Out of Bounds: A Karen Pirie Novel (Karen Pirie Novels, 4) - Hardcover

McDermid, Val

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802125743 ISBN 13: 9780802125743

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2016

Synopsis

McDermid excels in putting the reader at the center of the action . . . A tightly paced mystery . . . My bones tell me we haven’t seen the last of Inspector Pirie or at least I hope not.” Janet Napolitano, Los Angeles Times on The Skeleton Road

Internationally bestselling author Val McDermid is one of our finest crime writers, whose gripping, impeccably plotted novels have garnered millions of readers worldwide. In her latest, Out of Bounds, she delivers a riveting cold case novel featuring detective Karen Pirie.

When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test reveals a connection to an unsolved murder from twenty-two years before. Finding the answer to the cold case should be straightforward. But it’s as twisted as the DNA helix itself.

Meanwhile, Karen finds herself irresistibly drawn to another mystery that she has no business investigating, a mystery that has its roots in a terrorist bombing two decades ago. And again, she finds that nothing is as it seems.

An enthralling, twisty read, Out of Bounds reaffirms Val McDermid’s place as one of the most dependable professionals in the mystery and thriller business.

McDermid melds the political thriller with the police procedural for an intense novel that . . . feels both intensely personal and global . . . Karen . . . once again proves herself a formidable character worthy of her own series.” Associated Press on The Skeleton Road

About this title

About the Author

Val McDermid is a world-class crime writer, whose best-selling novels have won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award, and the Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold Dagger and Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She is also a multiple finalist for the Edgar Award and author of the Edgar Nominee for Fact Crime Forensics. She lives in Scotland.

Review

Praise for Out of Bounds:

“McDermid balances the intense character studies in Out of Bounds with an inside view of the Scottish legal system and again shows her acuity in producing intelligent thrillers.” ―Associated Press

“There are few other crime writers in the same league as Val McDermid.” ―Washington Post

“A thriller as steely and superlative as its heroine.” ―O, The Oprah Magazine

“McDermid applies her formidable intelligence and muscular style to the kind of urban crime novel that gives Scotland its tough rep and vigorous lingo . . . It’s the brawny characters and their beefy dialect that really keeps us coming back to this superior series.” ―New York Times

“Readers will easily connect with Karen, whose unwavering confidence is tempered by a strong dose of kindness and sense of justice . . . Satisfying investigative detail, swift pacing, and realistic mysteries steeped in the intricacies of Scottish law; a sure fit for fans of Tana French and of Denise Mina’s Alex Morrow series.” ―Booklist (starred review)

“Engaging . . . Pirie, a tough heroine cut from the same cloth as McDermid’s other fictional stalwart, Carol Jordan, never backs down from a thorny question or a seemingly impossible case.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Karen’s refusal to suffer her foolish superiors gladly is very appealing. As is her winning combination of being both brooding and no-nonsense. This . . . entertaining mystery has the grace of a heroine on the verge of coming into her own as a character whom readers will want to spend time with.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“McDermid’s expertly juggled plotlines and masterful handling of pace and tension tick all the best boxes, but what makes this book a real cracker is Pirie herself―grieving, insubordinate and dogged in her pursuit of the various culprits” ―The Guardian (UK)

“What superlatives are there left to describe the phenomenon that is the multi award-winning McDermid? . . . Told with McDermid's legendary verve and eye for detail, it grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go.” ―Daily Mail (UK)

“[An] engaging new novel...McDermid’s 30th novel offers fascinating insights into the ethical dilemmas thrown up by advances in forensic science” ―Sunday Times (UK)

“On her 30th novel . . . none is more deserving of the queen-of-crime mantle than Val McDermid . . . I would like to see a great deal more of DCI Pirie” ―Irish Times

“McDermid concocts complex plots with plenty of twists and red herrings. At times the tension is palpable and there are genuine surprises . . . McDermid is a dab hand at creating enough plausibility to make her contributions to the genre intensely readable” ―Glasgow Herald

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0802125743
• ISBN 13: 9780802125743
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464