Phew! finished. This book is set against the backdrop of the 1980's miners strike in Scotland and all the hardship it entailed. Murder and abduction are investigated as a cold case from those days and there are many unanswered questions. Val McDermid pulled it out of the hat again. Her plot is a twisted one, taking you in one direction, then another and keeping you guessing all along the way. Her characters come to life on the page with her canny observations and clever descriptive details.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes intelligent and closely woven plots, full blooded characterisation and glimpses into the darker side of human nature. I admire a writer's skill to tell parallel plots in a novel, but they have to realize that the reader realizes that the two shall meet and the surprise isn't all that surprising. Or maybe it's too early in the A.M. to share thoughts. Sounded a bit meaner than I intended.Finished it. The story lines did cross paths, intersect, but there were some surprises. Everyone got what they deserved - good and bad. Good, not great, read.
I couldn't put this book down. A great story, an insight into the UK's mining world.
—Misach7
I think this was one of my favourites of Val McDermid's, next to 'Bird on a Wire'.
—goman
I'd like to see more with this protagonist.
—boomer
Thought this was a really good book.
—Selena
The first Val McDermid I have read.
—ash
