Still Life: The heart-pounding number one bestseller from the Queen of Crime

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After graduation, she became a journalist and began her literary career as a dramatist. Her first success as a novelist, Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery occurred in 1987. [3] Val McDermid: 'Even on a romantic holiday my thoughts turn to murrrder' ". the Guardian. 19 August 2017 . Retrieved 16 April 2022.

MY THOUGHTS: Val McDermid certainly knows how to grab my attention and hold it. She knows how to strike that fine balance between the characters personal and professional lives, providing just the right amount of each. She gives technical information where it's warranted, but never overwhelms. And . . . she keeps us updated on the office gossip. McDermid has been writing as a full time author since the success of her initial novels and she spends equal amounts of time in her homes in Edinburgh and Cheshire. She hails from the Kirkcaldy town of Fife in Scotland and completed her college studies from the St. Hilda’s College in Oxford. McDermid was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 2000, and won the CWA Diamond Dagger for her lifetime contribution to crime writing in the English language in 2010. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sunderland in 2011. [4] She is co-founder of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, part of the Harrogate International Festivals. In 2016 she captained a team of St Hilda's alumnæ to win the Christmas University Challenge. [5] In 2017, McDermid was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, [6] as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. [7] Work [ edit ] THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid is a popular Scottish author who was born on June 04, 1955 in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom. She is particularly famous for writing all her novels in the Mystery, crime and Thriller genres.Further evidence that her ‘Queen of Crime’ status will not be challenged.”— Scotsman on How the Dead Speak In her search for the truth, Karen uncovers a network of lies that has gone unchallenged for years. But lies and secrets can turn deadly when someone is determined to keep them hidden for good…

All these bubble along convincingly below the surface as Pirie races to try and solve the twin mysteries of the skeleton in the van and the body pulled from the sea. a b "Interview: It can be murder, but Val McDermid's love of Raith is no mystery". The Scotsman. 10 April 2010. If you want to know what Val has been doing and what she is going to be doing next, sign up to her new Newsletter. From internationally bestselling author Val McDermid comes a propulsive new Karen Pirie thriller that delves into a historic missing persons case, fake identities, and art forgery.

But Karen is already grappling with another case, one with even more questions and fewer answers. A skeleton has been discovered in an abandoned campervan and all clues point to a killer who never faced justice - a killer who is still out there. The police work is necessarily plodding as Karen and her team must dig for information and sush out clues to take the cases forward but I enjoyed the pace at which everything is revealed. The teamwork between these officers is excellent and I enjoyed the way the author brings Karen's personal life and theirs into the story without being too heavy handed about it. There's enough action and suspense to keep the reader riveted till the exciting conclusion!

Macdonald, Stuart (25 October 2016). "Author Val McDermid gets married to long-term partner Jo Sharp". Daily Record. I invariably learn something new about police procedures or forensics while reading, as McDermid is so thorough in her research and engaging in her writing. I also appreciate the setting of the scene and the references that remind me where and when the action is taking place.Her first success as a novelist came with Report for Murder The first Lindsay Gordon Mystery, first published in 1987.