Past Lying cover art

Past Lying

Karen Pirie Novels, Book 7

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Past Lying

By: Val McDermid
Narrated by: Lauren Lyle
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About this listen

THE HEART-POUNDING NEW NOVEL IN THE KAREN PIRIE SERIES, NOW A MAJOR ITV SERIES STARRING LAUREN LYLE

Edinburgh, haunted by the ghosts of its many writers, is also the cold case beat of DCI Karen Pirie. So she shouldn't be surprised when an author's manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime.

Karen can't ignore the plot's chilling similarities to the unsolved case of an Edinburgh University student who vanished from her own doorstep. The manuscript seems to be the key to unlocking what happened to Lara Hardie, but there's a problem: the author died before he finished it.

As Karen digs deeper, she uncovers a spiraling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist . . .

The Queen of Crime Val McDermid is at the top of her game in her most gripping and fiendishly clever case yet.

©2023 Val McDermid (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd Crime Crime Fiction Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Cold Case Haunted Heartfelt Suspense
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The narration of the last book in this series spoilt it for me. It was stilted with very little difference between characters.

As usual the storyline was extremely well written.

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A enjoyable novel with its genre. All the way through it was evident we were in the hands of an expert and experienced writer.

Lock down need not be boring!

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The story was as usual excellent with lots of twists and interesting insights into the Covid pandemic. Unfortunately the narrator ruined it for me. She didn’t seem to understand the punctuation and emphasised incorrect words changing the meaning of some sentences I will avoid books narrated by her in the future.

Great story dreadful narrator

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Loved the book, Great story line. The reader, not so much. Thought the performance was very flat.

Great Book As Always.....But

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I absolutely love this series, I feel so invested in all the characters. So strange to be reading work set in the pandemic!
Love the book, Val. Preferred Cathleen’s performance as narrator, her voice is Karen’s in my mind.

Brilliant Val

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Karen Pirie goes from strength to strength, long may Val continue the series. Great social commentary.

Great series

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Val McDermid is terrific. I love the Karen Pirie series and this was another really exciting and satisfying read

Terrific

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I very, very much like Val McDermid’s books, so was disappointed by the narrator chosen for this, her latest Karen Pirie book. Lauren Lyle did not narrate distinctly often gulping the last part of her sentences. The publisher should have stuck with Cathleen McCarron who was brilliant in her narration of the earlier novels. I solved that by buying the e-book! Really great plot. Took me back to the severe (but in my opinion necessary) lockdowns where I lived in Australia. Love Val’s books and love Scotland.

Great story set in lockdown Scotland

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So glad Val has returned her attention to Karen Pirie. This is a great one.
i always love it when crime writers write about crime writers -- they seem to have so much fun with it, especially Val who knows a lot about writing.
i wasn't sure how a lock down story would play out (not being keen to relive that time!) but it was terrific, with lots of good sub plots (eg. the one about Jason's family which is both moving and funny).
This isn't so much a whodunnit as the ending becomes apparent a while before -- but it's a wonderful complex plot and a delight to listen to, despite Lauren Lyle being a hopeless reader. At least her accent is okay but not a patch on Cathleen.

Great book about crime writers, despite reader

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I enjoyed this read. It was intricate and complex which I like because you get value for money. I have listened to all of the Karen Pirie books so feel a connection to the character. Love her wit, strength, insight, compassion, empathy, intelligence and independence. A great read, full of unexpected twists.

Intriguing and Compelling

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