Val McDermid

Silent Bones by Val McDermid is the 8th book in the Karen Pirie series and is a strong addition. This can be read as a standalone but you'll enjoy it more if you're already familiar with the characters and their backstories.

This police procedural is realistic in the sense that no department, let alone the head of a department, works on only one case at a time. Since a historical crimes unit, or cold case unit, has fewer pressing new cases, there aren't a lot of cases that require immediate show more attention, which allows McDermid to keep the load down to two. I much prefer this to the unrealistic, but often still enjoyable, novel where a department and/or a detective appears to have only one case that they can devote all of their time to. That does, admittedly, mean keeping a few extra names and events in mind while reading. I find the depth it adds to the characters, having to juggle cases as well as whatever personal life they have, well worth the minimal extra effort to keep a few extra names in mind.

While there isn't any connection between the two cases here, except a name that pops up in both, they do work together to give the reader a better picture of how money and power work behind the scenes, both to benefit those already well off and make things more difficult (if not blatantly unfair) for the rest of the people. I also think having two cases and three officers working them allows for many relatively short and propulsive scenes and chapters. We move rapidly from one person working the archives to another talking to a witness or suspect, then maybe to another in their personal life.

About the personal lives and the office dynamics, I think they work well whether you're reading this as a standalone or as the latest installment in the series. A one time reader gets enough background to understand how and why each of the officers approach their jobs the way they do, what strengths and weaknesses they have and how they are working to improve their personal and professional lives. And of course for those reading the series, you've already come to care about them and want to know what is going on. I think there are enough personal scenes to keep their storylines moving for those of us reading the series but not so many that it bogs the novel down for the standalone reader. Besides, it is often the personal connections that help them to get information they might not have easily gotten through official channels.

I usually read several books at a time, different genres so I don't have too much of a jumble in my mind, but once I started this I didn't want to read much of anything else, so rather than making it stretch out over three or four days I read just this until I finished, so a one day read. The entire book is paced well, surges and then a respite before the next surge, but by the time there were only a handful of chapters left it was absolutely propulsive, I couldn't read fast enough to satisfy my curiosity.

I would recommend this for readers of any kind of crime fiction, though readers who want it kept to a simple single case may be less enthusiastic. But if you like something more realistic with well-rounded characters and can handle a handful of additional names to keep track of, you'll find a lot to enjoy here.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Still grieving the death of her husband, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Prie throws herself into her work. She's working two cases; one informally: a young man's recent suicide has a link to an old case: in 1994 his mother and several others were killed when their airplane crashed due to a terrorist bomb blamed on the IRA. Karen doesn't believe in coincidences. Meanwhile, when a teenager crashes his car and is severely injured, a routine DNA test makes a link to unsolved rape-murder cold show more case.

After a five-hour, "nothing-gets-done-until-I-finish-this-book" stint, having been completely engrossed for 484 pages, I declared this book the nearest thing to a perfect police procedural as can be. And I have read a lot of police procedurals! Let me tell you why...

First, the cases are really, really interesting ones. They are complex and Prie (or McDermid) unravels them in an excruciatingly delicious way. The second reason is the compelling character of Detective Karen Prie: tough but vulnerable, a pain-in-the-ass for her superiors (her boss hates her), stubborn & doggedly relentless, ingenious, and bloody brilliant. And yet she is not devoid of empathy or concern for others. Third, McDermid brings the suspense up slowly as the investigation progresses over the story—no crazy chase scenes, no shoot-outs... (which isn't to say there isn't a bit action from time to time) just a tightening, a kind of breathlessness, as Prie gets closer to the answers. It's a real buzz for those of us who love the process, that tightening of the circle, that breathlessness.

This is the 4th book McDermid has done with this character. I've read all of McDermid except for her Tony Hill books, and I'm sure I've read the previous, but I can't remember them, which is all to say, that this can be read as a standalone.

I picked up my copy a while back from the UK via the Book Depository before it was out here in the states. It has just recently come out in paperback here (terrible US cover, but oh, what's inside....) show less

This is the follow up to "The Retribution" if you're a faithful fan of this popular series featuring Dr. Tony Hill & DCI Carol Jordan. But no worries if you're not. I haven't read the previous book & had no problem picking up the story line while enjoying this excellent police procedural.
After the fallout from the case involving serial killer Jacko Vance, few lives have survived unaltered. The members of the MCI have gone their separate ways after it was disbanded. Tony is rarely called upon show more these days as the police force blames budget cuts. Paula has become a DS & is now attached to a new DCI in Bradfield. Stacy wastes her mad forensic cyber skills in an unchallenging position. And Carol has walked away from it all. She quit the force, moved into the barn where her brother & his partner were murdered by Vance & has cut ties to her old colleagues.
She & Tony were set to move in together. He had inherited an old Victorian but by the time Vance was through, his house was destroyed & so was his relationship with Carol. She blames him for not predicting Vance would go after her brother. Crippled by guilt & unemployed, she decides to lose herself in DIY. Maybe if she can fix up the barn, she can apply those same skills to her life. Remember the old adage "man plans, God laughs"? Well, before too long, the whole gang will be drawn together again in a way none of them could have foreseen.
Paula starts her new job as a "bagman" for DCI Alex Fielding, a tough as nails woman determined to make her mark. They catch a case involving the horrific murder of Nadia, a pharmaceutical sales rep. She was young, blonde, attractive & professional. No one should have to witness what was done to her body and Paula & co. have a bad feeling about the killer capable of such an act.
Bev is the single mother of Torin, a 14 year old buy. When she doesn't come home one night, her son turns to the police & meets Paula. She takes an interest because she met Bev through her partner, Elinor Blessing. Bev is a pharmacist at the same hospital. She's young, blonde, attractive & professional.
Marie is a successful business manager, starting a new job at a mobile phone company. She soon realizes her biggest challenge may be dealing with the old boys club. She is young, blonde, attractive & professional. And soon, she'll also be missing.
What follows is a fast paced thriller you will resent putting down, even as you cringe. This book really features Paula. She'a at the heart of the action as the investigation takes off & when one of the old gang is arrested as the killer, she secretly gets the others together to prove her boss wrong. Maybe while pooling their professional skills, some of their personal wounds will begin to heal.
In alternate chapters we meet & follow the activities of the real murderer, a guy who will make your skin crawl & his game plan is truly horrifying.
The title comes from a quote about bridges...which to cross & which to burn. It's an apt metaphor for the interpersonal bridges tested in this gripping novel. You feel for Tony & Carol, both of whom are lost in their grief & guilt. Ironically, they are the only ones who could help each other but first they'd have to actually speak.
If you were to look at all my reviews (150+ on amazon.ca), you might notice I rarely give out 5 stars. For that to happen, I have to feel absorbed by the book, transported to its' setting & surrounded by the characters....characters I might like or hate but always believe. I try to give what I appreciate from other reviewers, an honest opinion of whether a book is worth your hard earned cash.So I'll give the short list of what you'll find here: a tightly written complex plot, layered & fully realized characters you care about & a bad guy who will have you double checking all your locks. Especially if you're young, blonde......you know.
Highly recommend. show less

Cross and Burn, the latest by author Val McDermid begins where The Retribution left off. Carol Jordan, racked with grief and guilt over the deaths of her brother and his partner, has left the police. Her team has been separated and Paula McIntyre is now bagman for DCI Fielding, Carol's replacement. Fielding is a single-minded, by-the-book, I'm-in charge kind of leader and she despises profilers like Tony Hill who is as racked by guilt as Carol.

The story opens with the thoughts and plans of a show more particularly vicious serial killer who is targeting women who look like Carol. When a friend of Paula's goes missing, Paula is approached by her teenaged son who is convinced something must have happened to her. Paula agrees but her new boss doesn't. Paula decides to investigate anyway and calls Tony to help her. Soon it becomes clear that her friend was the latest victim of the killer and, unbelievably, all the evidence points to Tony.

This is author McDermid's eighth Tony Hill book, not to mention the British TV series Wire in the Blood based on the books. One would think it would start to get stale by now and yet somehow McDermid is able to maintain the quality and integrity of the series and it is still one of the best police procedurals around today. And a lot of that is down to the characters. Tony and Carol who, despite all their neuroses or maybe because of them, never fail to gain the empathy of the reader. Although the story is tale of good versus evil, it is definitely not simple. McDermid's characters have nuances and character flaws including self-doubt which makes it easy to relate to them. Even the serial killer, despite his sadism, has a fascinating back story which explains his actions without excusing them. In this book, though, it is Paula who carries the tale and, in her, McDermid has created one of the best female characters in the genre - smart, strong but able to bend when necessary.

There is enough background from the previous book that this could be read as a stand-alone. However, for fans of police procedurals and for those who prefer a more nuanced story, you really should check out the entire series. It's definitely a huge cut above the usual run-of-the mill thriller. show less