Out of Bounds

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When a teenage drunk driver is found to share familial DNA with a rapist twenty years in the past DCI Karen Pirie from the Historic Cases Unit is called upon to hunt down the murderer and give the rape victim’s family some closure. While she and her young assistant DC Jason Murray hunt down leads in what turns out to be a less than clear cut investigation, Pirie is pulled into another case which involves a possible suicide of a young man with links to another cold case from the past. This is Val McDermid's thirtieth novel and the first one I have read. Out of Bounds is the fourth book in a series featuring DCI Karen Pirie but can easily be read as a standalone police procedural. Where McDermid's books shine are in the plotting. Complex and not easily sussed out. I enjoy following the police work needed to unravel the answers, discovering the connections along with the characters. McDermid adds a nice (and timely) piece of social commentary with Karen befriending some Syrian refugees.

Valarie McDermid, FRSE , FRSL (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill, in a grim sub-genre known as Tartan Noir. On 6 December 2012 a woman poured ink over McDermid during an event at the University of Sunderland. [20] McDermid was signing books, and a woman asked her to autograph a Top of the Pops annual which contained a picture of the disgraced late TV presenter Jimmy Savile. After McDermid reluctantly agreed the woman threw ink at her and ran out of the room. [21] McDermid said the incident would not stop her from doing signings. [22] [23] I cared about Karen,her sorrow and insomnia as she traversed the lonely streets of Edinburgh each night,the unequal but strangely intimate partnership that began to grow,right before our eyes,between herself and Jason,and the people she called friends. McDermid considers her work to be part of the " Tartan Noir" Scottish crime fiction genre. [10] In addition to writing novels, McDermid contributes to several British newspapers and often broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland. [11] Her novels, in particular the Tony Hill series, are known for their graphic depictions of violence and torture.Karen Pirie is a Detective Inspector working in Edinburgh. She hails from Fife, still referred the Kingdom of Fife, which lies across the Firth of Forth from the capital city. Her bumbling assistant is the only other person in the Historic Cases Unit, in other words, the cold case division. In this novel, Karen is called in when the DNA of a teenage joyrider is a familial match to the DNA found in the rape and murder 20 years earlier of a young woman in Glasgow. Karen also gets involved in the case of a death that is initially judged a suicide. This is the case which seems out of bounds for the historic case unit. But Karen is like a dog with a bone and she won't let go of this one, much to the fury of her supervisor who constantly threatens to suspend her or worse. Karen doesn't stop with these two cases. She also encounters a group of Syrian refugees, and befriends them, while seeking to find a way to help. Ferguson, Brian (29 August 2022). "Val McDermid reveals 'Queen of Crime' legal threat from Agatha Christie estate". Edinburgh Evening News . Retrieved 29 September 2022. Kudos, Madam McDermid for another wonderful novel. I hope you will keep writing Pirie novels. I am curious, since you have a number of successful series, if you will entertain a crossover at some point. Brilliant if you would consider it for us fans!

This is the fourth in the series and never once did I feel like I was missing something. She is such a powerful author that I immediately felt included. It can definitely be a stand alone read. The only thing that bothered me is that I can't tell you why I don't read more McDermid. She's a great author with intricate plots set in Scotland. What could be better than that and what is wrong with me for not reading more? As one of the biggest names in crime writing, Val McDermid has written 30 books, has been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 10 million copies of her work worldwide. So, was her latest book as good as the rest?Set in and around Edinburgh, the reader is faced head on with secrets, betrayal, politics/power, loss and the over riding search for the truth and justice. McDermid is a radical feminist and socialist. [36] [29] She has incorporated feminism into some of her novels. [37] Works [ edit ] Lindsay Gordon series [ edit ] McDermid excels in putting the reader at the center of the action . . . A tightly paced mystery . . . My bones tell me we haven’t seen the last of Inspector Pirie or at least I hope not.” Janet Napolitano, Los Angeles Times on The Skeleton Road Driven by a compulsion to solve all crimes, Karen believes that there is more to this case than was initially discovered and just can’t let it lie.