Sheer brilliance - 5 - star

Ok.....slight spoiler coming up....so look away :)....yes now :)) For those of you who have read The Skeleton Road we all know that Karen's boyfriend Phil is no more but in true McDermid style we do not dwell over the issue simply mention at the close of the book. The writing as always is excellent, well researched, and excellent characterization expecially in the descritpions and of our 2 main heroes Karen and the ever tasteful mint :) The new itv crime series Karen Pirie has been recently on prime time tv and yet the character playing Karen Pirie is somewhat slim and a little more organised than the Karen we know and love....."a stocky woman of middle height with a shrewd gaze, a messy haircut and a slightly crumpled business suit"....."As usual, her thick mop of dark hair looked as if she'd shared a stylist with Dennis the Menace".........:) Jason the "mint" Murray young and eager, if a little geeky is her constant companion but often receiving putdowns form and exasperated DCI...."Karen sighed. Education Jason was an uphill struggle. How come I know? Because I read books, Jason. Because I watch things on the telly that aren't boy comics doing panel games"......." Now do your maths homework or play Candy Crush or something useful while I check my email"........lovely :) 

A skeleton is discovered atop a crumbling gothic building in Edinburgh and on close inspection the skull has a neat hole at the front...enter our intrepid duo...always ready for battle which will take Karen and the Mint from the hallowed grounds of Oxford university to the killing fields of Croatia for a killer still active and at large. It would not be a Val McDermid thriller if we did not have a pompous boss and Assistant Chief Constable Simon Lees is perfect for this role. He views Karen with disdain in her slightly crumpled suit...."the trousers a shade too tight over the generous hips"...Karen is equal to his arrogance as..."she perched on the edge of an elegant sideboard he'd bought from his grandmother's house. His secretary kept it buffed to within an inch of its life...Lees felt sure Pirie knew that"......

The dept of justice is also trying to solve a number of murders over the past 7 years and 2 somwhat bumbling individuals, Macanespie and Proctor are cannon fodder to KP. At 450+ pages the novel is the perfect size for McDermid to introduce a number of possible suspects but the brilliance in her writing is left until the last few pages when the person of most interest to me the reader turned out to be a read herring.....so well disguised by the author. This is a wonderful read, writing of the finest order, that ends on a sad note, however knowing the strength of Karen Pirie I know she will soon return for another exciting adventure. Highly highly recommended!