Reviews

Past Lying by Val McDermid

rachiebeeee's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bethsy's review against another edition

There really is only one Val McDermid and right now she’s acing it out of the park. Past Lying is a brilliant book – it has a fantastically engaging, beautifully layered plot, terrific characters whose lives really speak to you and a sense of time and place that loudly resonate.

Past Lying sees Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie of the Historic Cases Unit moving in with her colleague DS Daisy Mortimer at the start of lockdown. They’re in Karen’s boyfriend Hamish McKenzie’s flat because it’s bigger and Hamish is in the Highlands, busy converting a battered old still into a hand sanitising business.

It seemed like a good idea – company for each other in nice upmarket surroundings, but Karen doesn’t know Daisy all that well and the barrier between boss and subordinate isn’t one she wants to see breaking down too fast. Daisy too has things she may not want to divulge to Karen, at least not yet.

Val McDermid brings the whole Covid experience back, reminding us how difficult it was and just how restrictive. Without hindsight or irony she has Karen explain how we are all in it together – even Boris Johnson. It sticks in the throat.

Jason ‘The Mint’ Murray has been contacted by a librarian from the National Library archives who thinks though the manuscript, entitled The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver, purports to be fictional; it bears too many similarities to the case of Lara Hardie, an Edinburgh University student and emerging writer who disappeared. The manuscript could contain the answer to what happened to Lara Hardie, but there’s a problem: the author, Jake Stein, died before he finished it.

Thus begins an investigation that sees Karen stretching the limits of the lockdown rules to get to the truth. We know Karen is a resilient and intelligent protagonist, with a sharp mind and a tenacious spirit. Her dedication to seeking justice for the victims in her cases is a central aspect of her personality. McDermid paints a vivid picture of Karen’s dedication and her ability to balance the demands of her job with more than a touch of vulnerability and humanity.

Looking into Stein’s life it is clear that he was no saint. A self-aggrandiser, Stein’s career was on the wane after he wrote a cruel and none too disguised character in his one of his last books who was a woman with whom he had an affair that turned sour when she dumped him.

Now this manuscript of Stein’s has turned up in which he seems to explain exactly how he committed the perfect crime and framed another crime writer for Lara’s murder. It’s a riveting premise and it never falters as McDermid delivers an action packed, twisty read that keeps us on our toes.

But there is also a great deal of smiling to be done while reading this novel. Because this is a murder mystery about crime writers and Val McDermid has clearly enjoyed writing it. (I particularly love the reference to the ‘cute’ Doug Johnston).  There’s a huge amount of charm for the crime reading aficionado – frequent discussion of crime writers’ habits, book events and the subjects people choose to write about – which had me chuckling with recognition.

McDermid skillfully integrates wit and levity into the darker themes of the crime genre. The gentle humour serves as a counterbalance, both to the intensity of the investigations and to the heavy toll that Covid is placing on everyone.

A sub plot has Karen back in touch with the Syrian refugees whom she helped to set up their café and serves to remind us of the atrocities of Assad’s regime as well as show us the how compassionate Karen really is.

Karen Pirie’s relationships with her team are a crucial part of the narrative. She values teamwork and collaboration, allowing her colleagues to shine and contribute their expertise. Jason is struggling in this story as Covid impacts on his personal life and the sway in which Karen helps him handle his problems adds depth to Karen’s character.

Verdict: Past Lying is a terrifically crafted crime novel with an engaging plot structure, a resilient protagonist in Karen Pirie, and develops both the personal and professional lives of the team. Val McDermid writes with real strength and humanity about lockdown and the impact of Covid on families and individuals in a way that is genuinely heart-breaking.

The infusion of humour throughout the story showcases McDermid’s prowess in delivering a captivating narrative with some terrifically smart plotting that keeps readers both entertained and emotionally invested. It’s a triumph and a cracking page turner.

canada_matt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Val McDermid, and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

There is something about Val McDermid and her crime thrillers that always gets my pulse up. This was no exception, as I waded through a police procedural set in the middle of COVID. McDermid produces a great novel, with some eerie twists, as well as some great ‘what if’ moments. When a popular crime writer dies and his estate is sent to the National Library of Scotland, the early draft of an unpublished novel piques an archivist’s interest. One of the characters mirrors a recently missing young woman, whose name was in headlines before the pandemic. Could the author have committed the crime and framed someone, as is seen in the draft? DCI Karen Pirie and her Historic Cases Unit investigate in this gripping piece.

Edinburgh is on lockdown during the COVID pandemic in April 2020. While crime has cooled down, a call from the National Library of Scotland heats things up quite a bit An archivist has been cataloguing the work of a popular crime writer who has recently passed on. The premise of his unpublished manuscript sounds a great deal like a perfect murder. What’s even more concerning is that the victim resembles a recently missing young university student with the same unique medical condition. A call to DCI Karen Pirie evokes some interest, as the Historic Cases Unit begins their informal investigation.

With the pandemic, DCI Pirie is shackled as to what she can do, but will work things off the radar and use protocols to keep her team safe. While looking into the case, it appears as though the unpublished manuscript speaks of not only grooming a young author, but also killing her, before trying to push the murder on a best friend by utilising some ‘perfect murder’ techniques. DCI Pirie cannot help but want to know more, determined to see if this is the case.

While some on her team have been struggling with the COVID limits, DCI Pirie is happy to keep working the case, if only to bring closure to a family who has no answers about their daughter. It will take a great deal of dedication and sleuthing, but if anyone can do it, the HCU is the team. As they run into many roadblocks, DCI Pirie will stop at nothing to get answers and provide a family some solace. A great story that McDermid perfects with her strong writing style.

I have long enjoyed the work of Val McDermid, never one to shy away from unconventional methods. The narrative is strong from the outset and proves clear with some complex aspects. A ‘narrative within the narrative’ occurs, as the HCU must read a draft copy of an unpublished manuscript. The reader can easy see the different writing styles, authenticating the larger story. Things slow with ease, but are also weighed down with intentional struggle as the pandemic bleeds into all aspects of the story. McDermid does well to elucidate on all this.

Character development is important, especially since it has been a number of years since the last novel in the series. McDermott builds DCI Karen Pirie back up with her gritty style, while showing a compassionate side throughout. I have always enjoyed Pirie as a member of the police community, as I am never left feeling less than fully enthralled. Secondary characters, in both the larger narrative and ‘manuscript’ develop well and offer some flavouring to help guide the story as a whole.

Plot twists develop as the story progresses. Using both an historic case and the COVID pandemic, McDermid keeps the reader guessing what is coming. While things appear linear at times, there are many twists to keep things on edge. Val McDermid impressed once more with this piece and I am eager to see what she has to come. 

Kudos, Madam McDermid, for keeping the reader on edge as they make their way through this well-paced novel with COVID strains.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: 

http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

kizzia's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Of all the series Val McDermid writes, the Karen Pirie books are my favourites and this, the lastest, does not dissapoint. Well written, as always, with an intruigingly twisty plot (I didn’t see the last twist coming) and the threads that run from book to book woven well through out. There were several things that I was thrilled to see happen, several things that made me laugh and one that made me bawl my eyes out.

The only note of caution I would sound is that it’s set at the beginning of the pandemic and Val has captured the atmosphere of that time incredibly vividly, so if that might be distressing to you it may be one to set aside for a while. 

janefc's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

ajbuxton65's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

5.0

1mpossiblealice's review against another edition

4.25

I'm a huge Val McDermid fan and really enjoyed this. It's as good as any of her others. The main reason it's 4 stars instead of 5 for me is just that it's set during the first covid lockdown and I found that quite stressful to read about. It would be weird not to include anything covid related, and maybe in 10 years I'll be fine reading about it, but for me, just not yet. 
Also I guessed some of the ending maybe 2/3 of the way through which I don't normally manage with a Val McDermid. Otherwise I loved it, and Karen Pirie is one of my favourite detectives. I did enjoy the messing around with crime fiction and true crime and the way this plot unfolds - really good. 

tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

‘It started with a librarian phoning Jason.’ 

April 2020, and Edinburgh is in Covid-19 lockdown. People are limited to an hour of outdoor exercise a day; businesses are shut, and the streets are unusually empty. DCI Karen Piri, of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit is sharing her boyfriend Hamish’s apartment (he’s away managing his croft) with colleague Daisy, trying to get some work done while navigating the challenges of lockdown. And then DS Jason Murray is contacted by a librarian at the National Library who is cataloguing papers. The archive of a recently deceased crime novelist has been left to the library and one of the documents, a blueprint for a story of abduction and murder, seems uncannily similar to a well-publicised unsolved case. 

So, how do Karen Pirie and her team undertake a complex investigation within the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown? Add to the mix complicated personal and professional lives and Karen’s support for a Syrian refugee and you have the basis of a terrific thriller. And, just in case that is not enough, add in the egos of those who think they are smarter than the police … 

This is a terrific read, full of twists and turns and numerous characters to keep track of. Yes, just when I thought I had an answer, Ms McDermid inserted another twist in the tale, and I was kept guessing. I did work out some of the answers but not all of them. While I will now look forward to an eighth book in the series, I’ll try to catch up with the first five books. Somehow, this series slipped under my radar until the sixth book, and I need to know what I have missed. 

Ms McDermid is a prolific novel writer and I’ve plenty on my reading list. I wonder it I’ll ever catch up? 

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. 

Jennifer Cameron-Smith 

robert_vardill's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

travelsalongmybookshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I’ve become a bit obsessed with these Karen Pirie books and cold cases, they are every bit as gripping as a ‘regular murder’ and this one being set in lockdown gives it an added tenseness. I really felt like I was back in a bubble reading this one, remembering the quietness of our surroundings, and although I worked through it myself and had to go in everyday, it was surreal to be on empty roads and see also to see the fear in peoples faces when you had to meet them face to face on a daily basis. McDermid has taken these feelings and squeezed and amped it up for this one and it is fantastic.

The cold case team are WFH and Karen is housesharing with Daisy her Sergeant, who we met in Still Life. An authors manuscript appears that is a blueprint for an actual crime, the disappearance of Lara Hardie. There are so many similarities, it’s creepy but the problem is, the author is dead and the manuscript is unfinished. 

I loved being back with KP, she is so no nonsense it’s fantastic, I feel I could actually meet her IRL for a good chinwag putting the world to rights. I feel the world pisses her off somewhat but it does me too so we’d make good pals 🤣

It felt very immersive, and being deep in Covid triggered many memories, it’s lump in your throat stuff at times but I found it gripping, compelling and McDermid really does flex her writing muscles and shows just why she wins all the plaudits, this is top drawer!