It’s complicated: Past Lying (by Val McDermid)

#PastLying #NetGalley

Val McDermid is one of my favorite authors and her Karen Pirie novels make up my favorite of her series. So, I was delighted to start reading this book. 

Past Lying takes place in Scotland during Covid. McDermid brought back painful memories for me of what it was like to live with lockdown (though I was not in Scotland). The pandemic complicates policing due to the many restrictions that are in place. 

There are several plots in these pages. One has to do with a writer who may (or may not) have planned a perfect murder in order to incriminate a fellow novelist. This story line leads to there being a novel within the novel. A second thread has to do with an illegal migrant who risked his life to expose the corruption in his country. A third story has to do with the police officers known as the Mint. His mother is very ill with Covid and in the hospital. What has Jason’s (the Mint) brother been up to?

In addition to the story, McDermid takes the opportunity to talk quite a bit about writers and what they do (at least in this book) to be successful. This may include book signings, courses and responsiveness to what the public wants. In a minor criticism, I did not enjoy this aspect of the book as much as others. 

Readers will welcome spend time catching up on the character’s personal lives. Karen still mourns Phil and has to decide how she feels about Hamish. Daisy may be starting a new relationship. There is also the relationship between the two writers and the wife of one who becomes involved with the other.

I found Past Lying to be a bit slow to get into but then it most definitely took off. Readers of the other novels in the series will surely want to read this. Ms. McDermid will undoubtedly garner some new fans as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this title. All opinions are my own.

This title was published in November 2023.

NOTE: THIS BOOK HAD A STARRED REVIEW IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

“Truly chilling . . . Ingenious, humane, and all too telling as a reminder of the costs of the pandemic even on its survivors.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Atmospheric . . . The novel-within-a-novel is not a new device, but McDermid uses it to memorable effect in a piece of fiction that vividly recreates the anxious early months of the Covid pandemic.”—Sunday Times (UK)