A Darker Domain

This is the first time I read a Val McDermid book and it was quite enjoyable despite a few flaws. Before coming across this book, I'd never heard of McDermid who, it seems, is best-known for her thrillers featuring Dr Tony Hill. 'A Darker Domain' is one of her stand-alone novels. I liked the characters, the fast-paced plotting and the 1984 the National miners' strike setting, which I knew little about and makes a very interesting read. The book is very well-written and a gripping read but the ending was quite obvious and I figured out its main points half-way through the book. What disappointed me most about this book is the ending in itself. I waited for a climax or a big twist in the plot, which unfortunately never came. There is a minor surprise but I found it over-exaggerated and incongruous. It felt as if McDermid had ran out of ideas and threw this one in there thinking it would be a big shock to the readers. It definitely wasn't. It just felt unrealistic, whereas the rest of the book had been quite believable. The worst thing about the ending is that it's over in about two pages. One minute the cases seem to be at a dead-end and next thing you know ta-da! Cases solved, everyone happy! I wonder whether McDermid was in a rush to finish writing the book. A shame really, as I really enjoyed the first half of the book. That said, I think I'll probably give McDermid another chance if I ever come across one of Tony Hill thrillers:)

Nice to see the female detective who locked up her boss take the lead. The past and present converge in this cold case.

This is my first Val McDermid fiction after I read and adored her non fiction work on forensics. I so wanted to love this book but it just didn't happen, even though it's amazingly written with well researched social/historical context and a far from plain plot. Perhaps it's timing, or perhaps I didn't like the two pronged mystery. Who knows. It will not stop me reading the rest of her work because I love her writing style and dedication to making a story whole. I don't think me picking it up and putting it down so many times helped either...