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.
Showing posts with label Scotland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scotland. Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Sunday, July 29, 2012
the Distant Echo, by Val McDermid
2003
This stand alone novel by Val McDermid is helping elaborate my background for an upcoming trip to Scotland. I am probably going to be seeing murderers everywhere I turn. To keep in balance I'm also watching the BBC Hamish Macbeth television series.
McDermid tells the story of four male college students who happen upon a young woman who has been brutally attacked and dies as they try to help her. The four become the police's primary suspects although they are innocent of the murder. No charges are ever brought against them and the murder goes unsolved. The four have to live of with the suspicions of the murdered girl's brothers and other community members. The investigation is reactivated as a cold case with the advent of DNA testing and other advances in forensic science.
I have read almost all of McDermid's Tony Hill novels. The Distant Echo did not really capture my imagination as much as the Hill novels do. The novel spans 25 years and has to keep two parallel time frames sensible to the reader. I thought McDermid handled this quite well however, it did make for some mental exercise on the part of the reader. She also took two of the main characters to America for their adult lives. I still don't quite know how I feel about this intrusion of America into her world in Scotland.
This stand alone novel by Val McDermid is helping elaborate my background for an upcoming trip to Scotland. I am probably going to be seeing murderers everywhere I turn. To keep in balance I'm also watching the BBC Hamish Macbeth television series.
McDermid tells the story of four male college students who happen upon a young woman who has been brutally attacked and dies as they try to help her. The four become the police's primary suspects although they are innocent of the murder. No charges are ever brought against them and the murder goes unsolved. The four have to live of with the suspicions of the murdered girl's brothers and other community members. The investigation is reactivated as a cold case with the advent of DNA testing and other advances in forensic science.
I have read almost all of McDermid's Tony Hill novels. The Distant Echo did not really capture my imagination as much as the Hill novels do. The novel spans 25 years and has to keep two parallel time frames sensible to the reader. I thought McDermid handled this quite well however, it did make for some mental exercise on the part of the reader. She also took two of the main characters to America for their adult lives. I still don't quite know how I feel about this intrusion of America into her world in Scotland.
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