Don't miss Past Lying, the twisty new Karen Pirie thriller

'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail

'Incredibly suspenseful' Sunday Mirror
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'There are lots of things that ran in families, but murder wasn't one of them . . .'

When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the mystery of a twenty-year-old murder inquiry. Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is an expert at solving the unsolvable. With each cold case closed, justice is served. So, finding the answer should be straightforward, but it's as twisted as the DNA helix itself.

Meanwhile Karen finds herself irresistibly drawn to another case, one that she has no business investigating. And as she pieces together decades-old evidence, Karen discovers the most dangerous kinds of secrets. Secrets that someone is willing to kill for . . .

An atmospheric, gripping mystery from the number one bestseller.
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Praise for Val McDermid:

'Brilliant . . . Sensational . . . Unforgettable' Guardian

'Compulsively readable' Irish Times

'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday Express

This is the fourth book in the bestselling Karen Pirie series.

Prizes

Short-listed for McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime 2017 (UK),Long-listed for Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2017 (UK)

An incredibly suspenseful thriller, elegantly plotted with smartly drawn characters and fascinating detail * Sunday Mirror *
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 *
It is evident in her 30th novel that her mastery of the crime has matured well * Sunday Express *
[An] engaging new novel . . . McDermid's 30th novel offers fascinating insights into the ethical dilemmas thrown up by advances in forensic science * Sunday Times *
Her books combine ironclad storytelling technique, cogent commentaries on modern society and an attitude to the crime genre's long history that is both interrogative and innovative . . . we are reminded that the new Queen of Crime is still at the top of her game * Independent *
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 * Guardian *
Quite simply, nobody does British crime writing better . . . [a] twisty, deliciously tangled thriller * Peterborough Telegraph *
As intelligent and chillingly good as ever * Good Housekeeping *
Packed with intrigue, warmly drawn characters and dollops of tension, McDermid's 30th novel leaves the reader looking forward to the 31st * Irish Independent *
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 proves herself to be as adept as ever at mixing thrilling crime fiction with psychological study . . . Karen is a compelling character, and her personal baggage lends Out of Bounds a great backstory . . . she writes with a brisk light touch, but the book does not stint on realistic detail. Out of Bounds is a fine, tense, and multi-layered addition to the canon of the queen of Scottish crime fiction * Irish Sunday Business Post *
It's a treat to watch DCI Pirie once again as she pursues a tantalising forensic trail through a brilliantly realised Scottish setting . . . the back-and-forths with her pusillanimous boss, as she deflates his attempts to undermine her, are a particular joy * Scotland on Sunday *
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 * Sunday Herald *
A celebrated crime author with an attention to detail which makes her stories both gripping and totally authentic * Western Daily Press *
Her thrillers never fail to entertain, and this - her 30th (!) novel - is no exception. Another twisted treat * Heat *

Val McDermid is an international number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than forty languages. Her multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. The Karen Pirie novels have now been adapted for a major ITV series.

Val has been chair of the judges for the Wellcome Book Prize and the Gordon Burn Prize, and has served as a judge for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Man Booker Prize and the Royal Society Book Prize. She is the recipient of eight honorary doctorates and is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford. She is a visiting professor in the Centre of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Among her many awards are the CWA Diamond Dagger recognising lifetime achievement and the Theakston's Old Peculier award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Writing. Val is also an experienced broadcaster and much-sought-after columnist and commentator across print media.

www.valmcdermid.com
Instagram @quineofcrime