Broken Ground by Val McDermid and The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill

Reading Mystery Novels In Times of Trouble

Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland, Vera and Two Rivers mystery series, writes, “Yesterday, I was included in a tweet by an NHS doctor who said that crime-fiction was keeping him sane during the most stressful time of his career. Odd perhaps, that someone dealing with matters of life and death daily should choose an exploration of murder and its aftermath as comfort reading! But perhaps it’s not so strange. Even the grittiest thriller usually has a sense of resolution at the end, even a sense of reconciliation and hope. And we all need an escape.”

I recently finished reading my through two excellent murder mystery series, The Karen Pirie series by Val McDermid and the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill.

Broken Ground sees Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie really coming into her own, as the head of the Historic Cases Unit, she knows her job and has the confidence to move forward even when ordered not to.

The investigation at the centre of this novel involves the death of a man found buried with two Second World War motorcycles in a Scottish peat bog. The problem is that the man is not WW2 vintage, and he has very definitely been murdered. The novel then follows Karen’s investigation from the peat bog, and the rather too attractive landowner, to Edinburgh, in a tale that involves fortune hunters, wartime theft, and the involvement of a powerful public figure.

On the personal front Karen Pirie, still missing her dead lover, is beginning to find her footing in the world outside the office, and while Phil is still very much in her thoughts, she finds she is able to feel attraction for another man.

The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill is the 8th in the Simon Serrailler series. This was a bit of a difficult book as the investigation at the centre of the story is one involving perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Simon Serrailler is involved in dangerous undercover work in this investigation. We also read about the life of Simon’s sister, Dr. Cat Serrailler, and her children, providing a distraction from the intensity of the investigation. As well, there is another story line involving Simon’s father and his wife, as well as the woman who Simon loves, to fill in the back story.

As always, when reviewing a mystery novel I struggle to say enough to give the reader a sense of the story without giving too much away, as it is the suspense that makes a mystery novel so absorbing. I found the books by Susan Hill and Val McDermid to be intelligent and insightful, with characters I look forward to meeting again with each new novel.

You’ll find these books and more in stock at our temporary, post fire, location at 41 Church Street, open Monday & Wednesday & Friday from 10 am – 4 pm. Keep on Reading!