Skip to main content

Still Life review

 


Synopsis:
When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, DCI Karen Pirie is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—involving a long-ago disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to surround a painter who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic accident leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Karen has a full plate, and it only gets more stressful as the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is scheduled for release from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet.


My Review:

Really good thriller set in various areas of the UK and Ireland. I have read McDermid’s books before and she is great at giving just the right amount of detail and creating tension throughout the story. 
I did enjoy the secondary storyline of the skeleton in the van but it was abandoned a little towards The end of the book and instead the major storyline of the Auld brothers gained more traction, so I felt there could have been more balance or connection between the two cases.
I like all the characters, especially Daisy who I hope will be featured in upcoming books in the series.


My Rating - 8/10


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Wire in the Blood - review

  Synopsis: Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they're runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It's the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They've spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find... My review: A good crime novel that had some great twists and characters, especially Jacko Vance, a true psychopath. I really enjoyed the insight into Jacko’s life and point of view as his mind is so sick and twisted, I found it very interesting to see what motivated him. I thought most the characters, including Vance, were very well written as complex individuals However, I did think this book was a little too long and was a little boring especially in the middle, I also think that the arson storyline wasn’t needed and didn’t make a difference to the book. Another thing I’d say is ...

Odd Girl Out - Review

    Synopsis: In Odd Girl Out, author Laura James  details the year and a half after her diagnosis with adult Asperger's, a syndrome within autism spectrum disorder . It was a time she hoped would change everything for the better—and it did—but not before she hit bottom in her personal and professional life. My Review: A truthful and honest book detailing James’ life after her autism diagnosis. I found some parallels between Jones’ childhood and my own, but there were equally as many, if not more, differences between us, just confirming that each autistic person is amazingly unique. Decent writing, more just a retelling of the facts interspersed with James’ opinions, which are quite repetitive, but I believe this fits best with the book, considering it is the story of an autistic person’s life, so should be written however this autistic person wants it to be written. There were lots of interesting tales from her life and also stories that she has heard from fellow autisti...

The Watchers - review

  Synopsis: You can't see them. But they can see you.  This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time. Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers and why are these creatures keeping them imprisoned, keen to watch their every move? My Review: A brilliant debut novel with an eerie, dark atmosphere, filled with tension and a twisty story.  I loved how the story focused on only a handful of characters which meant that each one...