This is the 7th instalment in the Karen Pirie series and there are references to past histories of different characters but it didn’t feel like I was missing out. This one is a cleverly written page turner that is a story within a story. I found it really engaging on audio. It took me a little time to get to grips with the different characters and the switching of past to present timelines but once I did it was full on engrossing. Really liked the characters and the police procedural side of the the storyline is always a favourite. Although it’s based in Covid times it doesn’t overshadow the storyline but does add another element to it. Definitely recommend 🤩…

Thanks to Netgalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for the opportunity to listen to and review #PastLying

The narration
The series is now on its third narrator after Tom Cotcher and Kathleen McCarron. Switching narrator can be frustrating for the listener and both the Tom and Kathleen (in particular) had proved good narrators. The switch to Lauren Lyle is probably an obvious one, and a bit of a coup because she plays Karen Pirie in the television adaptation. She did a good job overall, not using too many distinctive voices and her attempt at an Australian accent raised a snigger but she managed to nail posh English to perfection.

My thoughts
The novel is set during the first covid lockdown, when the experience was new for us all and we found our way of life compromised. Karen and her team must negotiate a cold case within the draconian restrictions of self-isolation, bubbles, social distancing and just an hour outdoor exercise a day. This along with hospitalisation is accurately and vividly brought back to life.

Karen has formed her own support bubble with colleague DS Daisy Mortimer at her boyfriend Hamish’s place, as he has headed to the highlands to attend to his croft. They have an amicable enough co-existence, but Karen is missing her coping mechanisms that she developed to get over the death of her partner Phil Parhatka. Her long night walks are now restricted to an hour, and there are no gin sampling evenings with Jimmy Hutton or trips to the Aleppo café. Her frustrations are palpable, what she needs is a case to occupy her, but investigations are supposedly on hold.

The opportunity comes from an unexpected source, the National Library. The crime writer Jake Stein has recently passed away and his archive has been donated to the library. Included within is the first draft of a manuscript, The Disappearance of Laurel Oliver, which piques the interest of a member of the staff. In it a young woman is murdered, and she has a rare condition which co-incidentally is shared by a young woman who went missing the year before. Could this novel really be a thinly disguised roman-à-clef? Once Karen and Daisy are reading it, they start to take this possibility seriously.

The concept of getting away with the perfect murder still fascinates us all and here dues are paid to Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, but this no murder swap here, but a murder that is documented within a novel. Whole chapters of manuscript are included within the story, so we have a story within a story. The plot is carefully crafted, twisting and turning fiendishly, with elements of bluff to contend with, such that it is hard to pin down. The motivation behind the crime are jealousy and revenge, but there is also a counterpoint in the kindness of strangers. This becomes apparent in a sub-plot involving the Aleppo café.
The effects of the lockdown on the regular characters adds an extra dimension to the story. Daisy met a new girlfriend the week before lockdown started, can she keep a relationship going after only two dates? Jason provides the few moments of light relief but as always it is a sympathetic portrayal. Poor Jason is put through the wringer by events and needs the support of the team just to keep going. Will his soft and easy-going nature be affected by events, or will he find an inner strength? Karen starts to evaluate her relationship with Hamish, are they an item for the long term? The one good thing about the changing methods of operation is Karen can avoid the attention of senior officers which is essential if you are going to pursue a maverick investigation.

The pairing of Karen and Daisy together in a bubble works well as two very individuals must learn to live in close proximity and build up a rapport. They even manage to develop a friendship based on mutual respect.

Being set in the Scottish crime writing scene allows to author to name drop her friends and colleagues amongst the invented central protagonists which adds to a sense of realism. There are occasional uses of Scots vernacular, I would have liked more, and the naming of a small independent Scottish publisher Stooshie Press made me chuckle (stooshie being a commotion over a minor irritant.) As ever there are the nicknames (Karen Pirie = KP nuts, Jason Murray = the mint, Ann Markie = the dog biscuit) but overall, there is little humour which is fine considering the subject matter. That said, its not overly dark either.

Past Lying is a fiendishly constructed lockdown puzzle for Karen Pirie to solve

I would like to thank Net Galley, the publisher and author for access in exchange for a fair review.

An easy read, with a simple plot for a cold case - a police investigation and a solved crime - with the odd bits about covid lockdown thrown in.

Not my favourite of Val's books as it as pretty easy to guess the culprit.

The Queen of crime thrillers is back with a bang with this suspenseful cold case chiller set against the backdrop of the covid pandemic. The seventh Karen Pirie investigative novel brings us up close and personal with a vengeful killer who has committed the perfect murder. An unfinished manuscript appears which gives instructions to carry out the perfect murder. It seems to match perfectly with the murder of a female, but with one problem - the author of the unfinished script is dead, so who knew about the script and followed its suggestions. Val McDermid takes all the separate strands and viewpoints and slowly and cleverly knits them together to a satisfying end. The audiobook is an addictive listen, and made for a thrilling listen. #pastlying #valmcdermid #crimethriller #Karenpirie

A wee bit predictable but Val is excellent at compelling narratives and interesting characters. An enjoyable read on a rainy weekend

So good to have another Karen Pirie book to listen to. As always Val McDermid gives us an enthralling story filled with fully-formed & believable characters involved in a plotline that has many twists & turns that capture & hold the reader/listener’s interest throughout.
I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to all of Val McDermid’s previous books, including the Karen Pirie series and enjoyed this book too. However, I didn’t feel the narrator of this book was as good as those of previous KP audiobooks. It was very difficult to differentiate between characters, including male & female characters, with the only characters sounding different being Australian and an English characters. This let the book down slightly, as I prefer narration to allow me to know which character I’m listening to; however, this is personal preference, and did not detract from my enjoyment of the book,
I do hope there are more Karen Pirie audiobooks to come & look forward to enjoying more books from Val McDermid’s skilled pen.

Karen is hunkering down in a bubble with Daisy, her subordinate, in a loaned apartment. It is early 2020 and lockdown has been initiated and everyone is coming to terms with the new restrictions (and hoping they won't last very long.... little did they know). The storyline is very strong on the protocols introduced at that time and the references took me straight back to this point in time, and revisiting this difficult period raised a touch of anxiety. One of the characters is personally affected by the escalating situation as the story moves along.

Given this is no.7 in the series, the characters are well embedded and beautifully brought to life. Karen is perhaps quite solemn in this one compared with previous outings but the team nevertheless feels quite familiar. The historical case team is working from home. Team member Jason receives a call highlighting the discovery of documents in the archive of a deceased crime novelist. The details contained therein are suspiciously close to the unsolved and mysterious disappearance of university student Lara, who, it is assumed, is dead. And from there this becomes a novel within a novel and the author clearly relishes the layered story-telling she has crafted within the world of crime writing. Her pleasure and enthusiasm is contagious and washes over the reader.


The novel and its intricacies demand focus, as there are several levels to keep straight but as this is an experienced novelist, the story moves along in a well-crafted way. There are political musings, whisky choices to be made and chess moves to ponder. There are bookish asides, literary festivals, writing workshops, and accolades for authors, whose books might just appear on the Jackie and Jimmy Book club list, sponsored by a high street chain (you don’t have to think long and hard about the inspiration behind this 😉).

Edinburgh, even at that difficult time, shines through, it is incredibly transportive.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator has a wonderful Scottish burr. However, every now and then – probably at the turn of a page – there was a slight but marked pause, which – once registered – became a pretty annoying feature.

Val McDermid is on top form in this thrilling, entertaining and tongue in cheek crime read in which she immerses us in a world she is intimately acquainted with, that of crime writers and the close knit world they inhabit. She highlights the egos, arrogance, rivalries, and the gossip that are features of the 'crime' community, set in a Edinburgh in 2020, with its strict Covid rules. I listened to this on audio, approximately 13 hours and 10 minutes long, ably narrated by Lauren Lyle who voices the characters with skill and manages to evoke the atmosphere of the strange eerily empty streets and fears of people during lockdown. It all begins with DC Jason Murray of HCU (Historical Crimes Unit) getting a phone call from a librarian and archivist ,disturbed by the receipt of an unfinished manuscript, The Vanishing of Laurel Oliver, written by the recently deceased disgraced crime writer, Jake Stein.

Apparently the story has uncanny echoes of the unsolved real life disappearance a year ago of student, crime fiction fan, and aspiring writer, Lara Hardie, but is it fact or fiction? DCI Karen Pirie is desperate for mental stimulation, in a support bubble with DS Daisy Mortimer, and sees an opportunity to see how her team is going to operate and evolve, albeit amidst the difficulties of Covid restrictions. So begins a complex, multilayered investigation, which includes interviews with Lara's despairing family, those who knew Jake, such as his ex-wife, lawyer Rosalind Harris, and his chess playing fellow crime writer friend, Ross McEwan, the man it begins to look like Stein is framing for murder. Karen is a born rule breaker, a humanitarian, as she proves by rescuing a Syrian doctor facing serious threats to his life, and has to negotiate her way past her problematic boss, ACC Ann Markie.

There are twists galore in this latest gripping Pirie outing, with suspense levels hitting sky high, we have Karen finding herself questioning her relationship with Hamish, and poor Jason having a really tough time, particularly when his beloved mum, Sandra, becomes infected by Covid and is hospitalised, and his brother, Ronan's behaviour poses a threat to his professional career. McDermid hits on the perfect stylish premise that she is amply equipped to deliver, is at home with, in the process I am sure she greatly enjoyed demystifying her world of crime writers, publishers in the field, crime fiction, and the grisly business of a clever murder. You could almost say this a perfect must read novel for its target audience of crime, mystery and thriller readers! A brilliant addition to the series, and I can definitely recommend the audio! Many thanks to netgalley for an ALC.

The Karen Pirie series is one of my favorite and this is a wild ride that kept me turning pages and following the clues trying to guess who-did-it
Well plotted, solid, and gripping.
The lockdown atmosphere was eerie and it brought back in the past.
Reading and listening created an interesting experience and added layers to the story.
Well done, loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'll start this review by saying that Val McDermid is one of my favourite authors, one of my most read authors (one of the few authors I've read twenty plus books by) and one of the authors who first got me reading Crime.

The Karen Pirie series has been one of the most consistent series
I've read, and each new instalment is eagerly awaited.

Karen Pirie is a cold case detective, which opens up a wide variety of times and places and frees the stories from the humdrum here and now.

Set during lockdown, this case is triggered by a first draft of a novel found in the archives of a deceased crime writer. Details echo a real life missing person's case. Could the novel be based on the real crime committed by the author?

It's a very interesting premise which might feel more psychological thriller than police procedural, so you expect there'll be a twist.

A lot of the book is piecing together the details from the draft of the novel and searching for real life evidence. It feels refreshingly different.

It's quite long, not the fastest, but it held my attention. Not least waiting to see if I had worked out the twist (I had).

The lockdown setting felt strangely dated, it's over two years since I read my first lockdown novel, 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard. The insights into the lives of successful crime writers was interesting, mixing in plenty of references to real life authors.

Aside from the original setup, the final reveal and the breakdown of the meticulous planning of the crime were probably my favourite parts.

If you haven't read the series, then I recommend you start at the beginning, this book wouldn't be a great first taste.

The audiobook narration was fine, no complaints, not an overly dramatic interpretation.

Not bad at all, though not a classic in the series, I hope it's just a case of lockdown limbo.

Thanks to Netgalley and W.F.Howes

I haven’t read all the Karen Pirie stories and I found this easy to pick up as a stand alone. Karen is heading up the historic crime unit in Edinburgh. This is set at the beginning of Covid lockdown and there are frequent references to the constraints imposed (long with some rule bending). Pirie is a warm and engaging character; a decent boss and colleague, a personable individual and a sharp intellect. She reflects a positive side of policing and a great role model, although this is fiction.

I found this story was a real mind bender. The plotting started to mess with my head. It centres on a manuscript, unfinished, which features a murder. There are disturbing similarities to an unsolved case involving the disappearance of a student, Lara, some years ago. The narrative follows events alongside a reading of the manuscript and the boundaries soon blurred for me!

As always, the plotting is full of surprises. Twisted and intricate it kept me on my toes throughout and I had no idea how it would pan out. Narration was a bit mixed. Great accent, but I found delivery rather stilted and staccato with pause in the wrong place. But I got used to it and tried to ignore it as I was enjoying the story.

🎧4.25⭐️

#7 Karen Piri

I had the audiobook read by Cathleen McCarron who does a great job with the narration. I liked both the Scottish and Aussie accent.

This one is set in the midst of Covid and it’s restrictions. This is the 2nd book I’ve read recently in this time frame, I hope there’s not going to be a deluge of them. I didn’t mind reading about the pandemic and lockdown, but it already seems so far in the past.

A cold case springs into life when a National librarian contacts the team with the contents of a deceased authors documents.

It’s a long book with a good complex plot which I enjoyed. I found the pace quite slow, but it didn’t mar my enjoyment. There’s good development within the team.

I think this is one that I would prefer the audiobook over reading it, for the extra that the narrator brings.