Broken Ground: A Karen Pirie Novel

By V. L. McDermid

Internationally bestselling author Val McDermid is one of our finest crime writers, and her gripping, masterfully plotted novels have garnered millions of readers from around the globe. In Broken Ground, cold case detective Karen Pirie faces her hardest challenge yet.

Six feet under in a Highland peat bog lies Alice Somerville’s inheritance, buried by her grandfather at the end of World War II. But when Alice finally uncovers it, she finds an unwanted surprise—a body with a bullet hole between the eyes. Meanwhile, DCI Pirie is called in to unravel a case where nothing is quite as it seems. And as she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear that not everyone shares her desire for justice. Or even the idea of what justice is.

An engrossing, twisty thriller, Broken Ground reaffirms Val McDermid’s place as one of the best crime writers of her generation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Release date: Dec 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9780802146939

V. L. McDermid

Val McDermid is a No.1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold more than sixteen million copies. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009, was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2010. Val writes full time and lives in Edinburgh and the East Neuk of Fife.

Reviews for Broken Ground

[bonnie.franks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Pirie is an investigator of cold cases, and that alone makes this an interesting read. You can read the synapses to find out the details of the book, but I can tell you that the reading of the book is much more fun than that.There is a search for two motor bikes by an heir, a dead body discovered, a helpful citizen, and the investigators. Oh, and the bad guy. This book has the investigators working on more than one case, one of them not even a cold case, a disgruntled chief, a new investigator whose heart doesn't seem to be in the job, and some clues that lead to high places. All the things one wants when one reads a mystery!I confess to not having read Val McDermid before, although I cannot figure out why , but for sure I will read more. Excellent writing. I was reading the dialogue in my not-so-good accent in no time at all. The characters were real to me and I cheered them on as if they were. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.Thank you to NetGalley, Val Mcdermid, and the publisher for providing this copy.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A body is discovered buried in a bog along with a WWII vintage motorcycle on a remote Scottish farm. The Historic Cases Unit headed by Karen Pirie is already investigating a series of unsolved vicious rapes from decades ago after one of the victims, left disabled by the attack, dies and new information comes to light. But with her boss doing her utmost to get rid of her including dumping an arrogant new officer on her to act as a spy, Karen decides to saddle him with a particularly time-consuming and likely fruitless task and head out to take over this new case since, although the bike is from the '40s, the body is definitely from a much later period putting the case well within her purview. While enjoying a break from the investigation, she stops at her favourite coffee shop where she overhears two women talking, one describing a possible deadly solution to problems with her ex-husband. Karen decides to let the pair know that she has overheard, a decision she will later come to regret. Broken Ground is the fifth book in Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series and it is one smart police procedural full of twists and turns and red herrings. Like most of McDermid's books, it is more puzzle than action but, as always, she makes it completely compelling. The story jumps between the three cases while the main case of the body in the bog is divided between 1944 and the burial of the bikes up to 1995 and the murder and now with the investigation. The other two cases, while given less space, are just as interesting. I enjoyed the story and found it impossible to put down. I did find the ending felt somewhat rushed but, overall, another satisfyingly addicting mystery by McDermid. Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[eyejaybee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Val McDermid is one of our most prolific novelists (this is, I believe, her thirty-second fiction book), and along with a few ‘stand-alone’ stories she has written several series. Perhaps the best known is the series featuring Detective Inspector Carol Jordan and Dr Tony Hill, which transferred (with questionable success in my view) to television as Wire in the Blood. Other than Ian Rankin’s novels featuring John Rebus, I struggle to think of a television adaptation that has proved quite as disappointing, and which might actually have served to deter newcomers from trying the books. I am surprised that her series of books featuring private investigator Kate Brannigan has never made it on to the small screen.Her most recent recurring character is Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, who leads the Historical Crimes Unit based in Edinburgh’s Gayfield Square police station. McDermid specialises in strong, assertive female characters, and Pirie is no exception. She is also immensely empathetic, and in this novel still finds herself struggling to surmount her grief at the loss of her partner. McDermid also has a fine track record at delivering plausible and well-constructed plots, and this is no exception. In fact, in this novel we have two cleverly balanced criminal plots (one stretching back to the end of the Second World War, while the other is current), with internecine police politicking thrown in as well. The novel opens with a family treasure hunt in Wester Ross, with an English couple commissioning a local crofter to help uncover two crates buried in peat bogs more than seventy years earlier. In addition to the packages that they were seeking, they uncover a perfectly preserved dead body. The police are summoned, and they in turn summon forensic anthropologist Dr River Wilde, who is the acknowledged expert for such investigations. It soon becomes clear that the body had been the victim of murder, and because of the apparent age of the body, it falls to Karen Pirie’s team to lead the case.Meanwhile, a bizarre chance encounter in an Edinburgh coffee bar has piqued Karen’s curiosity, though her boss, with whom her relationship could not be much worse, is concerned at her extra-curricular straying. McDermid makes Pirie so empathetic that I found myself absolutely fuming at the outrageous and unfair behaviour of her boss.Very entertaining and engaging.

[jfe16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alice Somerville travels to a Highland peat bog to claim the vintage motorbikes her grandfather buried there at the end of the Second World War. But a body entombed with one of the motorbike crates short circuits her plan to claim the bikes and return home. Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie, working the Historic Cases Unit and still grieving the loss of her lover, begins an investigation. But this isn’t the only case landing on Karen’s desk. There’s new evidence in a cold case involving several violent rapes. And an overheard conversation in a coffee shop gives her cause for concern. Can she solve the cases and bring justice to the victims as she deals with a difficult boss and an underhanded investigator newly-assigned to her unit? With a strong sense of place, well-defined, believable characters, and a twisting plot, tension mounts as the narrative unfolds, slowly revealing the backstory as it follows the present-day investigations. Seamlessly woven into the narrative, the storyline for all three of the crimes maintains both interest and suspense; the accurately-detailed process of investigating a crime adds depth and realism to the story.Although the story is well-told and readers are likely to remain involved in the telling of the tale, the often-recurring, offensive expletives are likely to be particularly off-putting for many readers.I received a free copy of this eBook from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley #BrokenGround #NetGalley

[katevane · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of the storylines in Broken Ground is that DCI Karen Pirie’s scheming boss is trying to get rid of her. On this showing, my sympathies are with the boss.This is what Pirie does in a single week: interfere in a case in which she is a witness, be rude and aggressive to a witness in her own investigation, socialise with a potential suspect, take on a case before getting official clearance and assault another police officer. (There’s more but I’d have to give spoilers.)There’s nothing wrong with having a dodgy cop as your protagonist, but we are constantly told how brilliant Pirie is and that she has a fantastic clear-up rate. The trouble is, in this book we don’t see her doing anything impressive. All she seems to do all day is eat and moan about the traffic (we also get exhaustive details about the parking arrangements at the various locations she visits).I’m all for local colour, I used to live in Edinburgh so it’s nice to revisit landmarks, but there are so many namechecks for cafes and restaurants (and even a particular supermarket’s wine) that I was sure McDermid must have a product placement deal. Among all this we are told that Pirie has lost weight, which is about as convincing as the claims of her brilliance.The case itself is quite interesting, revolving round buried World War 2 loot in the Highlands and a body in a peat bog. However the team establish who their suspect is quite early on, and elements of the story are told in flashback which often repeat what we already know. The end is more grandstanding than dramatic climax and a number of subplots are left dangling.McDermid is often praised for the accuracy of her use of forensics and has even written a non-fiction book on the subject. But it seems that the commitment to realism does not extend to the rest of her work. Are we really expected to believe that a DCI spends her day looking up birth certificates online, or travelling hundreds of miles on a routine enquiry for elimination purposes? Without even ringing ahead to check if the person she intends to speak to is in?Broken Ground also introduces a new team member who is childishly rude and insubordinate to Pirie from the start. I found this unconvincing. The police have a strict hierarchy and expectations about behaviour. Of course officers find ways to disrespect and undermine their superiors, but it would be both more realistic and more interesting to see him do it with subtlety. Similarly, Pirie’s boss is a caricature and her motivation for her attacks on Pirie is thin.Despite everything, the pages keep turning. To use a food analogy (which seems particularly appropriate in this case) it’s like a takeaway that doesn’t taste great and you know won’t do you any good, but it has just the right confection of salt, fat and sugar to make you go on eating.What frustrates me is the fact that McDermid, like her creation, is capable of so much more. The early Jordan and Hill books, in particular, combined complex characterisation with dramatic storylines and an emotional resonance that stayed with me long after I’d forgotten the plots. Maybe it’s easy for her to turn out a book that’s good enough. But I wish she’d go deep and write something great.*I received a copy of Broken Ground from the publisher via Netgalley.Read more of my reviews at katevane.com

[edgoldberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alice Summerville and her husband travel to the Scottish Highlands in search of a legacy buried there by her grandfather at the end of World War II and bequeathed to her just before his death. Enlisting the help of the property owner to ascertain the exact location they dig into a peat bog and unearth both the treasure and a body, deemed to have been buried since the mid 1990s. DCI Karen Pirie, head of the Historical Crimes Unit of the Edinburgh Police, is called in to track down a killer who has remained on the loose for nearly 20 years.While seeking justice for this murder Karen must deal with a superior with an axe to grind who has planted a mole in the unit, a thirty plus year old cold case involving a serial rapist, and an overheard conversation that may lead to a fresh crime. All this while still grieving the loss of her partner.McDermid (Out of Bounds) has crafted a tight police procedural with a strong female lead. While this is number 5 in the Pirie series, newcomers are brought up to speed. It starts slowly but picks up speed. It might have been better if it was 50 pages shorter. She's got good characters in DCI Pirie and her team. The plots are good. So, I'd go for it. Fans of Tana French and Kate Atkinson will enjoy this series.

[juju2cat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a gem of a book. It's my first Karen Pirie novel and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It has great plotting, a wee bit of romance and a wonderful amount of compassion for crime victims.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A Scottish police procedural (thanks to Net Galley for their free preview in exchange for an honest review.) I haven't read a ton of McDermid and I didn't much care for her protagonist DCI Karen Pirie who ostensibly is still suffering from the loss of her significant other and seems to be taking it out on everyone else. That her boss has it in for the Historic Crimes Unit and has planted a spy in her midst in the form of DS McCartney doesn't help. Her boss is but a caricature of the bitch boss. I would have liked to understand her more. But I suppose seeing her only through Pirie's eyes the view we get is biased in the extreme.A body has been found by a couple with the help of a crofter. They had been trying to dig up two Indian motorcycles, presumed now to be worth a considerable sum, that had been buried by the woman's grandfather who was "taking" them rather than let them be destroyed as post-war trash. Unbeknownnst to them, the pannier of one also contained a slug of diamonds that another GI was trying to smuggle out of Europe. I was a bit surprised they hadn't bothered to look in the pannier before burying it, but never mind.I was a bit disappointed with this book. The characters just weren't particularly likeable, not that it's a necessary criteria for liking a bit. They just seemed a bit "off."Note that the formatting in this ARC for Kindle is really awful, but I assume it will have been fixed by the time of publication.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Engrossing mystery, delighted to see Karen finally starting to heal, and the Mint starting to take on more initiative. It's a little annoying that her relationships with her superiors are always so full of aggro, but love to see her smart (if risky) strategies. Did feel like the ending was abrupt, but glad it came off. Looking forward to more Hamish in the future, in a slow, unfurling sort of way.

[mm_jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Broken Ground is Val McDermid's thirty-second novel, but the first one I've read. Surprising to discover such a wonderful entry to the mystery genre. In this Scottish Cold Case investigation, the author juggles three cases, two continents and numerous recurring characters. A smart, well written novel with police procedure, forensic science and scenery to enjoy.

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Karen is investigating the discovery of a man's body (and two motorbikes) in a peat bog. The sections from 1944-46 explain how the bikes got buried, and are mercifully brief, so the main narrative continues apace. I thought Karen made some stunningly accurate assumptions as to the chain of events which led to the murder, but that didn't detract too much. The characterization of Karen, her colleague Jason, and the couple at the beginning who make the discovery, was especially good.Recommended.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love books with intelligent characters. Karen Pirie. Her hostile superior, a woman, adds to the challenges faced by Pirie as she becomes involved in solving the 30 year old murder of a man found buried in the peat next to a hidden motorcycle.

[linda.a. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Val McDermid never disappoints! I loved this latest Karen Pirie story - can hardly wait for the next one!

[bogopea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good Scottish police procedural. This is a Karen Pirie novel, part of a series, and a complex individual but a great protagonist.

[dokfintong · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my styleVal McDermid is to be praised for the variety of setting and stories she brings to her books. Here we have a tale of WW2 leading to a cold case today for Karen Petie. The main story was great but I have downgraded my review because I do not like flashback construction and thought we could have done without three different timelines.I received a review copy of "Broken Ground" by Val McDermid (Grove Atlantic) through NetGalley.com.

[booklover915 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

n Val McDermid’s “Broken Ground,” Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie runs a cold case unit in Police Scotland, along with her assistant, Detective Constable Jason Murray. Pirie loves her job (she has an excellent clearance record), but is sometimes despondent, suffers from insomnia, and has lost quite a bit of weight. She still mourns Phil Parhatka, a fellow cop and the man she loved, who was killed in the line of duty. Adding to Karen’s woes, her caustic and petulant boss, Assistant Chief Constable Ann Markie, consistently snipes at and undermines Pirie. As part of her campaign to torment Karen, Markie assigns the obnoxious DS Gerry McCartney to work in Pirie’s Historic Cases Unit.

McDermid juggles a number of plot points in this lengthy work of fiction. A well-preserved body is found in a peat bog; a bitter domestic dispute threatens to turn deadly; and Pirie sets out to find a rapist who brutalized his victims back in the 1980s. It is challenging to deal with inquiries whose roots lie in the distant past, but Karen believes that justice has no expiration date. Her motivation is not just to chalk up impressive statistics for her team, but also to give closure to the victims’ families. Meanwhile, the author provides Karen with a budding romance, inserts flashbacks that relate to the corpse in the peat bog, and includes a subplot about the ways in which politics and the media affect ongoing investigations.

Each of the novel’s elements is intriguing, but collectively, they slow down the book’s pace somewhat. In addition, the majority of the characters lack nuance: The villains are malicious and self-serving, while the heroes and heroines are uniformly courageous and morally upright. Most readers will enthusiastically embrace DCI Karen Pirie, since she is an intelligent woman who conscientiously follows up every inquiry to its conclusion, and makes no effort to be “obsequious, obedient, and ornamental.” Moreover, Val McDermid’s details about pathology, the evaluation of evidence, and cutting-edge methods that may nail bad guys in the future are impressive. There are a few threads left dangling, since realistically, no one can predict how a court case will go, or whether or not a relationship will ultimately flourish. “Broken Ground” is, on the whole, an entertaining mystery about greedy, arrogant, and unprincipled individuals who behave as if they are above the law.

[librarygeek33 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be an engrossing "who-done-it" that had the trifecta of interesting characters, a strong sense of place (Scotland) and a multi-layered story, May not be enjoyed by readers who don't like works that have multiple time periods/characters/and plots but I found it to be very well done. The kind of book that made me want to read other books by the same author, especially ones in the same (Karen Pirie) series.