Foyles

(Hardback)

by Sarah Hood

I do love a Val McDermid book, and Silent Bones was no exception. The book thoroughly absorbed me in the two days immediately prior to Christmas 2025. Silent Bones is well paced, featuring short punchy chapters as DCI Pirie, DS Murray and DS Mortimer juggle the demands of two cases. The plot is liberally sprinkled with insightful contemporary realism and Scottish vernacular, together with Val McDermid's signature dry wit coming to the fore in the dialogue between the central characters. Karen Pirie is a compelling and complex heroine, whose professional success seems destined not to be mirrored in her personal life. I'd enthusiastically recommend Silent Bones to series devotees. I believe it could be read as a standalone or entry point to the series by those who haven't yet read the previous books, although there are very significant series-level character arcs and background plot lines that reward reading the series in publication order. Thanks to the author, Queen of Crime Val McDermid, publisher Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Crime and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.

(Hardback)

by Helen Wilkinson

First book I have read in the Karen Pirie series. A body is unearthed when a motorway siding collapses. A brother over from Australia uncovers a possible suspect in the murder of his brother, which had been ruled as an accidental death. Two cold cases, very different circumstances but are they connected? The team are working hard pulling on seemingly improbable threads that unravel. Getting information from suspects and informants abroad. Can the team unravel the connections and find enough evidence to make a case for conviction? A story that will keep you gripped.

(Hardback)

by Laura

A number of deaths call for the attention of the Historic Crime Unit of Police Scotland. DCI Karen Pirie is on the case with Sargents Daisy and Jason to review cases, originally marked as accidents or solved murders around the time of the Scottish Independence Referendum. To add to the intrigue, DCI Pirie and her team are left puzzling about reports of happenings at a political donor party around the time of the deaths and how it could link to the members of a still-existing, mysterious mason-like book club. This is my first Val McDermid, an author I’ve been meaning to read for ages due to her strong reputation as a crime writer. I really enjoyed the pace. The short chapters build the drama and keep the story-telling pacey. I like Pirie, she’s no-nonsense but also vulnerable at times, as it touches upon developments in her personal life. I liked Daisy and Jason, their attempts to best one another and impress Pirie, almost as bickering siblings vying for their mum’s attention. I enjoyed the twists and turns and found the Scottish location teamed with the timeframe of the independence referendum compelling. A solid crime novel that will have you gripped.

This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.

(Hardback)

by Psychoticpat

Despite reading many books by Val I've not read any of the Karen Perie series, only watched them on TV. I came to Silent Bones with the actors as the characters still in my head which for once helped I think. I really enjoyed the convoluted storyline. The many twists and turns and the dead ends. I also enjoyed the obvious respect and cohesion between the team members. I think I'll have to go back and read previous books to uncover the bits I've missed as there are obvious progressions from the last TV dramatisation to this book. I'm definitely a KP Nuts fan now and after such an excellent read from Val McDermid look forward to reading more about Karen and the team. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

(Hardback)

by Joan Clapham

Severe storms cause a mudslide onto the M73 motorway and the human remains are found of journalist Sam Nimmo who eleven years ago was thought to have killed his pregnant fiancé Rachel Morrison and gone on the run. DCI Karen Pirie of the Police Scotland Historic Cases Unit is called in to investigate but her questions quickly lead to more cold cases to untangle and a dubious book group. I always look forward to reading a new Val McDermid thriller and couldn’t wait to get my hands on ‘Silent Bones’ featuring my favourite detectives DCI Karen Pirie and her stalwart team of DS Daisy Mortimer and DS Jason ‘The Mint’ Murray. It hasn’t disappointed as although longer than the average police procedural thriller it’s far from slow and is one heck of a rollercoaster as each page gets more exciting and the tension ramps up. It starts with one cold case but quickly becomes what appears to be three, that surprisingly involves the same group of rich and privileged men whose names soon come to the team’s attention. The plot has been cleverly written with past and present news items included in the narrative and there’s more about Karen, Daisy and Jason’s private lives that in my opinion always makes them feel more like real people. Although I didn’t want the book to come to an end I couldn’t wait to find out how Karen was going to achieve the results their boss ‘Fruit Gum’ is wanting and get justice for the bereaved families. This has been a fantastic read, thoroughly enjoyable and worthy of more than five stars.