Reviews

Past Lying by Val McDermid

strawbkatie's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

i did really enjoy this, my first val mcdermid and i wasn’t disappointed :) i wish id realised it was set in the pandemic though, after 400 odd pages it does get really quite annoying to read about - i don’t want to keep thinking about it?? the mystery itself was really intriguing, although it was a bit of a slow burner with a rather random side plot i’d recommend reading:)

mjallirow's review against another edition

3.0

I debated between 3 and 4 because I truly hated how big a part Covid lockdown face masks two meters apart protocol distancing etc etc played in it. Nothing about Covid interests me I don’t want to think about that. But the mystery was good, the case was interesting and when there wasn’t Covid mentions it was super engaging and easy to read. And it made me want to read the other books in this series from book one, I picked this up in an airport so jumped into a series haha. Also the blurb at the end about the author - sorry she wrote wire in the blood?! She wrote psychologist Tony Hill!? The impact that tv show had on me… so I almost bumped it up to 4 but it was probably more a 3,5 for me and having thought about it 3 seems a little more accurate.

coleycole's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

jodannna's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

nictans_001's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

bmarvallace's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

i really liked the premise of the story, i thought it was really interesting and unique, but i really could not stand how prevalent the covid lockdowns were throughout the book. i understand it makes it more realistic for that time period, but it just seemed all-consuming and it made me want to DNF i dont even know how many times.

lambsears's review against another edition

4.0

As far as I’m concerned, Val McDermid can do no wrong, and this most recent Karen Pirie is no exception.
I’ve avoided reading anything set during the peak of Covid, but broke my rul for this novel - and throughly enjoyed it.

gwyn67's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

jenni_snell's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

jackster62's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0