Val McDermid, Dead Beat (1992)

This book is the first Kate Brannigan mystery.

The first line: “I swear one day I´ll kill him. Kill who? The man next door.”

Not so unusual in a crime novel, perhaps. But the man next door is Kate´s lover, the rock journalist Richard Barclay. Kate likes the man but she also cherishes her independence which means she is in for a lot of training before her guy is perfect.

When Kate is not busy perfecting Richard, she is one half of ´Mortensen & Brannigan´, private investigators in Manchester. In some ways she may be compared to Sue Grafton´s strong and independent sleuth, Kinsey Millhone.

Kate is employed by the famous rock singer Jett to find his former songwriter Moira Pollock. Missing persons is not her favourite case but she takes it on for the money, and at some point she realizes that ... far more interesting and dangerous than she had imagined.

Though Kate´s home base is Manchester, the case takes her to Leeds and Bradford, and the narrator deftly makes the cities come alive:

“The short drive from Leeds to its neighbouring city of Bradford is like traversing a continent. Crossing the city boundary, I found myself driving through a traditional Muslim community. Little girls were covered from head to foot, the only flesh on display their pale brown faces and hands.”

This novel is a traditional private detective mystery of the very best kind. I bought it myself.
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Val McDermid, A Darker Domain (2008)

Two of my three children snatched this Scottish stand-alone from my shelf before I got round to reading it myself, and afterwards they coaxed me to read it before anything else.

The story begins in 2007 when a young woman reports her father missing – during the miner´s strike in the 1980s! Detective Inspector Karen Pirie takes the case herself even though she should allocate it to someone subordinate, but she has not really got used to sitting at her desk, fiddling with the paperwork of her cold case unit. At the same time her ridiculous superior wants her to focus on a high-profile case about a tycoon´s daughter and grandson who were kidnapped around the same time as miner Mike Prentice left his unassuming home, because an ambitious journalist has stumbled upon new evidence. Karen Pirie is a stubborn and spirited protagonist, however, who knows how to throw her weight about, and the clashes between Karen and her boss are part of the comic relief of this excellent story.

Among the many well-drawn characters I enjoyed a reunion with River Wilde, the forensic anthropologist I came across last year in the not very grave yarn “The Grave Tattoo” (2006). Another strong point was the convincing description of the strike and the consequences it had for the local communities.

This cold-case story is of the same, fine quality as “A Place of Execution” which I reviewed earlier this month.

This book is a generous gift from Maxine who reviewed it last year.

Val McDermid, A Place of Execution (1999)

This Scottish stand-alone is part of my loot from our holiday in Scotland.

The plot begins when thirteen-year-old Alison Carter disappears from her home in Scardale, an isolated village in Derbyshire. Two children have disappeared from Manchester shortly before, but Inspector George Bennett does not see the cases as related. When he has ruled out a voluntary disappearance, he begins to suspect Alison has been abducted by someone she knew.

You could read this novel because it is a fantastic police procedural with an excellent and exciting plot. I guessed a few things, but still I rushed through the last two hundred and fifty pages in one night.

Or you could read it for the portrayal of the main characters: George Bennett and his colleagues, Alison´s mother and the other villagers (who are all related to Alison, of course).

Or you could read it for the very fine language.

Or for the setting: the village where people seem to continue a life style of a remote past. Children are born, they grow up and marry, they cultivate their land, but first of all they remain in Scardale, and they stick together!

No matter what, there is only one thing to say: if you have not read this one already, you should! (My son and older daughter agree, they read it first and told me to read it – NOW)

And to readers who know McDermid´s Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series: no, this one is not horrid or graphic. Children are victims, but McDermid handles the crimes against them without crossing my limit anywhere.

Val McDermid, The Mermaids Singing (1995)

This Scottish thriller is the first in the series about the psychologist Tony Hill and Detective Inspector Carol Jordan. I re-read it at a very fast pace without taking notes; hence the very short review.

The setting is Bradfield, a fictional British city. The protagonist is Tony Hill, an excellent profiler, but he is not quite as good at attacking issues in his private life.

After some hesitation the police condescend to use Hill on the case, and all the way through he has to deal with suspicion and aversion.

Carol Jordan is appointed as his liaison within the police. She is very interested in Hill´s work, and soon she also takes an interest in his personal life.

This very exciting thriller is not for the squeamish reader as the cruel serial killer is quite imaginative, also when it comes to sex and torture.

Val McDermid, Sirenernes sang (1997).
Denne skotske spændingsroman er den første i serien om psykologen Tony Hill og kriminalinspektør Carol Jordan. Den korte anmeldelse skyldes at jeg genlæste den i en fart uden at tage notater.

Romanen foregår i Bradfield, en fiktiv britisk by. Hovedpersonen er Tony Hill, fremragende profiler, men ikke nær så god til at håndtere problemer i sit privatliv.

Efter nogen tøven nedlader politiet sig til at bruge Hill på sagen, og hele vejen igennem må han leve med mistænksomhed og modvilje.

Carol Jordan bliver udpeget som hans kontaktperson indenfor politiet. Hun er meget interesseret i Hills arbejde, og snart bliver hun også interesseret i ham privat.

Denne spændende thriller er ikke for de sarte, da den ondskabsfulde seriemorder er temmelig fantasifuld, også når det drejer sig om sex og tortur.