2020 during the first COVID lockdown. Karen is spending her confinement in boyfriend Hamish’s large penthouse flat along with colleague DS Daisy Mortimer. We could hardly expect a fast paced action thriller here when all of Edinburgh is confined to barracks, but that doesn’t stop this novel being an intriguing page turner.
An archivist at the National Library notices a shocking similarity between the plot of an unfinished manuscript by a recently deceased author and the unsolved case of the disappearance of student Lara Hardie. Karen and Daisy begin reading the disturbing manuscript in an attempt to discover any clues as to Lara’s fate and whereabouts.
What follows is a twisted tale of hubris and revenge, interspersed with the author’s typical cutting social observations. As well as having to solve this convoluted case amidst all the ongoing restrictions, Karen and her faithful DC Jason “Mint” Murray have pressing personal issues to deal with. Jason’s beloved Mum, Sandra has been infected with COVID and is hospitalised and put on an incubator, whilst his wayward brother Ronan is exacerbating the problems.
In all, a top notch crime thriller and possibly the best in this excellent series. The Queen Of Crime still sits firmly on the throne.
An archivist at the National Library notices a shocking similarity between the plot of an unfinished manuscript by a recently deceased author and the unsolved case of the disappearance of student Lara Hardie. Karen and Daisy begin reading the disturbing manuscript in an attempt to discover any clues as to Lara’s fate and whereabouts.
What follows is a twisted tale of hubris and revenge, interspersed with the author’s typical cutting social observations. As well as having to solve this convoluted case amidst all the ongoing restrictions, Karen and her faithful DC Jason “Mint” Murray have pressing personal issues to deal with. Jason’s beloved Mum, Sandra has been infected with COVID and is hospitalised and put on an incubator, whilst his wayward brother Ronan is exacerbating the problems.
In all, a top notch crime thriller and possibly the best in this excellent series. The Queen Of Crime still sits firmly on the throne.
October 21, 2023
Dreadful.
After a couple of soso series, Val McDermid deservedly got the name "Queen of Scotish Noir" with The Mermaids Singing,first in the Hill/Jordan series, which was outstanding except for the last two (very bad). I read 1979 too, and found it severely lacking.
This is the latest in her other excellent-up until now-series. I was looking forward to it, but was terribly disappointed. So, I think it´s time McDermid and I part ways.
Here´s why:
After a couple of soso series, Val McDermid deservedly got the name "Queen of Scotish Noir" with The Mermaids Singing,first in the Hill/Jordan series, which was outstanding except for the last two (very bad). I read 1979 too, and found it severely lacking.
This is the latest in her other excellent-up until now-series. I was looking forward to it, but was terribly disappointed. So, I think it´s time McDermid and I part ways.
Here´s why:
March 10, 2024
Past Lying is the latest episode in Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie series, set in Edinburgh Scotland. As the story begins, it is April, 2020, early in Covid lockdown, as Karen’s team on the Historic Crimes Unit along with the rest of the country and most of the world are adjusting to this new reality of limited contact and limited activity. But a tip falls into their collective laps that there may be a new lead on a missing person case from a year before. A young university student simply disappeared one day without any trace ever being found. Now there may be a lead in a strange place: a deceased writer’s works that have been left to a local university and are being archived.
From this odd beginning, the case takes off in many directions: how to manage police investigations while maintaining Covid restrictions; keeping the team together using phones and zoom instead of regular meetings and maintaining some morale while having no downtime together; interviewing with Covid precautions; the “care and management” of author egos as well as understanding an author’s mind; supporting fellow police with family members in hospital; and, of course, navigating personal relationships.
This story moves along at a good pace with the investigation moving in multiple directions. It also has many plot points to consider throughout and earns your attention. This is an excellent addition to a great series.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.
From this odd beginning, the case takes off in many directions: how to manage police investigations while maintaining Covid restrictions; keeping the team together using phones and zoom instead of regular meetings and maintaining some morale while having no downtime together; interviewing with Covid precautions; the “care and management” of author egos as well as understanding an author’s mind; supporting fellow police with family members in hospital; and, of course, navigating personal relationships.
This story moves along at a good pace with the investigation moving in multiple directions. It also has many plot points to consider throughout and earns your attention. This is an excellent addition to a great series.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.
January 15, 2024
I find myself wondering why I opted to read this book right now. It’s the just-published entry in a series I’ve generally enjoyed, so that’s an easy explanation. Or, perhaps I picked it up because the plot is centered on a potential crime within the crime-writing community - the same general theme as another book I’ve just finished?
Fortunately, the answer to this conundrum is not as vital as the one Karen Pirie and her “Historic Crimes” unit must resolve: Is the partially completed manuscript found in the archives of a recently deceased crime writer actually the confession to a “perfect murder”, or is its similarity to the facts surrounding the very real unexplained disappearance of a young woman merely coincidental?
McDermid sets this story in the early days of the COVID lockdown in Scotland, and the plot reflects the challenges of conducting an investigation in the face of distancing regulations and restrictions on mobility. Although for the most part Karen adheres closely to these rules, she pushes them to their limits when attempting, on the side, to save a Syrian refugee from what is essentially a detention unit as well as assassins sent from Assad’s government.
As with The Mystery Writer, this book takes a look at the aftermath when an author is essentially “cancelled” because of reprehensible personal behavior. This version lacks the thriller element, but is intriguing in a more grounded way. As is fitting for a police procedural, the goal was not only to figure out exactly what happened, but to find a way to nail the perpetrator. I had a niggle (a word that is used entirely too often in this book) early on about what had actually happened, but resolving the particulars and finding that evidence kept me engaged until the end.
This isn’t as good as some of the earlier books in the series, but from my perspective, better than the previous one. Much of that book was focused on Karen’s social interactions with her brilliant female colleagues spread all over Scotland and northern England. That, combined with the introduction of a love interest who would have been more at home in a romance novel than crime fiction (he’s gorgeous, wealthy and wears a kilt while working on his croft!) signaled a move in the direction of chick lit. Matters of the heart are for the most part off stage in this book, although Karen’s DS Daisy explores the possibility of nurturing a budding lesbian romance via FaceTime. The virtual-sex scene came across as jarring, the detail inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the book.
And that tone is movement, whether it is Karen walking the length and breadth of Edinburgh in pursuit of exercise or answers, or the team traveling up the coast as they track down clues, having been allowed more freedom once they are actually on a case. McDermid manages to imbue a sense of forward motion even to the investigations conducted via phone, since with everyone in lockdown, you can count on people to be in one place and little time is wasted waiting for someone to return from lunch. Or wherever.
McDermid is a highly skilled writer who has proven her talent in multiple sub-genres of crime fiction, from light-weight to the graphic, unnerving Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. Karen Pirie was somewhere in the middle, and it will be interesting to see where McDermid takes it from here - fluffier, or grittier?
Fortunately, the answer to this conundrum is not as vital as the one Karen Pirie and her “Historic Crimes” unit must resolve: Is the partially completed manuscript found in the archives of a recently deceased crime writer actually the confession to a “perfect murder”, or is its similarity to the facts surrounding the very real unexplained disappearance of a young woman merely coincidental?
McDermid sets this story in the early days of the COVID lockdown in Scotland, and the plot reflects the challenges of conducting an investigation in the face of distancing regulations and restrictions on mobility. Although for the most part Karen adheres closely to these rules, she pushes them to their limits when attempting, on the side, to save a Syrian refugee from what is essentially a detention unit as well as assassins sent from Assad’s government.
As with The Mystery Writer, this book takes a look at the aftermath when an author is essentially “cancelled” because of reprehensible personal behavior. This version lacks the thriller element, but is intriguing in a more grounded way. As is fitting for a police procedural, the goal was not only to figure out exactly what happened, but to find a way to nail the perpetrator. I had a niggle (a word that is used entirely too often in this book) early on about what had actually happened, but resolving the particulars and finding that evidence kept me engaged until the end.
This isn’t as good as some of the earlier books in the series, but from my perspective, better than the previous one. Much of that book was focused on Karen’s social interactions with her brilliant female colleagues spread all over Scotland and northern England. That, combined with the introduction of a love interest who would have been more at home in a romance novel than crime fiction (he’s gorgeous, wealthy and wears a kilt while working on his croft!) signaled a move in the direction of chick lit. Matters of the heart are for the most part off stage in this book, although Karen’s DS Daisy explores the possibility of nurturing a budding lesbian romance via FaceTime. The virtual-sex scene came across as jarring, the detail inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the book.
And that tone is movement, whether it is Karen walking the length and breadth of Edinburgh in pursuit of exercise or answers, or the team traveling up the coast as they track down clues, having been allowed more freedom once they are actually on a case. McDermid manages to imbue a sense of forward motion even to the investigations conducted via phone, since with everyone in lockdown, you can count on people to be in one place and little time is wasted waiting for someone to return from lunch. Or wherever.
McDermid is a highly skilled writer who has proven her talent in multiple sub-genres of crime fiction, from light-weight to the graphic, unnerving Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. Karen Pirie was somewhere in the middle, and it will be interesting to see where McDermid takes it from here - fluffier, or grittier?
February 4, 2024
McDermid's Karen Pirie series is a favorite of mine ever since reading Skeleton Road. Karen Pirie is an investigator in the Historical Crimes Unit in Edinburgh Scotland. She is paired with Jason a newbie still learning the ropes and Daisy a Sargent.
While reading previous books in the series gives a little more understanding I read several out of order and each can be read with enjoyment as stand alones.
This story that takes place during early days of the pandemic, It centers around a year old case of a missing coed who disappeared without a trace. The reopening of the case begins with a phone call from a librarian with concerns about information found within archive of a recently dead writer who was known for his crime novels. The material in question focuses on a description of a murder in a novel draft of a young woman carried out to frame a 2nd man who is presently cheating with the writer's ex-wife. The plot line quickly becomes a mystery within a mystery. Even more so when it is revealed that the man being framed is so a crime writer. Both of these men have spent their careers studying the details of murder and either might believe they are capable of the "perfect crime", one that would result in getting away with murder.
The setup is a good one. Slowly Pirie and her team dig up more information from the unusual lead and begin to assemble the pieces. It is a good mystery that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a police procedural type story. There are several red herrings for sure and a complex story that kept me listening and intrigued. Several times I thought I had it figured out but I then a new detail would make me question my solution.
I stuck primarily to the audio book narrated by Lauren Lyle. The narration is in a rather heavy Scottish accent that at first I had some trouble understanding. Yet after the first hour my ear seemed to acclimated to the voice and the brogue only added to my enjoyment of this strong Scottish mystery.
While reading previous books in the series gives a little more understanding I read several out of order and each can be read with enjoyment as stand alones.
This story that takes place during early days of the pandemic, It centers around a year old case of a missing coed who disappeared without a trace. The reopening of the case begins with a phone call from a librarian with concerns about information found within archive of a recently dead writer who was known for his crime novels. The material in question focuses on a description of a murder in a novel draft of a young woman carried out to frame a 2nd man who is presently cheating with the writer's ex-wife. The plot line quickly becomes a mystery within a mystery. Even more so when it is revealed that the man being framed is so a crime writer. Both of these men have spent their careers studying the details of murder and either might believe they are capable of the "perfect crime", one that would result in getting away with murder.
The setup is a good one. Slowly Pirie and her team dig up more information from the unusual lead and begin to assemble the pieces. It is a good mystery that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a police procedural type story. There are several red herrings for sure and a complex story that kept me listening and intrigued. Several times I thought I had it figured out but I then a new detail would make me question my solution.
I stuck primarily to the audio book narrated by Lauren Lyle. The narration is in a rather heavy Scottish accent that at first I had some trouble understanding. Yet after the first hour my ear seemed to acclimated to the voice and the brogue only added to my enjoyment of this strong Scottish mystery.
November 2, 2023
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Val McDermid, and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
There is something about Val McDermid and her crime thrillers that always gets my pulse up. This was no exception, as I waded through a police procedural set in the middle of COVID. McDermid produces a great novel, with some eerie twists, as well as some great ‘what if’ moments. When a popular crime writer dies and his estate is sent to the National Library of Scotland, the early draft of an unpublished novel piques an archivist’s interest. One of the characters mirrors a recently missing young woman, whose name was in headlines before the pandemic. Could the author have committed the crime and framed someone, as is seen in the draft? DCI Karen Pirie and her Historic Cases Unit investigate in this gripping piece.
Edinburgh is on lockdown during the COVID pandemic in April 2020. While crime has cooled down, a call from the National Library of Scotland heats things up quite a bit An archivist has been cataloguing the work of a popular crime writer who has recently passed on. The premise of his unpublished manuscript sounds a great deal like a perfect murder. What’s even more concerning is that the victim resembles a recently missing young university student with the same unique medical condition. A call to DCI Karen Pirie evokes some interest, as the Historic Cases Unit begins their informal investigation.
With the pandemic, DCI Pirie is shackled as to what she can do, but will work things off the radar and use protocols to keep her team safe. While looking into the case, it appears as though the unpublished manuscript speaks of not only grooming a young author, but also killing her, before trying to push the murder on a best friend by utilising some ‘perfect murder’ techniques. DCI Pirie cannot help but want to know more, determined to see if this is the case.
While some on her team have been struggling with the COVID limits, DCI Pirie is happy to keep working the case, if only to bring closure to a family who has no answers about their daughter. It will take a great deal of dedication and sleuthing, but if anyone can do it, the HCU is the team. As they run into many roadblocks, DCI Pirie will stop at nothing to get answers and provide a family some solace. A great story that McDermid perfects with her strong writing style.
I have long enjoyed the work of Val McDermid, never one to shy away from unconventional methods. The narrative is strong from the outset and proves clear with some complex aspects. A ‘narrative within the narrative’ occurs, as the HCU must read a draft copy of an unpublished manuscript. The reader can easy see the different writing styles, authenticating the larger story. Things slow with ease, but are also weighed down with intentional struggle as the pandemic bleeds into all aspects of the story. McDermid does well to elucidate on all this.
Character development is important, especially since it has been a number of years since the last novel in the series. McDermott builds DCI Karen Pirie back up with her gritty style, while showing a compassionate side throughout. I have always enjoyed Pirie as a member of the police community, as I am never left feeling less than fully enthralled. Secondary characters, in both the larger narrative and ‘manuscript’ develop well and offer some flavouring to help guide the story as a whole.
Plot twists develop as the story progresses. Using both an historic case and the COVID pandemic, McDermid keeps the reader guessing what is coming. While things appear linear at times, there are many twists to keep things on edge. Val McDermid impressed once more with this piece and I am eager to see what she has to come.
Kudos, Madam McDermid, for keeping the reader on edge as they make their way through this well-paced novel with COVID strains.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
There is something about Val McDermid and her crime thrillers that always gets my pulse up. This was no exception, as I waded through a police procedural set in the middle of COVID. McDermid produces a great novel, with some eerie twists, as well as some great ‘what if’ moments. When a popular crime writer dies and his estate is sent to the National Library of Scotland, the early draft of an unpublished novel piques an archivist’s interest. One of the characters mirrors a recently missing young woman, whose name was in headlines before the pandemic. Could the author have committed the crime and framed someone, as is seen in the draft? DCI Karen Pirie and her Historic Cases Unit investigate in this gripping piece.
Edinburgh is on lockdown during the COVID pandemic in April 2020. While crime has cooled down, a call from the National Library of Scotland heats things up quite a bit An archivist has been cataloguing the work of a popular crime writer who has recently passed on. The premise of his unpublished manuscript sounds a great deal like a perfect murder. What’s even more concerning is that the victim resembles a recently missing young university student with the same unique medical condition. A call to DCI Karen Pirie evokes some interest, as the Historic Cases Unit begins their informal investigation.
With the pandemic, DCI Pirie is shackled as to what she can do, but will work things off the radar and use protocols to keep her team safe. While looking into the case, it appears as though the unpublished manuscript speaks of not only grooming a young author, but also killing her, before trying to push the murder on a best friend by utilising some ‘perfect murder’ techniques. DCI Pirie cannot help but want to know more, determined to see if this is the case.
While some on her team have been struggling with the COVID limits, DCI Pirie is happy to keep working the case, if only to bring closure to a family who has no answers about their daughter. It will take a great deal of dedication and sleuthing, but if anyone can do it, the HCU is the team. As they run into many roadblocks, DCI Pirie will stop at nothing to get answers and provide a family some solace. A great story that McDermid perfects with her strong writing style.
I have long enjoyed the work of Val McDermid, never one to shy away from unconventional methods. The narrative is strong from the outset and proves clear with some complex aspects. A ‘narrative within the narrative’ occurs, as the HCU must read a draft copy of an unpublished manuscript. The reader can easy see the different writing styles, authenticating the larger story. Things slow with ease, but are also weighed down with intentional struggle as the pandemic bleeds into all aspects of the story. McDermid does well to elucidate on all this.
Character development is important, especially since it has been a number of years since the last novel in the series. McDermott builds DCI Karen Pirie back up with her gritty style, while showing a compassionate side throughout. I have always enjoyed Pirie as a member of the police community, as I am never left feeling less than fully enthralled. Secondary characters, in both the larger narrative and ‘manuscript’ develop well and offer some flavouring to help guide the story as a whole.
Plot twists develop as the story progresses. Using both an historic case and the COVID pandemic, McDermid keeps the reader guessing what is coming. While things appear linear at times, there are many twists to keep things on edge. Val McDermid impressed once more with this piece and I am eager to see what she has to come.
Kudos, Madam McDermid, for keeping the reader on edge as they make their way through this well-paced novel with COVID strains.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 2, 2023
Big thanks to both Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Past Lying, by Val McDermid.
Expected publication: November 14, 2023
In this latest installment to her acclaimed detective series (Inspector Karen Pirie #7), internationally bestselling author Val McDermid returns with DCI Karen Pirie in a propulsive new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic. As the Washington Post wrote: "Val McDermid is one of the bright lights of the mystery field." So true!
This book takes place during the Covid lockdown when a deceased author’s manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime. I normally dislike books with multiple viewpoints, and I don't know how she does it, but Ms. McDermid is a whiz at tying things together and having it all make sense. I liked getting to know Daisy better - and who doesn't love Jason, with his puppy-dog ways?? There were some things in Past Lying that made me sad and not many that made me smile But still ... I recommend this book and I cannot wait to read the #8 when it comes out!
Expected publication: November 14, 2023
In this latest installment to her acclaimed detective series (Inspector Karen Pirie #7), internationally bestselling author Val McDermid returns with DCI Karen Pirie in a propulsive new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic. As the Washington Post wrote: "Val McDermid is one of the bright lights of the mystery field." So true!
This book takes place during the Covid lockdown when a deceased author’s manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime. I normally dislike books with multiple viewpoints, and I don't know how she does it, but Ms. McDermid is a whiz at tying things together and having it all make sense. I liked getting to know Daisy better - and who doesn't love Jason, with his puppy-dog ways?? There were some things in Past Lying that made me sad and not many that made me smile But still ... I recommend this book and I cannot wait to read the #8 when it comes out!
December 24, 2023
I was planning to spend the rest of December writing reviews for books completed earlier this year, and then PAST LYING became available at my public library. I couldn’t pass up the latest Karen Pirie novel. Pirie is a detective whose addiction is not alcohol or cigarettes, but surgery treats and good-tasting food—one whose vices are close to my own.
Pirie was not quite as appealing in this novel as she has been in the past. She seems to have lost her insecurities—possibly due to having attracted the attentions of Hamish, a charismatic male. There were definitely times when she came across as bossy. In counterbalance, Jason (The Mint), her steadfast but slow-witted DC, seems to be improving, both in confidence and judgement. While enduring personal problems—his beloved mom is hospitalized with Covid and his brother puts Jason’s police career in jeopardy—the Mint immerses himself in work, much like Pirie did after Phil’s death. DS Daisy Mortimer was added as a third member of Karen’s Historical Crimes Unit in ”Still Life” (#6 in the series) and I haven’t decided yet whether I like this addition.
This is a long, complicated novel and, because it moves slowly, I didn’t like it quite as much as I enjoyed the previous Karen Pirie instalment. There were parts, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially those sections where Val McDermid definitely was writing with tongue in cheek. I laughed out loud while reading Chapter 33, which reminded me of a MAD Magazine skit.
The story is set during the Covid lockdown in Scotland, lending it a somber mood. Perhaps because of this, there is a hint of frivolity running throughout, by way of a satire on the publishing industry in general and crime writers groupings in particular. I don’t think you need to know much about the publishing industry to understand the snipes that McDermid takes about the part that book marketing plays in turning specific novels into highly rated best sellers; you only need to be a reader wondering why that one received such good reviews.
McDermid takes care to emphasize in her acknowledgments section that: To my writing friends, I tip my hat. You bring me endless pleasure and marvellous fun. None of the fictional characters in Past Lying is based in any respect on real writers, living or dead. Cross my heart and hope to die! I am very much tempted to add “LOL” after this quote. She does name real writers in the story, but only in terms of books that the fictional characters have read. I noted Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone, Belinda Bauer, and Ann Cleeves. I suspect that these are some whose work she admires; I know they are authors whose books I generally rate highly.
As mentioned earlier, the story moves slowly. I think she easily could have omitted the section on Rafiq, the Syrian refugee—although then we would have lost the hilarious Chapter 33. The book-within-a-book structure works reasonably well, and is needed as the setup for the investigation that follows, but results in some repetition that might have been edited out for a tighter structure. Overall 4.5 stars rounded up, as it will be the last book I read this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for other books in this series:
The Distant Echo (Karen Pirie, #1)
A Darker Domain (Karen Pirie, #2)
Out Of Bounds (Karen Pirie, #4)
Broken Ground (Karen Pirie, #5)
Still Life (Karen Pirie, #6)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pirie was not quite as appealing in this novel as she has been in the past. She seems to have lost her insecurities—possibly due to having attracted the attentions of Hamish, a charismatic male. There were definitely times when she came across as bossy. In counterbalance, Jason (The Mint), her steadfast but slow-witted DC, seems to be improving, both in confidence and judgement. While enduring personal problems—his beloved mom is hospitalized with Covid and his brother puts Jason’s police career in jeopardy—the Mint immerses himself in work, much like Pirie did after Phil’s death. DS Daisy Mortimer was added as a third member of Karen’s Historical Crimes Unit in ”Still Life” (#6 in the series) and I haven’t decided yet whether I like this addition.
This is a long, complicated novel and, because it moves slowly, I didn’t like it quite as much as I enjoyed the previous Karen Pirie instalment. There were parts, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially those sections where Val McDermid definitely was writing with tongue in cheek. I laughed out loud while reading Chapter 33, which reminded me of a MAD Magazine skit.
The story is set during the Covid lockdown in Scotland, lending it a somber mood. Perhaps because of this, there is a hint of frivolity running throughout, by way of a satire on the publishing industry in general and crime writers groupings in particular. I don’t think you need to know much about the publishing industry to understand the snipes that McDermid takes about the part that book marketing plays in turning specific novels into highly rated best sellers; you only need to be a reader wondering why that one received such good reviews.
McDermid takes care to emphasize in her acknowledgments section that: To my writing friends, I tip my hat. You bring me endless pleasure and marvellous fun. None of the fictional characters in Past Lying is based in any respect on real writers, living or dead. Cross my heart and hope to die! I am very much tempted to add “LOL” after this quote. She does name real writers in the story, but only in terms of books that the fictional characters have read. I noted Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone, Belinda Bauer, and Ann Cleeves. I suspect that these are some whose work she admires; I know they are authors whose books I generally rate highly.
As mentioned earlier, the story moves slowly. I think she easily could have omitted the section on Rafiq, the Syrian refugee—although then we would have lost the hilarious Chapter 33. The book-within-a-book structure works reasonably well, and is needed as the setup for the investigation that follows, but results in some repetition that might have been edited out for a tighter structure. Overall 4.5 stars rounded up, as it will be the last book I read this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for other books in this series:
The Distant Echo (Karen Pirie, #1)
A Darker Domain (Karen Pirie, #2)
Out Of Bounds (Karen Pirie, #4)
Broken Ground (Karen Pirie, #5)
Still Life (Karen Pirie, #6)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 10, 2023
This seventh installment in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie of Police Scotland is set in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown--April, 2020. Scotland seems to have had even harsher rules for isolation than I remember.
It's an intriguing plot: Meera Reddy, an archivist at the National Library, contacts DC Jason Murray, one of Pirie's Historical Cases Unit team members, after something in the donated papers of a deceased mystery crime writer named Jake Stein sets off alarm bells for her--it's an unfinished novel titled 'The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver' which sounds like the real-life disappearance a young college student named Lara Hardie a year ago. The novel is about committing the perfect murder.
Jason contacts Karen who goes through the motions of attaining a copy of this novel from the archives and after reading it, she agrees it's worth looking into. After all, there's not much else going on at the moment!
I enjoyed this police procedural that has the added wrinkle of dealing with lockdown restrictions and its effects on interpersonal relationships. Interviews have to be done by Zoom or FaceTime or out of doors, keeping the required distance. Karen is staying in her lover Hamish's flat while he's away north at his working croft. He's allowed her to share the place with her team member, Detective Sergeant Daisy Mortimer, which means they can continue to work together as they are considered to be 'in a bubble.' Jason has a ne'er-do-well brother who nearly causes him his job.
Are you ready yet to revisit the days of the pandemic? If so, I think you will enjoy this cleverly-plotted mystery.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
It's an intriguing plot: Meera Reddy, an archivist at the National Library, contacts DC Jason Murray, one of Pirie's Historical Cases Unit team members, after something in the donated papers of a deceased mystery crime writer named Jake Stein sets off alarm bells for her--it's an unfinished novel titled 'The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver' which sounds like the real-life disappearance a young college student named Lara Hardie a year ago. The novel is about committing the perfect murder.
Jason contacts Karen who goes through the motions of attaining a copy of this novel from the archives and after reading it, she agrees it's worth looking into. After all, there's not much else going on at the moment!
I enjoyed this police procedural that has the added wrinkle of dealing with lockdown restrictions and its effects on interpersonal relationships. Interviews have to be done by Zoom or FaceTime or out of doors, keeping the required distance. Karen is staying in her lover Hamish's flat while he's away north at his working croft. He's allowed her to share the place with her team member, Detective Sergeant Daisy Mortimer, which means they can continue to work together as they are considered to be 'in a bubble.' Jason has a ne'er-do-well brother who nearly causes him his job.
Are you ready yet to revisit the days of the pandemic? If so, I think you will enjoy this cleverly-plotted mystery.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
December 3, 2023
Past Lying (Karen Pirie #7) by Val McDermid
This story illustrates the shut down during the worst of the Pandemic. Even at this time crime waits for no man...or woman. Karen Pirie and her close knit team while observing lock down regulations they plod on in unraveling a murder that at first goes according to the plans made by the mastermind behind it.
This was the 7th in the Karen Pirie series. I can't thank the author enough for the hours of entertainment it brought into my life. "Queen of Crime" is her title and she's earned every letter in it.
How in the world does V.M. have time for a life of her own?
Don't let this fantastic book pass you by.
This story illustrates the shut down during the worst of the Pandemic. Even at this time crime waits for no man...or woman. Karen Pirie and her close knit team while observing lock down regulations they plod on in unraveling a murder that at first goes according to the plans made by the mastermind behind it.
This was the 7th in the Karen Pirie series. I can't thank the author enough for the hours of entertainment it brought into my life. "Queen of Crime" is her title and she's earned every letter in it.
How in the world does V.M. have time for a life of her own?
Don't let this fantastic book pass you by.
November 17, 2023
Sharp, intricate, and gripping!
Past Lying is a well-paced, enthralling police procedural that sees Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie and her HCU team investigating the case of a missing woman during the deserted streets of lockdown when an archivist stumbles on an unpublished manuscript of a recently deceased author that seems to represent life imitating art involving two authors and the perfect crime.
The writing is compelling and tight. The characters are intelligent, multilayered, and persistent. And the plot, set during the COVID pandemic, is an intense, mysterious tale filled with twists, turns, deception, infidelity, revenge, jealousy, red herrings, suspicious personalities, lies, secrets, deduction, greed, and murder.
Overall, Past Lying is another complex, intriguing, atmospheric addition to the Karen Pirie series by McDermid that ultimately left me surprised, engrossed, and undoubtedly confident that this is still a must-read series for me.
Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Past Lying is a well-paced, enthralling police procedural that sees Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie and her HCU team investigating the case of a missing woman during the deserted streets of lockdown when an archivist stumbles on an unpublished manuscript of a recently deceased author that seems to represent life imitating art involving two authors and the perfect crime.
The writing is compelling and tight. The characters are intelligent, multilayered, and persistent. And the plot, set during the COVID pandemic, is an intense, mysterious tale filled with twists, turns, deception, infidelity, revenge, jealousy, red herrings, suspicious personalities, lies, secrets, deduction, greed, and murder.
Overall, Past Lying is another complex, intriguing, atmospheric addition to the Karen Pirie series by McDermid that ultimately left me surprised, engrossed, and undoubtedly confident that this is still a must-read series for me.
Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2023
The plot was good though predictable. The over emphasis on COVID protocols and the constant mention of masks, bubbles and social distancing with Pirie giving scant regard to them while climbing the moral high horse when it comes to others feel outdated and less palatable.
October 28, 2023
So disappointing. I can hardly believe this is the same author who brought us the complicated relationship of Carol Jordan and Tony Hill. It was like writing by numbers. We need a nursery with a twist at the end so here it is (very guessable unfortunately). Relationships not interesting - maybe because it’s a lockdown novel. I am finding VMcD’s novels becoming decreasingly interesting so might move on.
May 17, 2023
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
This had a devious and complicated plot, involving a dead writer whose archive material contains a story which might explain what happened to a real life missing person. I found Karen completely humourless in this book - it has been a while since I read the previous instalment, but I don't remember it bothering me before. I would also caution you not to read this book if you're unwilling to immerse yourself in the circumstances of the first Covid lockdown. It was all there - no one going to work, one hour's exercise, trying to interpret the rules in specific situations, people getting sick. I found it made me anxious.
I guessed one of the twists, and felt that part of the solution was unfairly predicated on one character's writing abilities turning out to be completely different from what we had been told.
This was an engrossing read, but no fun somehow.
This had a devious and complicated plot, involving a dead writer whose archive material contains a story which might explain what happened to a real life missing person. I found Karen completely humourless in this book - it has been a while since I read the previous instalment, but I don't remember it bothering me before. I would also caution you not to read this book if you're unwilling to immerse yourself in the circumstances of the first Covid lockdown. It was all there - no one going to work, one hour's exercise, trying to interpret the rules in specific situations, people getting sick. I found it made me anxious.
I guessed one of the twists, and felt that part of the solution was unfairly predicated on one character's writing abilities turning out to be completely different from what we had been told.
This was an engrossing read, but no fun somehow.
January 24, 2024
It's 2020 and we all know what happened. Edinburgh police are adjusting to the new restrictions. DCI Karen Pirie of the Historical Crimes Unit is already feeling the pressure of confinement when her DC Jason Murray calls to relay a conversation with a contact he has at the National Library. She is archiving the paperwork of a recently deceased author and come across a document that sounds eerily similar to the disappearance of a young woman a year earlier. Karen and DS Daisy Mortimer read through the paperwork and agree this doesn't appear to be a coincidence. They have an investigation to dig into.
The Queen of Crime devised an immensely clever way to deconstruct a crime through a fictional recounting. Val McDermid includes the constraints of the pandemic in the investigation, as well as conveying the emotional ramifications of that time period. Past Lying is another excellent procedural from McDermid.
And there is one aspect of the forensic investigation that will live in my brain forever. Thanks Val.
The Queen of Crime devised an immensely clever way to deconstruct a crime through a fictional recounting. Val McDermid includes the constraints of the pandemic in the investigation, as well as conveying the emotional ramifications of that time period. Past Lying is another excellent procedural from McDermid.
And there is one aspect of the forensic investigation that will live in my brain forever. Thanks Val.
February 9, 2024
Extremely boring, awful! Most of the narrative taken up with reminding us of COVID precautions
July 22, 2023
I received a free copy of, Past Lying, by Val McDermid, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book number seven in the Inspector Karen Pirie series. Its 2020, or the year of lockdown,in England, as we know it. Inspector Karen Piries is notified about a cold case that is heating up. Murder, intrigue, suspense, this book has it all, an enjoyable read.
July 22, 2023
It’s April 2021, DCI Karen Pirie is in lockdown because of Covid. She is living with Daisy in Hamish’s apartment while he is away. In their quarantine “bubble” Daisy and Karen are getting to bettter know each other. But then crime takes an unlikely turn. A newly discovered manuscript, detailing a murder with possible links to real crime emerges. It is from a deceased novelist, but it sparks a sudden interest in an employee at the National Archives. She is Jason’s friend. He brings the far-fetched scenario to Karen’s attention. Could this possibly be the actual plan of a past crime?
McDermid has lots of elements to juggle here and does all of them exceedingly well. There is getting around Covid protocols to investigate. There is personal drama in the separate lives of Karen, Daisy, and Jason. There is the book within in a book manuscript. And there is even a subplot going back to Karen’s relationship with the Syrian refugee community. McDermid juggles all these elements with skill. Readers will be challenged but will want to keep up to learn how she pulls this off. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.
McDermid has lots of elements to juggle here and does all of them exceedingly well. There is getting around Covid protocols to investigate. There is personal drama in the separate lives of Karen, Daisy, and Jason. There is the book within in a book manuscript. And there is even a subplot going back to Karen’s relationship with the Syrian refugee community. McDermid juggles all these elements with skill. Readers will be challenged but will want to keep up to learn how she pulls this off. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.
November 28, 2023
The book opens with an interesting idea, and I really did enjoy the book-within-a-book sub-plot as well as the time setting of being at the start of the first COVID lockdown (spring 2020 - that led to some pensive reminiscences on my part), but I was very frustrated by how the police dealt with the evidence in a rather slow and obtuse way. It seems obvious who the culprit(s) is/are quite early into the book.
I also found the main detective, Karen Pirie, somewhat obnoxiously self-righteous and quite a two dimensional character.
It's often fun to read a book set in a location that you're familiar with, but while the author street-name drops her way around Edinburgh the book doesn't actually develop that much of a sense of place which seemed like a bit of a lost opportunity. A few more descriptive passages wouldn't have gone astray.
All in all I found this a perfunctory piece of tartan noir which won't particularly have me rushing to grab another book from the series any time soon. I'll probably get round to another at some point though.
I also found the main detective, Karen Pirie, somewhat obnoxiously self-righteous and quite a two dimensional character.
It's often fun to read a book set in a location that you're familiar with, but while the author street-name drops her way around Edinburgh the book doesn't actually develop that much of a sense of place which seemed like a bit of a lost opportunity. A few more descriptive passages wouldn't have gone astray.
All in all I found this a perfunctory piece of tartan noir which won't particularly have me rushing to grab another book from the series any time soon. I'll probably get round to another at some point though.
July 5, 2023
DCI Karen Pirie is back in book 7 of the thrilling series joined. by Daisy and Jason of course!
The setting is 2020 lockdown in England. If you aren't ready to revisit it all, I would caution reading this story. McDermid however brings it to life and there are many many reminders of what we were supposed to do (as well as how many people decided not to follow government recommendations). Juggling multiple view points, she presents a mystery of an unfinished novel predicting a mysterious disappearance a year earlier. A little long, but still very entertaining for any McDermid or Pirie fan! #Grove
The setting is 2020 lockdown in England. If you aren't ready to revisit it all, I would caution reading this story. McDermid however brings it to life and there are many many reminders of what we were supposed to do (as well as how many people decided not to follow government recommendations). Juggling multiple view points, she presents a mystery of an unfinished novel predicting a mysterious disappearance a year earlier. A little long, but still very entertaining for any McDermid or Pirie fan! #Grove
August 20, 2023
4.5 stars
As a police procedural set during lockdown, the tone of this reflects the isolation and desperation of that time making the story tight and a tad anxious. The levels of twist upon twist are staggering. Taut and totally entertaining. And McDermid's masterful ability to use her setting as almost a character adds an intensity. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a police procedural set during lockdown, the tone of this reflects the isolation and desperation of that time making the story tight and a tad anxious. The levels of twist upon twist are staggering. Taut and totally entertaining. And McDermid's masterful ability to use her setting as almost a character adds an intensity. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2024
I think I’m done with this author. I like Karen Pirie, but each book seems to have more political axes to grind than the last. I’m weary of it and have too many other books I want to read to continue with this irritating series.
February 24, 2024
I’ve enjoyed the previous Karen Pirie books. I didn’t like this one. I got fed up with the Covid details, repeated and repeated again. I’m also sick of Val McDermid’s political point scoring which we can do without. Irritating in the extreme. I’m done with VM
March 9, 2024
A slower burning “outing” for the members of the Historic Cases Unit. Astute recollections of early Covid lockdowns. And characters in our small team of professionals with real integrity.
September 2, 2023
From The Cover📖
It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot—the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed—but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have.
Review⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I saw there was a seventh outing for Karen Pirie and her team I was super excited to get my hands on an ARC. I read all the Pirie novels during lockdown so was even more keen to read this novel set during the pandemic. I begged to get this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the author and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this.
As is always the case the story is told in the first person, within this novel we hear from Karen herself and her two junior police colleagues Jason and Daisy whilst at the start of the lockdown in 2020. The historical case unit of police Scotland are not on front line duty during the pandemic and are as such working from home reviewing old case files it while this happening Jason receives a call from a equally bored police contact about a discovery she thinks could be related to a historical missing person case of a young woman . There after kicks off a very unique and intriguing story with sub plots running though. While McDermid’s is always original and fresh she does follow the classic plot arks but presents them in a new way, she is a genius that way, this book shows she is accomplished writer with great story telling skills.
Within this book there was a lot I liked. I loved the book within a book, at times I wanted to read of the book within than the actual novel. The covid setting also interested me I think enough time has passed for books to be set during this time, I felt McDermid captured the sense of what it was like in lockdown and she highlighted the injustice of the differences between how people experienced it, the sub plot with Jason’s mum was truly heartbreaking. I found the covid back story provided great reflection on the situation for the reader. As always the way Scotland, in particular Edinburgh within this novel, is portrayed is perfect the amazing country becomes a character itself with the real to life places described in such detail. I liked the inside look into a writers world. The highlighting of the refugee crisis and the plight of Syria was real added dimension that not raised awareness but also allowed for further character development for Karen, nicely setting up the next book. I really have warmed to Daisy in this book and as always I loved Jason, I appreciated the look into his personal life, it really developed him as more if main character than Karen’s lackey. An added bonus was all the book recommendations scattered within the novel, just started The Skelfs series, a series I had missed so thanks you that I am really enjoying them.
Now for the negative I appreciate that authors will put their own works views in their writing but I have increasingly that with McDermid’s work that she is pushing a political agenda with a too much force, it’s extremely off putting.
The constant stream of support for Nicola Sturgeon is pitiful given what we know now it’s actually quite comical, still time remove the Saint Nicola references before publication.
You can make points without shoving it down folks throat, found the Allie Burns books like and it sad to see Karen going the same way. I found there is too much of trying to be woke it comes across as too obvious and actually looses the point the author is trying to make.
With this book I also found myself going off Karen as a character she is very unlikable in the novel she is very self righteous and arrogant she has become a caricature of a strong female police officer, she actually gives me Nicola Sturgeon vibes which is so off putting.
I found the pacing a bit off with the book normally if I do work out any twists or solution it is late on in the book but with this I worked it all out by chapter 30 and I had idea long before. It seemed rushed and was more I exercise in making political and social points.
While this was good idea it needed some of the old magic to really make it great. I am sure fans will love it and even while it’s not the best in the series it wouldn’t stop me giving the next instalment a go.
Thank you for the ARC.
It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot—the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed—but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have.
Review⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I saw there was a seventh outing for Karen Pirie and her team I was super excited to get my hands on an ARC. I read all the Pirie novels during lockdown so was even more keen to read this novel set during the pandemic. I begged to get this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the author and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this.
As is always the case the story is told in the first person, within this novel we hear from Karen herself and her two junior police colleagues Jason and Daisy whilst at the start of the lockdown in 2020. The historical case unit of police Scotland are not on front line duty during the pandemic and are as such working from home reviewing old case files it while this happening Jason receives a call from a equally bored police contact about a discovery she thinks could be related to a historical missing person case of a young woman . There after kicks off a very unique and intriguing story with sub plots running though. While McDermid’s is always original and fresh she does follow the classic plot arks but presents them in a new way, she is a genius that way, this book shows she is accomplished writer with great story telling skills.
Within this book there was a lot I liked. I loved the book within a book, at times I wanted to read of the book within than the actual novel. The covid setting also interested me I think enough time has passed for books to be set during this time, I felt McDermid captured the sense of what it was like in lockdown and she highlighted the injustice of the differences between how people experienced it, the sub plot with Jason’s mum was truly heartbreaking. I found the covid back story provided great reflection on the situation for the reader. As always the way Scotland, in particular Edinburgh within this novel, is portrayed is perfect the amazing country becomes a character itself with the real to life places described in such detail. I liked the inside look into a writers world. The highlighting of the refugee crisis and the plight of Syria was real added dimension that not raised awareness but also allowed for further character development for Karen, nicely setting up the next book. I really have warmed to Daisy in this book and as always I loved Jason, I appreciated the look into his personal life, it really developed him as more if main character than Karen’s lackey. An added bonus was all the book recommendations scattered within the novel, just started The Skelfs series, a series I had missed so thanks you that I am really enjoying them.
Now for the negative I appreciate that authors will put their own works views in their writing but I have increasingly that with McDermid’s work that she is pushing a political agenda with a too much force, it’s extremely off putting.
The constant stream of support for Nicola Sturgeon is pitiful given what we know now it’s actually quite comical, still time remove the Saint Nicola references before publication.
You can make points without shoving it down folks throat, found the Allie Burns books like and it sad to see Karen going the same way. I found there is too much of trying to be woke it comes across as too obvious and actually looses the point the author is trying to make.
With this book I also found myself going off Karen as a character she is very unlikable in the novel she is very self righteous and arrogant she has become a caricature of a strong female police officer, she actually gives me Nicola Sturgeon vibes which is so off putting.
I found the pacing a bit off with the book normally if I do work out any twists or solution it is late on in the book but with this I worked it all out by chapter 30 and I had idea long before. It seemed rushed and was more I exercise in making political and social points.
While this was good idea it needed some of the old magic to really make it great. I am sure fans will love it and even while it’s not the best in the series it wouldn’t stop me giving the next instalment a go.
Thank you for the ARC.
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