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Out of Bounds Synopsis
The latest spine-chilling thriller from the queen of crime, Val McDermid. '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 ...Number one bestseller, Val McDermid returns with her most atmospheric, gripping novel to date. 'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' Independent 'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail 'Incredibly suspenseful' Sunday Mirror
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Press Reviews
Val McDermid Press Reviews
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
Author
About Val McDermid
Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies. She has won many aw ards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and w as the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award. She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
In 2016 Val was awarded the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award. McDermid said: “It's an honour and a thrill to receive this award. The community of writers and readers at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is unlike any other in its warmth and generosity and so this means a huge amount to me. This year sees the publication of my 30th novel and I can't think of a better way to celebrate that.”
In 2010 she received the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, which honours outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing. Margaret Murphy, then chair of the CWA, said: "The CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger award acknowledges the work of an author who has made an outstanding contribution to the genre. Val McDermid is a worthy winner whose work has entertained and thrilled millions of readers as well as many more who have enjoyed the TV adaptations her books have inspired."
Author photo © Charlie Hopkinson
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