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A review by radella_hardwick
Dead Beat by Val McDermid
3.0
It is so weird reading a book that was written in the 'now' of 1992.
There are things it assumes are common knowledge (like fashion trends), which just aren't known to a 2022 audience, and things that it assumes are niche (like how Tetris works) that just aren't.
Moreover, this is a book that is heavily reliant on the technology of the day with regular references to the main character needing to find a phone or her far-sightedness in bringing floppy-discs with her.
All in all, being written in the era of the smartphone would have altered this plot significantly, although it wouldn't have ruined the solution.
However, the solution is not particularly clever. The murder victim is the obvious option and the murderer turns out to be the suspect that would be least painful for the detective to accuse. And has an utterly inadequate motive.
I really loved the main character's relationship with her boyfriend and that with the secretary/receptionist at her office.
There are things it assumes are common knowledge (like fashion trends), which just aren't known to a 2022 audience, and things that it assumes are niche (like how Tetris works) that just aren't.
Moreover, this is a book that is heavily reliant on the technology of the day with regular references to the main character needing to find a phone or her far-sightedness in bringing floppy-discs with her.
All in all, being written in the era of the smartphone would have altered this plot significantly, although it wouldn't have ruined the solution.
However, the solution is not particularly clever. The murder victim is the obvious option and the murderer turns out to be the suspect that would be least painful for the detective to accuse. And has an utterly inadequate motive.
I really loved the main character's relationship with her boyfriend and that with the secretary/receptionist at her office.