Val McDermid Synopses: A Place of Execution is a standalone novel by Val McDermid. If You Like Val McDermid Books, You’ll Love… Magnetic North also contains contributions by Neil Astley, Andrew Crumey, Julia Darling, Sean O’Brien and Jacob Polley. King, Perri O’Shaughnessy, Anne Perry, Nancy Pickard, J.D.

Naked Came the Phoenix is a collaborative novel with contributions by Nevada Barr, Mary Jane Clark, Diana Gabaldon, J.A. Union Jack was published as Conferences are Murder in the United States. Notes: Final Edition was published as both Open and Shut and Deadline for Murder in the United States. OxCrimes: 27 Killer Stories from the Cream of CrimewritersĬrime Plus Music: Twenty Stories of Music-Themed Noir The Adventure of the Missing Detective and 19 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 The narrator's whining monotone can't have helped either.12 Days: A Modern Twist on The Twelve Days of Christmas Much of this novel, right down to the 'gather everyone together' scene at then end, is so derivative that it becomes exasperating quite early on and only become progressively more annoying. Oh, the cliches! Kates lover calls her Brannigan like she's in some 80s TV police drama the straight women are all parasitic bitches the lesbians are bitter and unhappy the men sleazy or devious.

The protagonist Kate seems only to gain/retain her status in a male dominated profession by being as masculine as the men: kick-boxing, bullying, the lack of interest in marriage - suggesting the only way to gain equality is to homogenise your personality to the dominant gender. Firstly, the attempts to challenge gender stereotyping is clunky, her characters just as contrived. I've realised that's not going to happen this time. My aim was not completely altruistic I do love to find a prolific writer with engaging work so that I can stack my virtual shelves with their stuff. I could have stopped and returned it, granted, but as McDermid is such a popular writer I really wanted to give her a chance to redeem herself. I therefore have no hesitation in stating that getting to the end of this book was a trial. But, I doubt my unfavourable opinion of this novel will trouble Val McDermid's bank account. Bad reviews seem anathema to other readers and this site, especially if they deviate from the conventional 'great read' response.

Dead beat by val mcdermid