Book #59 Out Of Bounds

Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am always enthralled with Val McDermid. I have read most of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novels and some of the stand-alone. I came across Out Of Bounds at a local bookstore and bought a copy of her latest book. The chief protagonist is the feisty DCI Karen Pirie, a polis (love that Scottish word) attached to Police Scotland. She heads up the Historical Case Unit (HCU) and is an expert at solving the unsolvable. I had no idea though that Out Of Bounds is the fourth in the Pirie series and there are events referred to in her past life that are no doubt covered in the earlier books. Nevertheless, this latest can be enjoyably read as a stand-alone. I must though find out what happened to her partner - “the love of her life” - Phil, who moved from the HCU to become DCI Jimmy Hutton’s bagman, his trusted lieutenant in the quaintly named Murder Prevention Team. He had been fascinated by his job and never imagined it would be the death of him. And then it was. How so I wonder?

So, Out Of Bounds - When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car, a routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the mystery of a twenty-year-old murder inquiry. McDermid is the master in plotting events that occurred years ago, avoiding the possible continuity traps and getting the details right. She cleverly interweaves this investigation to another case as Pirie pieces together decades-old evidence. And familial DNA plays a significant rôle in this exciting and brilliant story.

Each time I read a Val McDermid I find myself saying “this is the best so far”. Well, here it is: “this is the best so far!” Highly recommended.

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