A Karen Pirie Novel
One of the peak experiences in my life was attending the Edinburgh Arts Festival. As a result of my days in Edinburgh, a train ride to London, and my family's ancestry I have become very interested in Scotland. Val McDermid's novels continue to tease me into commitment to a much longer sojourn to the country. I had to pull out my Lonely Planet guide to locate the spots that narrative include. As I have some free time I'm going to get busy Googling images from the area.
McDermid is one of the best crime writers working today. If you haven't read her various series and are a fan of crime fiction you have a very joyous year (or more) ahead of you. I am not going to spoil anything about the Karen Pirie series here. I will tell you how much I love the character and supporting cast. One of McDermid's writing tools is to create well-rounded characters with plenty of personal flaws. Karen is particularly compelling to me. She has many of the same character defects that plagued me throughout my working life. (If you're interested---a commitment to finding the truth, impatience with bureaucracy, and disrespect of superiors who do the politically expedient thing or are flat out dishonest.)
Back to my travel plans. It looks like I'll need to travel most of Scotland to cover the territory of this book. Honestly, I'm a bit hesitant. The roads sound horrible to drive and in other books (not this one) the weather sounds quite unpleasant. I'll let you know when I go there.
