Karen Pirie: Val McDermid's fascinating cold case series

A little bit of background📃

I've always been interested in cold case stories. There is something about the historic nature of the crimes and the determined pursuit of justice for the victims that fascinates me. Someone has gotten away with murder for a long time, and is just out there living their life. That's hard to reconcile. These ideas form the premise for Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series. DCI Pirie heads up a Historic Cases Unit in Scotland and battles to keep the unit going with police interest in cold cases waxing and waning.

I'm a huge Val McDermid fan, and the Karen Pirie series showcases McDermid's skills as a crime writer. The books provide interesting insight into how cold cases are investigated and solved. There's enough investigative and forensic detail for the reader's interest without overwhelming. Each book is a methodical journey to solve the case and I like the way the process is laid out. There's no mad dash to the finish line or lots of police action, just a fascinating exploration of the cold case investigation process. The pieces all come together through solid detective work and clever ways to find information on past deeds. The Scottish setting adds atmosphere and grit to the cases. There are usually multiple cases and timelines on the go, but McDermid manages to juggle everything capably, and the stories are never confusing.

Karen is dogged in her pursuit of justice, she is a straight shooter who has no agenda other than to find answers to crimes no one else cares about. I love the way Karen cares deeply for the victims of historic crimes and the people affected by them. It is obvious to the reader how determined Karen is to find a resolution to these cases. As a series, I've come to know and love Karen and I like that her life outside of work is also woven into the stories. Each novel can be read on its own although working your way through the books in order adds depth to the reading experience. There are elements of Karen's personal life that develop as the series progresses, but they are nicely woven into the stories without taking centre stage. The cast of supporting players is well fleshed out, including Karen's DC, Jason "The Mint" Murray and River Wilde, Karen's friend and forensic anthropologist. These characters add depth to the stories without being overdone. McDermid does a really nice job of weaving them into the cold cases and fleshing out Karen's characterisation.

Val McDermid writes with passion for the crime genre, offering up solid investigative stories, not fast paced but intriguing enough to keep you reading. If you're interested in cold case investigations, Karen Pirie is a must! At the time of writing this post, there are seven books in the Karen Pirie series. I've given a summary of my thoughts on Books 1-6 as I rate all of them five stars. I've read all six books multiple times. Sadly, books seem to have dropped off in quality since then. Read on for my reviews of Book 7 onwards.

Karen Pirie series | Books 1-6 | Published 2003-2020

My thoughts on Books 1-6💭

Val McDermid begins the Karen Pirie series with The distant echo, published in 2003. Karen is introduced into the novel but she's not the main player, so perhaps McDermid's plan was to introduce her slowly into the series and concentrate on practising her cold case concept in the first novel. There's not much detail about Karen in this first book, so it stands alone as a cold case thriller.

The distant echo is a cracking introduction to the cold case investigations series. The 25-year-old unsolved murder of Rosie Duff in St Andrews resurfaces after one of the four boys accused of the crime at the time dies in suspicious circumstances. The investigation brings the boys-now-men together again as the remaining three must again fight for their innocence while in fear of their safety.

The story alternates between the current investigation and the events leading up to and after Rosie is murdered in the middle of a blizzard after her shift at a local bar. The boys find Rosie bleeding in the snow on their way back to the university after a party, but by the time first responders arrive, Rosie is dead. They naturally fall under suspicion, and a good chunk of the book is dedicated to the police's attempt to have them charged.

McDermid creates compelling characters in the four boys who stand accused of Rosie's murder. She crafts a complex, cracking story in both the past and present narratives. Each story is clearly communicated, exploring the themes of presumed guilt, revenge, class, and changing societal expectations of women. I was eager to turn each page to find out what was going to happen. I didn't guess the ending of this one so kudos to McDermid for clever storytelling.

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Darker domain comes next, published in 2008. Karen is now a Detective Inspector in charge of Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit. Pirie's new case is the investigation of the disappearance of a miner 25 years earlier. Assumptions were made that the man left of his own accord to work as a scab in England during the miners' strike. The missing man's daughter is desperate to find out if he is alive as her son needs a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. McDermid's insights into the miners' strike adds a layer of interest to the story, although some reviewers have commented on the transparency of McDermid's politics. Darker domain has class as its core theme with a sprinkling of revenge.

Karen is also investigating a botched kidnapping of a wealthy heiress, Catriona Maclennan Grant, and her son, Adam, at the time of the miners' strike. During the ransom exchange, Catriona is shot and killed and the kidnappers flee with Adam. Adam's grandfather is still looking for answers. The trail leads Karen to Tuscany to uncover Adam's whereabouts.

Darker domain is a complex read. McDermid wraps everything up in a masterful way, but readers do need to pay attention. All the players in both cases are artfully drawn. I thought McDermid did a nice job of balancing both stories and transitioning backwards and forwards in time and create a clear path to the story's conclusion. The ending isn't explicitly stated, and McDermid cleverly leaves it up to the reader to bring all the threads together. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending to this one, though, but I will leave it up to you to decide.

Karen starts to come into her own in this novel, demonstrating her dogged and no-nonsense approach to achieving closure in historic cases. McDermid skillfully shows the challenge that cold case investigators face, and I became completely immersed in both investigations. The reader gets to know Karen in Book 2 and I warmed to her even more. There are some elements of her personal life that the reader is given a glimpse of that helps with this connection. Jason "The Mint" Murray is also introduced in Book 2, Karen's loyal colleague who grows into a fabulous character as the series progresses.

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Book 3, The skeleton road (2014), is one of my favourites of the books so far, largely for the historical part of the book that connects the cold case to the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. Revenge is absolutely at the core of this book.

The story starts with the discovery of a skeleton at the top of a crumbling building in Edinburgh that is later found to be the remains of a man from the former Yugoslavia. The case takes Karen to Oxford, to interview Professor Maggie Blake who has connections to the Balkans and was once in a relationship with a Croatian general, Dimitar Petrovic.

I found the focus on the Balkan Wars and the past and present exploration of this period in history interesting. The book is quite a heavy read as expected given the subject matter. The parts of the book devoted to the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia are disturbing and distressing. McDermid took the story to a place I wasn't expecting and the ending is quite shocking. That said, I loved Book 3 for the focus on the Balkans Wars and for another chance to spend time with Karen and DC Jason Murray.

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Book 4, Out of bounds (2016), is another of my favourites. I like it partly for the development of the relationship between Karen and DC Jason Murray. Karen is also dealing with a personal issue that sees her struggling to stay afloat.

McDermid takes an intriguing approach to cold case investigations in this book after the DNA of a boy injured in a car accident is found to link to an historic rape and murder case. Karen and Jason investigate the murder some twenty years earlier and find links to the bombing of a light plane around the same time. There is also a suspicious death in the present that seems connected to one of the cases that adds another dimension to the investigations. Greed is at the heart of Book 4 and just some genuinely selfish and nasty people.

The book is complex (and quite an emotional read) although not hard to follow. There are bits that I guessed and others I did not. Even if the reader does guess what is going on, McDermid's storytelling skills and intricate plotting and characterisations make the journey to the end fulfilling. In addition to the relatable, authentic and dogged Karen (and the nicely developing working relationship with Jason), this book is a compelling read for the exploration of how the evidence is uncovered and pieced together to solve all three crimes. Out of bounds is a rather clever piece of cold case writing and kudos to McDermid for crafting a powerful and suspenseful story.

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Broken Ground (2018) is Book 5 and another cracking story that increased my love for Karen and for historic case stories. In Broken Ground, Karen is called to investigate the discovery of two preserved vintage motorbikes in a remote Highland peat bog and the dead body found within. The cold case takes Karen and her team back to WW2 but also to recent times, when artifacts from the mid 1990s are found with the body. Again, greed and selfishness are strong themes in the book. There's a bonus additional current case that Karen ends up involved in after she overhears a conversation in an Edinburgh café.

Broken ground is very much a Scottish book. The landscape of the Highlands where the motorbikes are found is beautifully evoked, so much so that it almost becomes another character in the novel. A new character is introduced in Book 5 who becomes part of Karen's personal life for the next few books. I enjoyed my reading journey in Broken ground as the story is unique and complex and takes the reader down a pathway of twists and turns to the ending. As with all the books in the series, the pacing is measured, but I find the exploration of how Karen ferrets out the truth interesting to read. The multiple layers of the investigations make for an intriguing wander to the end.

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Book 6, Still life, published in 2020, is the most complex of all seven books to date. Karen and Jason are drawn into a cold case after a body is pulled from the sea and is identified as the prime suspect in a decade-old investigation. There's also a skeleton that has been discovered in campervan in a woman's garage. Both cases, though not connected, uncover a bunch of secrets, lies and betrayals, the core themes of the book.

Karen has juggled multiple cases in past books, but they are often connected. This time, she is juggling two unconnected cases, one of which takes her to Paris to investigate the background of one of the case's victims. There's a mix of the political and the artistic worlds in Still life and the book is complicated. I've read it twice and both times it took some effort to keep up. That said, the stories are well constructed and explained, the pacing even (although it ramps up at the end when Jason closes in on the killer in the campervan case) and my attention was held throughout the reading journey.

A new cold case investigator, DS Daisy Mortimer, is introduced in Book 6. I like her! She provides a nice balance with Jason whom I have grown to love as he has grown into his role in Karen's unit. I liked the way Karen and Jason's relationship develops in this book, especially after Jason is injured investigating the campervan case.

Still life was published in 2020 and McDermid introduces the pandemic at the end of the book. I wondered at the time of reading where the next book might go. See my review of Book 7 below to find out.

Karen Pirie series rating Books 1-6: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Past lying | Karen Pirie Book 7 | Published October 2023 | Read January 2024

The story📖

The seventh outing is set in 2020, in the midst of the first pandemic lockdown. McDermid wrote the book in 2023, in New Zealand, actually, when she was working in the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago. McDermid explains in the author's notes that she needed some distance to reflect back on the dark days of COVID before tackling a novel set during those times. It is inevitable that a bunch of books have and will come out that are set during the pandemic, partly to ensure that that period in history is preserved.

The case kicks off after a librarian comes across documents in the National Library Archives of a recently deceased Scottish crime author. The librarian alerts Karen's cold case team to the discovery of an incomplete manuscript in the archives. The documents seem to have disturbing parallels to the case of missing university student, Lara Hardie, who disappeared without a trace twelve months earlier. Karen, DC Jason 'The Mint' Murray, and new addition DS Daisy Mortimer (introduced in the previous book) piece together the events in the novel with the now-cold investigation into Lara's death. They look into the deceased author's past, his wife's, and that of his fellow novelist friend.

My thoughts on the book💭

There is a strong premise for the case that is set in the quarantine period. McDermid cleverly manages to create the set up, allowing the team to work on a cold case within the confines of the regulations. There is lots of stuff about how Police Scotland navigated investigative work during these regulations that add interest to the story.

The true hero of the story is the archive librarian. She is the main reason for my rating (and my past love of Karen). The librarian alerts Karen's team to the potential link between the unpublished manuscript and the cold case, even if it seems odd that she would have read a 100 page document while cataloguing the author's materials. Yay for bad ass librarians, though!

I didn't baulk at the COVID context in the novel and I think McDermid handles it with sensitivity. She paints a vivid picture of the isolation, the empty streets, the rules governing contact with people, and the trauma of dealing with loved ones who became ill. The trouble is, COVID is too much centre stage for me. I started to find the references to masking up, contact bubbles, social distancing, and daily exercise all a bit much. I get it, but perhaps McDermid could have dialled it all back just a little.

McDermid has the bones of a good idea here, but it isn't enough to carry an entire 400+ page novel. Karen and Daisy read through the manuscript, and the reader is taken painstakingly through all of it. That means the crime is basically laid out for the reader from the get-go. Weirdly, Karen, Jason and Daisy take a long time to frame the investigation around the events in the book. They seem surprised by a bunch of things that I thought were quite clear in the manuscript, and that was odd. I kind of get it, as they needed to establish with some certainty that the manuscript does in fact mirror real life. However, this means the story becomes unnecessarily drawn out and without much action or case development. I don't usually figure out what's going on in Val McDermid's crime novels, but I did so easily in Past lying. There isn't much mystery to it so it isn't hard to figure out. Added to that, when Karen and her team finally cotton on to things, the action concludes quite abruptly and that makes the novel's pace feel uneven and the ending rushed.

There are several sub-plots in the novel that have nothing to do with the case, and this is unusual for DCI Pirie novels. In Past lying, there is a COVID-related side story (and I get that, but still, it took up a lot of space) and also one involving a Syrian refugee. The latter doesn't add much value, which is a shame, as it had the potential to be an intriguing and worthy storyline. There is a lesbian storyline, too, that feels shoehorned in, and as a result is undercooked. My feeling is that could have been left out, or developed more fully to give the character and the subject better treatment.

In sum📝

Overall, Past lying is disappointing and easily my least favourite of the seven Karen Pirie novels so far. I've loved Karen up until this point as she's been uncompromising in her pursuit of justice. She's never worried about treading on toes or playing political games to get a result. She's felt empathetic and firmly on the side of the victims, determined not to let cold cases be forgotten. In Book 7, Karen comes across as self-righteous and a bit obnoxious. She's all for flouting the rules to solve a case, yet she spends most of Past lying judging other people for the same behaviour. Karen's characterisation seems flat. I felt like I was reading a different character to the one I've grown to love in the previous books. Karen has alway been prickly, but in Past lying she sounds rude and disrespectful. I suppose you could blame the pandemic for the change, but it seemed too severe to me.

I've loved all of Val McDermid's books for such a long time now. It's discomforting to find the Allie Burns series and the latest Karen Pirie novel failing to live up to McDermid's usual standard. Let's hope future novels get back on track!

Book 7 rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Silent bones | Karen Pirie Book 8 | Published October 2025 | Read April 2026

The story📖

Silent bones moves things along five years since we last saw DCI Karen Pirie and her cold case team in Book 7 investigating a possible link between an unpublished manuscript and the disappearance of Lara Hardie. This time, the team is working on two cases. The first involves the discovery of a man's body after torrential rain causes a landslide, dislodging a skeleton concealed since the road was built 11 years ago. The landslide reveals the body of Sam Nimmo, an investigative journalist who vanished after being accused of the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Rachel. The other case centres around the death of Tom Jamieson, originally ruled as an accident. Jamieson's brother returns to Scotland from New Zealand, claiming that his brother was murdered. The investigation into Tom's death leads the team to a mysterious and secretive book club of elite and powerful men that proves to be a lot more than fireside chats about books.

My thoughts on the book💭

Sadly, Book 8 continues the drop off in quality that I found in the previous book. Both cases that Karen and her team investigate have the potential to create a cracking cold case novel, but I found myself confused as I made my way through the book. McDermid often has multiple cases on the go in the one novel but I've never had trouble following them before. This time, the two cases seemed to blend together. There were so many threads that I forgot which one belonged to which character, making things overly complicated and difficult to follow.

The case involving the deaths of Sam Nimmo and his girlfriend, Rachel, were framed around the important topics of sexual assault and power. Unfortunately, the resolution to the case was frustrating and disappointing. There was a strong theme linking the two cases together about the abuse of power, yet the ending only seemed to reinforce all that is wrong with this. There was so much lead up to the two complex cases that the ending felt rushed and anticlimactic.

Scottish independence plays a role in Sam-Rachel case. I have seen other reviewers baulk at McDermid's obvious pro-independence views on display. I don't mind that so much as the sanctimonious way these views are presented. There were also way too many pandemic references, I thought, given the book is set in 2025.

I found it odd that so much had happened between Books 7 and 8. Sure, McDermid makes it clear that five years have gone by, but it just didn't work for me to have Karen's relationship with Rafiq, the Syrian refugee briefly introduced in the last book, played out from start to finish in Book 8. Their relationship lacked authenticity as a result, as the reader hadn't been part of their journey. I understand that McDermid is probably trying to make each book in the series stand alone, but as a result, there's too much description of Karen's personal life that didn't seem to serve much purpose. This might orient new readers, but it might also turn established readers off, as it did me. There was also A LOT of intricate detail about the food and drinks Karen, Daisy and Jason were consuming that seemed unnecessary fill.

Karen seems to have undergone something of a character transplant. I loved her grit, determination and no-nonsense approach to cold case investigations in the first six books. McDermid balanced out her prickly personality with empathy and a dogged determination to seek justice and champion the value of the historic cases unit. Now she's just grumpy and self-righteous. The continual references to the cafe Karen helped a group of Syrian refugees set up in Edinburgh transformed what was a kind gesture into virtue signalling. I also don't find Karen as believable or compelling as she used to be. She sounds much older than her given age, and that of the actress who plays her in the new television series. Furthermore, all the Scottish slang peppered throughout the book felt forced and cliched. It used to add flavour to the book, to flesh out the Scottish world-building, but it was irritating and unrealistic in Book 8. Do Scottish people really speak like that?

DS Daisy Mortimer, a new addition to the team in recent books, showed potential, but in Silent bones, she's kind of annoying. I've watched Jason "The Mint" Murray, grow into a DS, humble in his approach to growing in his role while bearing the brunt of Karen's sometimes harsh criticism. He's now my favourite character in the book, so I didn't like that McDermid seemed to pit him against the flashier Daisy to garner Karen's favour. Enough of making him out to be a doddle!

So, what did I like? Even though Silent bones confused me at times, I still enjoyed the usual methodical journey to uncover what really happened in the cold cases. This is what I have always loved about the series. It's fascinating to sit back and watch the team follow various leads and put the pieces together. I especially liked the way the cyclists' footage was used to uncover hitherto unknown evidence. Jason's investigative work was particularly strong in Silent bones, ferreting out information to bring the cases to a close. Again, I flinched when Karen kept insinuating that he's a bit of a plod who takes on the boring tasks that no one else wants. It was his information that played a pivotal role in solving both cases! McDermid missed an opportunity here to highlight that detective work is not all sexy and flashy, as it is often portrayed in fiction, and largely relies on strong research skills and an ability to synthesise and think critically about information.

Silent bones has the usual cast of compelling characters with whom the team interacts to find the answers they seek. McDermid always manages to make these characters feel authentic and real, even if they only have a passing involvement in the investigation. These characters went some way to saving the novel, although they did make the narrative feel very crowded.

In sum📝

In all honesty, Silent bones was a 3-star read for me, even though it is slightly better than the previous book that I also rated three stars. The book club idea - a secret cabal of wealthy and powerful individuals greasing one another's palms - was such a cool idea to frame one of the cold cases. However, overall the book was convoluted and the Sam-Rachel case had a disappointing ending. I'm also sad to say that I am beginning to dislike Karen, a character I loved in the previous six books. Let's hope if there is a Book 9 that it returns to the quality of the earlier stories.

Book 8 rating: ⭐⭐⭐