Val McDermid – författare

THE POWERFUL NEW THRILLER IN THE KAREN PIRIE SERIES, NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES'Beautifully structured, witty and twisty' ANN CLEEVES'A perfect crime novel' KATE MOSSE'Powerful, moving and wise' HARLAN COBEN'Full of humour, heart and trademark twists' CHRIS WHITAKERThe truth is buried just beneath the surface . . .When torrential rain causes a landslide on a motorway in Scotland, it reveals a crime scene: someone hid a body in the tarmac eleven years before. Journalist Sam Nimmo had been the prime suspect in the murder of his fiancée when he disappeared, and now DCI Karen Pirie and her Historic Cases Unit must find out who buried him, and why.Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, new evidence reopens a closed case and the accidental death of a hotel manager starts to look like murder. But what did Tom Jamieson's book club have to do with his demise - and what will they do to keep their secrets?Karen and her team begin to untangle a web of lies, one that connects their murder cases with Scotland's rich and powerful. They will be tested to their limits - and possibly beyond . . .'Blends procedural tension with eerie rural isolation' I PAPER'Showcases the agile plotting that makes this among the best crime fiction series today' IRISH TIMES

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__________'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.__________Praise for Val McDermid:'Brilliant . . . Sensational . . . Unforgettable' Guardian'Compulsively readable' Irish Times'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday ExpressThis is the fourth book in the bestselling Karen Pirie series.

The Number One bestselling crime series featuring Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV’s Wire in the Blood, written by the award-winning Val McDermid. The hunt for a serial killer leads from Britain through Europe in this terrifying psychological thriller. A twisted killer targeting psychologists has left a grisly trail across Europe. Dr Tony Hill, expert at mapping the minds of murderers, is reluctant to get involved. But then the next victim is much closer to home…Meanwhile, his former partner DCI Carol Jordan is working undercover in Berlin, on a dangerous operation to trap a millionaire trafficker. When the game turns nasty, Tony is the only person she can call on for help.Confronting a cruelty that has its roots in Nazi atrocities, Tony and Carol are thrown together in a world of violence and corruption, where they have no one to trust but each other.

THE ENTHRALLING KAREN PIRIE MYSTERY FROM THE NO.1 BESTSELLER. THE KAREN PIRIE SERIES IS NOW A MAJOR ITV SERIES STARRING LAUREN LYLE'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' Independent'Gripping, thought-provoking and original - a tour-de-force' Literary ReviewWhen a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a crumbling, gothic building in Edinburgh, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is faced with the unenviable task of identifying the bones. As Karen's investigation gathers momentum, she is drawn deeper into a dark world of intrigue and betrayal. Meanwhile, someone is taking the law into their own hands in the name of justice and revenge -- but when present resentment collides with secrets of the past, the truth is more shocking than anyone could have imagined . . .If you love The Skeleton Road, don't miss Silent Bones - the brand-new Karen Pirie thriller, available to order now.Praise for Val McDermid:'Grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday Express'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review'McDermid remains unrivalled' ObserverThis is the third book in the bestselling Karen Pirie series.

The first novel in the bestselling Karen Pirie series The award-winning Number One bestseller and Queen of crime fiction Val McDermid carves out a stunning psychological thriller. The past is behind them, but what’s still to come will tear them apart…From the creators of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, KAREN PIRIE is now on ITV, starring Lauren Lyle (Outlander) Some things just won’t let go. The past, for instance. That night in the cemetery. The girl’s body in the snow. On a freezing Fife morning four drunken students stumble upon the body of a woman in the snow. Rosie has been raped, stabbed and left for dead in an ancient Pictish cemetery. And the only suspects are the four young men now stained with her blood.Twenty-five years later the police mount a ‘cold case’ review of Rosie’s unsolved murder and the four are still suspects. But when two of them die in suspicious circumstances, it seems that someone is pursuing their own brand of justice. For the remaining two there is only one way to avoid becoming the next victim – find out who really killed Rosie all those years ago…

The Number One bestselling crime series featuring Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV’s Wire in the Blood. The award-winning Val McDermid is at the height of her powers in this tense masterclass in psychological suspense. The race is on to uncover the identity of a murderer with nothing to lose – and everything to kill for. When Robbie Bishop, star midfielder for the Bradfield Vics, is poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin, profiler Dr Tony Hill and trusted colleague DCI Carol Jordan have their work cut out for them. Robbie was adored, so the public want answers – but the answers aren't coming, and trails are running cold.Then a bomb explodes in the football stadium, causing massive casualties – and another man dies from poisoning. Is there a link between the cases? And what are the motives for these crimes? The clock is ticking for Tony and Carol – and the death toll keeps rising…

From the no.1 bestseller Val McDermid comes a gripping mystery starring journalist Lindsay GordonA women’s protest peace camp comes under fire when Rupert Crabtree is found murdered on the grounds.Rupert was a solicitor leading a campaign against the camp, and the police suspect the protesters, but journalist Lindsay Gordon isn’t so sure.When a woman at the camp is attacked, Lindsay races to find Rupert’s true killer, before they strike again. Praise for Val McDermid ‘McDermid remains unrivalled … Brilliant’ Observer‘Val McDermid is a born storyteller… absorbing reading’ Sunday Telegraph‘A classic … McDermid pulls out all the stops. Impeccable’ Guardian

The second riveting crime novel in the Karen Pirie series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid. ‘A superb mystery’ The Times From the creators of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, KAREN PIRIE is now on ITV, starring Lauren Lyle (Outlander)Twenty-five years ago, a woman and her baby son were kidnapped and held to ransom. Catriona Grant ended up dead and little Adam's fate has remained a mystery ever since.When a new clue is discovered in a deserted Tuscan villa – along with grisly evidence of a recent murder – cold case expert DI Karen Pirie is assigned to follow the trail.She's already working a case from the same year. During the Miners' Strike of 1984, pit worker Mick Prentice vanished. Where did he really go? And is there a link to the Grant mystery?The truth is stranger – and far darker – than fiction.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER1989. The world is on the brink of revolution and journalist Allie Burns is a woman on a mission. When she discovers a lead about the exploitation of society's most vulnerable, Allie is determined to investigate and give voice to the silenced.Elsewhere, a ticking clock begins the countdown to a murder. As Allie begins to connect the dots and edges closer to exposing the truth, it is more shocking than she ever imagined. There's nothing like a killer story, and to tell it, Allie must risk her freedom and her life . . .The brand-new unmissable, heart-stopping thriller from number one bestseller Val McDermid___________Praise for the Allie Burns series:'McDermid is at her considerable best' GUARDIAN'Irresistible' PATRICIA CORNWELL'A brilliant novel by a supremo of the genre' PETER JAMES'Outstanding' SPECTATOR'Another masterpiece' DAVID BALDACCI'Sensational. One of Britain's most accomplished writers' SUNDAY EXPRESS'A masterly setter of scene' SCOTSMAN

'No one can tell a story like she can' Daily Express'The queen of psychological thrillers' Irish Independent'The bodies never stay buried forever . . .'On a freezing winter morning, fishermen pull a body from the sea. It is quickly discovered that the dead man was the prime suspect in a decade-old investigation, when a prominent civil servant disappeared without trace. DCI Karen Pirie was the last detective to review the file and is drawn into a sinister world of betrayal and dark secrets.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.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 . . .Don't miss Silent Bones, the twisty new Karen Pirie thriller____________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'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review

Shakespeare fed us the myth of the Macbeths as murderous conspirators. But now Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows . . . A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions – a healer, a weaver and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her – because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth.As the net closes in, we discover a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman, who survived loss and jeopardy to outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and power-hungry men. Her struggle won her a country. But now it could cost her life.Part of Polygon's DARKLAND TALES series.

Buy Val McDermid's masterful new thriller, 1989, now!'No-one can plot or tell a story like she can. The hairs on my neck literally stood up' Daily Express'So gripping it puts your life on hold' The Times'You should have been a detective. If there's one thing the last year has proved, it's how good you are at finding things out. Things that are buried so deep nobody even thinks twice about them. The sort of things that turn people's lives inside out once they're exposed.'Meet Tony Hill's most twisted adversary - a killer with a shopping list of victims, a killer unmoved by youth and innocence, a killer driven by the most perverted of desires. The murder and mutilation of teenager Jennifer Maidment is horrific enough on its own. But it's not long before Tony realises it's just the start of a brutal and ruthless campaign that's targeting an apparently unconnected group of young people. Struggling with the newly awakened ghosts of his own past and desperate for distraction in his work, Tony battles to find the answers that will give him personal and professional satisfaction in his most testing investigation yet . . .A shocking, nail-biting Tony Hill and Carol Jordan thriller from the number one bestseller.Praise for Val McDermid:'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday Express'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review'McDermid remains unrivalled' Observer'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' IndependentThis is the sixth book in the bestselling Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.

'Brilliant . . . sensational . . . unforgettable' Guardian'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' IndependentThere is one serial killer who has shaped and defined police profiler Tony Hill's life. One serial killer whose evil surpasses all others. One serial killer who has the power to chill him to the bone: Jacko Vance.And now Jacko is back in Tony's life. Even more twisted and cunning than ever before, he is focused on wreaking revenge on Tony - and DCI Carol Jordan - for the years he has spent in prison.Tony doesn't know when Jacko will strike, or where. All he knows is that Jacko will cause him to feel fear like he has never known before - and devastate his life in ways he cannot imagine...A gripping new thriller in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, from the number one bestseller.Don't miss Val McDermid's new thriller Silent Bones, available to order now.___________________Praise for Val McDermid:'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail'So gripping it puts your life on hold' The Times'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday Express'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review'McDermid remains unrivalled' ObserverThis is the seventh book in the bestselling Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.

Don't miss Silent Bones, Val McDermid's twisty new mystery__________________'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' Independent'No one can plot or tell a story like she can' Daily ExpressSomeone is brutally killing women. Women who bear a striking resemblance to former DCI Carol Jordan. The connection is too strong to ignore and soon psychological profiler Tony Hill finds himself dangerously close to the investigation, just as the killer is closing in on his next target.This is a killer like no other, hell-bent on inflicting the most severe and grotesque punishment on his prey. As the case becomes ever-more complex and boundaries begin to blur, Tony and Carol must work together once more to try and save the victims, and themselves.A breathless, thrilling mystery from the number one bestseller.__________________Praise for Val McDermid:'It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go' Daily Mail'So gripping it puts your life on hold' The Times'As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get' Sunday Express'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review'McDermid remains unrivalled' ObserverThis is the eighth book in the bestselling Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.

In this special 20th anniversary edition, Lee Child introduces the Gold Dagger award-winning serial killer thriller that began the Number One bestselling crime series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV’s much-loved Wire in the Blood. You always remember the first time. Isn’t that what they say about sex? How much more true it is of murder… Up till now, the only serial killers Tony Hill had encountered were safely behind bars. This one’s different – this one’s on the loose.Four men have been found mutilated and tortured. As fear grips the city, the police turn to clinical psychologist Tony Hill for a profile of the killer. But soon Tony becomes the unsuspecting target in a battle of wits and wills where he has to use every ounce of his professional nerve to survive.A tense, beautifully written psychological thriller, The Mermaids Singing explores the tormented mind of a serial killer unlike any the world of fiction has ever seen.

The ferociously readable, #1 bestselling crime thriller that led to the much-loved ITV show… ‘Wholly satisfying’ Ian Rankin Young girls are disappearing nationwide Dr Tony Hill sets his team a task: find a link between the cases.Only one officer comes up with a theory, but it’s too wild… that is, until one of their number is murdered and mutilated.Tony has started a game – one where hunter and hunted can all too easily be reversed. He has baited an aggressor whose charming manner hides a warped and sick mind… When a killer is hiding in plain sight Who can stop them? ‘Truly frightening’ The Times‘Sly and sophisticated, weaving the mundane with the stomach-churningly depraved’ Express

The Number One bestselling crime series featuring Tony Hill, hero of TV’s Wire in the Blood, written by the award-winning Val McDermid. This is a psychological thriller – and serial killer – that will keep you up at night. For some, there is nothing so sweet, so thrilling, as the torment of others … A dead girl lies on a blood-soaked mattress, her limbs spread in a parody of ecstasy. The scene matches a series of murders which ended when irrefutable forensic evidence secured the conviction of one Derek Tyler. But Tyler's been locked up in a mental institution for two years, barely speaking a word – except to say that 'the Voice' told him to do it.Top criminal psychologist Dr Tony Hill is prepared to think the unthinkable – this is not a copycat murder but something much stranger. While DCI Carol Jordan and her team mount a desperate and dangerous undercover police operation to trap the murderer, Hill heads towards a terrifying face-off with one of the most perverse killers he has ever encountered…

The award-winning and Number One bestselling Val McDermid crafts an electrifying psychological suspense thriller that mixes history, heritage and heinous crimes. A 200 year-old-secret is now a matter of life and death. And it could be worth a fortune. It's summer in the Lake District and heavy rain over the fells has uncovered a bizarrely tattooed body. Could it be linked to the old rumour that Fletcher Christian, mutinous First Mate on the Bounty, had secretly returned to England?Scholar Jane Gresham wants to find out. She believes that the Lakeland poet William Wordsworth, a friend of Christian's, may have sheltered the fugitive and turned his tale into an epic poem – which has since disappeared.But as she follows each lead, death is hard on her heels. The centuries-old mystery is putting lives at risk. And it isn't just the truth that is waiting to be discovered, but a bounty worth millions …

The Number One bestselling, award-winning Queen of crime fiction Val McDermid delivers a searing psychological suspense thriller. A serial killer is on the loose. His victims? Crime writers… A murderer is at large, hunting with a bloodlust that shatters all the conventional wisdom on how serial killers operate. Professor Fiona Cameron is a psychologist who uses computer technology to track serial offenders. She vowed never to work for the Met again after they went against her advice and screwed up an investigation as a result. But when her lover, thriller writer Kit Martin, tells her a fellow crime novelist has been murdered, Fiona can’t help taking an interest.With the killer striking again, Fiona is caught in a race against time, not only to save a life, but to bring herself redemption, both personal and professional.

Jane Austen in the hands of queen of crime, Val McDermid. Get ready for a very different Northanger Abbey. For Cat Morland life being home-schooled in Dorset is unendurably ordinary. To cope, she devours as many novels as possible, especially anything supernatural. But if Cat can tear her eyes away from the page, she’s in for a shock: the very stuff of her dreams is about to come true.An invite to the Edinburgh Festival from some wealthy neighbours throws her in the way of a mysterious young man, Henry Tilney; a like-minded friend, Isabella Thorpe; and her odious brother, who threatens to ruin Cat’s chances of adventure. But this heroine is not so easily deterred, especially when she’s singled out by the Tilney family to stay with them at their imposing gothic castle, Northanger Abbey.Turrets and creaking doors there may be, but in the depths of the Scottish Borders Cat is isolated from the outside world, with no phone signal and no internet. She’s all alone in an ancient abbey alive with old secrets and a family who are not quite as they seem. Is real life about to become more terrifying than the world of her imagination?

The stunning first novel in the Kate Brannigan series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid. ‘This is crime writing of the very highest order’ The Times Introducing Kate Brannigan, Manchester’s most-loved private detective – a woman who won’t take no for an answer. As a favour, Kate agrees to track down a missing songwriter, Moria Pollock. It was supposed to be a nice simple case, but the search soon leads Kate into the dark underworld of Leeds, Manchester and Bradford – and finally to a shocking confrontation with a killer…

The second gripping thriller in the Kate Brannigan series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid. ‘No one can plot or tell a story like McDermid’ ExpressPI Kate Brannigan is hired to investigate a series of strange financial scams across Manchester. At first it looks like a discrepancy with the paperwork, but the deeper Kate digs, the murkier the case becomes.Before long she’s up to her neck in crooked land deals – and murder – and her own life is on the line…

The third stunning thriller in the Kate Brannigan series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid. ‘This is crime writing of the very highest order’ The TimesManchester-based private eye Kate Brannigan thought it would be safe to let her boyfriend help out with her investigation. But now he’s behind bars and she’s been left caring for his eight-year-old son.Soon Kate finds herself drawn into the world of drug traffickers, child pornographers, and violent gangland enforcers – bringing her face to face with death in the most terrifying investigation of her career.

The fourth riveting thriller in the Kate Brannigan series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid. ‘The Queen of Crime is still at the top of her game’ Independent When a Monet is stolen from a stately home, Manchester-based private eye Kate Brannigan goes head to head with organized crime as she hunts the thieves through Europe.Meanwhile, someone is leaving a trail of bodies across the Northwest. As Kate confronts some harsh truths in her own life, the case stretches her love and loyalty to its limits.