Really disappointed with the ending of this book. No satisfactory sense of conclusion; as if the writer just ran out of energy.

For the very first time I was a little disappointed in a Val McDermid book. It did start off well and was really quite intriguing in the beginning. A body found under a motorway and an old case being reopened was a good start. My disappointment was in one of the characters and the ending of the book. The comedian, I felt really did not fit in with the plot and the whole scenario with him at the end was a bit ridiculous. We never really discovered what was going on with the mysterious book club, that was a bit of a damp squib. I much preferred the previous novel Past Lying.

Like the last Karen Pirie novel, McDermids own politics lie heavily over this. It's starting to really spoil my enjoyment of her writing tbh. A character knows a comedy impresario who is Irish Nigerian. Of course she is. With offices owned by a former slave trader. Of course they were. I actually laughed out loud at that bit, how many boxes did you need to tick, Val? She portrays Edinburgh as this multicultural utopia. All the immigrants are successful ("she was met by a nurse who reminded her of Rafiq"), nurses, architects, restrauteurs. All the white people are the bad guys with some lazy stereotypes flung in here too. Then there are the comments about Trump, Farage, Kevin Badenoch - really odd do nothing to further the plot or develop characters. Just bunged in so the author can make a point. It's a good thing this is a novel, or she'd be in trouble for the allegations made about the AFD, currently the most popular political party in Germany. The problem is, like a lot of lefty luvvies, Mcdermid is suffering from the illusion her readers agree with her. Many don't. She will be untouched by the consequences of mass migration and the impact it has on small towns, local services. Yes, fiction should be an escape for your readers, but she's not writing fantasy here. I used to love this series but the last two books have felt more like a lecture series on the joys of multiculturalism than crime novels.

First book I have read by her and generally enjoyed it . Decent story and kept up my interest , mostly . It had moments where it didn't exactly drag but the pace dropped enough to notice . The two stories blended well enough for the most part though there were times when it was difficult to tell which one you were looking at . One was given more prominence than the other and though I could see why it did sometimes make me think the second was a bit of an afterthought . The characters were good enough , though perhaps everyone got on a bit too well . There was never any real friction and I'm sure in a crime unit there would be . Things were sometimes a little too convenient , the junior officers partner knew someone high up in the right industry , there were two cyclists on the road exactly where you needed them to be , that kind of thing .. Did it spoil my enjoyment , no not really , it held together well enough . The ending was very well done and did take me by surprise . It made sense and wasn't overly neat . I have given it three out of five which is perhaps a little harsh . It didn't quite merit four stars but three and a half would be about right . I would read her books again