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KAREN PIRIE RETURNS IN 2023. A MASTERFUL THRILLER BY THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER VAL MCDERMID
PRE-ORDER THIS HEART-POUNDING NEW NOVEL IN THE KAREN PIRIE SERIES, NOW A MAJOR ITV SERIES STARRING LAUREN LYLE
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Edinburgh, haunted by the ghosts of its many writers, is also the cold case beat of DCI Karen Pirie. So she shouldn’t be surprised when an author’s manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime.
Karen can’t ignore the plot’s chilling similarities to the unsolved case of an Edinburgh University student who vanished from her own doorstep. The manuscript seems to be the key to unlocking what happened to Lara Hardie, but there’s a problem: the author died before he finished it.
As Karen digs deeper, she uncovers a spiralling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist . . .
The Queen of Crime Val McDermid is at the top of her game in her most gripping and fiendishly clever case yet.
Praise for Val McDermid
‘McDermid is at her considerable best’ GUARDIAN
‘Irresistible’ PATRICIA CORNWELL
‘A brilliant novel by a supremo of the genre’ PETER JAMES
‘Outstanding’ SPECTATOR
‘Another masterpiece’ DAVID BALDACCI
‘Sensational. One of Britain’s most accomplished writers’ SUNDAY EXPRESS
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Reviews
Ingenious, humane, and all too telling as a reminder of the costs of the pandemic even on its survivors
With an intricate plot, authentic dialogue, rich details, and masterly McDermid twists and turns, [Past Lying] will delight Pirie fans, existing and new
The Queen of Crime shows no sign of abdicating. Past Lying is as complex, as satisfying and as readable as anything she's written - which makes it another jewel in Val McDermid's crown
A chilling, twisting triumph. Past Lying is a classic mystery, brilliant, heart-stopping and seamless. No one does it better than Val McDermid
The ingenious plot kept me guessing all the way through. It delivers on every level
Riveting . . . McDermid keeps the twists coming hard and fast, and she bolsters them with sharp observations about the toll of Covid on the public psyche. This page-turner grips from the outset and doesn't let go
[McDermid] ingeniously flips over the rug and examines the pattern in reverse. Karen and her supporting cast are absorbing, providing insight into the restrictions on police work during the pandemic and plenty of Scottish flavour
