|
|
Val Mcdermid ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
Val Mcdermid Beneath The Bleeding
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 0007243286 / 9780007243280 PAPERBACK Good
0007243286 Amazon.co.uk nIt seems hard to believe now, but there was a day when Val McDermid was just another crime writer. True, her Kate Brannigan novels were highly accomplished and well-honed pieces of work, and if McDermid had written nothing else, they would have assured her a solid place in the history of the genre. But Beneath the Bleeding (as with most of the other work the author has done more recently) is a much more ambitious and considerable novel, written on a grander scale, tackling pertinent social issues and (most importantly) developing two highly memorable characters: forensic profiler Tony Hill and his police ally DCI Carol Jordan. n nThe new book, as disturbing as it is compulsively readable, continues to add new levels to the psychological thriller -- something that McDermid seems able to do in every new book. A star footballer has been murdered in the city of Bradfield. Shortly after, an explosion rocks the town's football stadium, wreaking mass carnage. In the current climate of fear regarding home-grown terrorism, it is inevitable that suspicion falls in this direction ? but is money -- or something else -- involved here? Such as a bloody working out of some kind of revenge scenario against the football team? Needless to say, this is quite a different case from those that Tony Hill and Carol Jordan have previously been involved with, and the customary relationship (swinging between confrontation and admiration) is worked out with all the rigour that we expect from McDermid. Of course, this is an author who always has more fish to fry than the simple exigencies of the crime novel, and astringent commentaries on many aspects of British society are provocatively incorporated here (always, though, inter alia -- never at the expense of a forward-moving narrative). If you're a fan of the Wire in the Blood TV series, you should do yourself a favour and investigate the original novels ? such as Beneath the Bleeding. They offer a considerably more involving experience. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Review nPraise for Beneath the Bleeding: 'All the craft, panache and pace that we have come to expect from this outstanding writer! Vintage stuff: unplug the phone, lock the door and prepare to read in a sitting' Guardian 'Another intelligent and absorbing offering from one of crime fiction's most consistent performers' The Times 'The queen of British crime! Hill and Jordan are compelling creations and their encounters fairly crackle. McDermid is a consummate plotter so there are pleasing twists and turns in this first-rate story' Observer 'A great, topical read' Metro 'McDermid is at the peak of her murderous craft! on the page, McDermid makes criminal profiler Hill every bit as engaging as [Robson Green]' Daily Mirror 'Peerless!one of the world's finest crime writers, McDermid is currently at the top of her game' Glasgow Herald 'The Queen of serial killers in this country keeps her end up!. few can scoop Val on throat-clutching narrative! marvellous' Daily Mail 'A very good contemporary crime novel in terms of excitement, topicality and its sense of authenticity. but it delivers more than this: the complex and unpredictable relationship between Hill and Jordan lies at the heart of the series and is one of its greatest strengths. McDermid's writing gets better and better' Spectator 'McDermid's usual ingredients of fear, revulsion, ingenuity and heroism! this book is all the more gripping because some holds are barred' Literary Review 'McDermid is up there with the best' Good Reading 'Nail-biting' Woman & Home 'Skilfully plotted! highly recommended' Diva Praise for the Tony Hill thrillers: 'No one compares to McDermid' Guardian 'One of McDermid's finest, which is saying a lot' The Times 'This is McDermid on top form -- pass the Valium' Daily Mail 'Gripping, intelligent stuff' Mail on Sunday 'Val McDermid is an intelligent, supremely talented novelist and with this latest tale, she is writing at the height of her power. Utterly compelling' Glasgow Herald 'Serial
Price:
1.00 EUR
|
|
Add to Shopping Cart |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
Val McDermid The Grave Tattoo
Harper & Brothers Publishers 0007142870 / 9780007142873 PAPERBACK Good
0007142870 Amazon.co.uk Review nIt's a time-honoured tradition that the best crime writers begin to chafe at the constraints of their area of the genre and feel a need to stretch their literary muscles. With The Grave Tattoo, the estimable Val McDermid demonstrates that she, too, has felt the need of a change from her contemporary novels of crime and detection, and here takes on a truly ambitious panoply. Not that McDermid has been afraid to tackle unconventional subjects before--it's just that the scale of this novel is even more impressive. A corpse is discovered on a hill in the Lake District, adorned with bizarre tattoos. Wordsworth expert Jane Gresham finds herself distracted from her studies of the great Lakeland poet when another mystery surfaces, involving the Pitcairn Massacre and the events of the mutiny on the Bounty. Is it possible that Fletcher Christian, who led the rebellion against Captain Bligh, faked his own death and clandestinely returned to England? Jane makes a connection between the tattooed body and the tattoos on sailors who served in the South Seas--is this the body of Fletcher Christian? And Jane has another problem on her hands--a young girl who she has tried to help finds herself a murder suspect, and tracks her down to the Lakes. And as Jane closes in on a Wordsworth manuscript that may be a direct transcription of Fletcher Christian's confession, she finds herself with someone else on her trail--an ex-lover with similar designs on the precious document. n nAs all this might suggest, McDermid has set herself a truly daunting task here, with a canvas so crammed with incident, colour and character. And when the reader learns that the central narrative is counterpointed with sections from the Fletcher Christian document, it's clear that we are a long way away from the medical and criminological puzzles of Wire in the Blood. It is to McDermid's credit that she draws so many strands together with such assurance. n--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. n nObserver n'One of the world's leading mystery writers...Thomas Harris crossed with Agatha Christie, if you will... a great read'
Price:
1.00 EUR
|
|
Add to Shopping Cart |
|
|
|
