Book Review

Title.             Still Life - A Karen Pirie Thriller

Author.          Val McDermid

After reading John Le Carré’s 2008 novel, ‘A Most Wanted Man’, I was not tempted to read another book too soon afterwards.  I looked at the books in the pile to be read, engrossed myself in my own writing and then by magic ‘Still Life’ arrived in our home.  

I suppose I knew what I was getting with any story by ‘The Queen of Crime’ and I also knew how well the writing could be. I was not disappointed. 

The prologue starts us of and so in a few lines there is a body. The date is 15th February 2020 and  pre-covid. That would have been a bugger for any story except, of  course, a new style of something! I do like the way an investigation is confined to around two weeks although the story originates a decade ago.

Val McDermid does characters so well. She creates them not as complete people, but they always have a flaw which gives the reader ‘something to bite into’. Sometimes I find some aspects of a character can jar. She will develop one to a point and you can tell that one is heading to be imperfect and on the other hand another one can become elevated. The one thing I detest is when ‘the common old bill’ are rubbished and referred to as ‘plods’. At the other end of the hierarchy she can set up a ‘superior’ officer so well then stand back and watch the crash. That balances it out, I suppose!

I thoroughly enjoyed it but I had one big disappointment and that pissed me off! Also did I work it out? Well, that would be telling. Yours to relish!

I love the way the various threads are woven and even one aspect is let to unravel on its own. There is more than one investigation to be balanced within the book and what they are about is for you to read.

She plays locations well. So important are they that they become extra characters to enjoy.

I never reveal much about any book that I review. Crime novels are generally about murder and always about who has done what. This book weaves in other aspects which includes deceit, lies,  whatever else is unsavory and knowledge too.