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hollyxbeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sarahmjj's review against another edition
5.0
I always enjoy Val McDermid’s writing, but this one was so good. A unique collection of settings, multiple points of view, and a poignant perspective on the conflicts in the Balkans that resonates so much with current affairs.
tex2flo's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars Although it starts of slowly (perhaps because of so much mention of the Serbs and Croats and their war that I know so little about), but builds into a compelling mystery and thriller. DCI Karen Perie is put on a case of a dead building climber which puts her into the orbit of players on the Croatian side of that war in the Balkans. It's a horrific time in history, disturbing more so because of how currently things all happened.
alibi313's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Apparently, all these books are pretty much the same. Bloated with digressions and with so few characters that it’s always pretty easy to figure out the culprit. Not sure why I keep reading, except that the audio versions are a pleasantly narrated diversion and are easy to follow, even when my mind starts to wander.🤷♀️
batrock's review against another edition
3.0
The Skeleton Road is a McDermid novel that fair zips along without ever really feeling like it has stakes. This is a combination of the murder being a cold case and the nested book within the novel never really engaging with the reader. Fortunately, those segments are only a few pages at a time and you're able to get back to the modern day in no time.
Karen Pirie is a strong character to hang a novel on, and McDermid has yet to ruin her like she had Tony Hill and Carol Jordan - whom she has since rehabilitated - and I enjoyed reading this novel without ever truly caring. It's a solid three, even if you're likely to have pinned the tail on the murderer well ahead of the characters.
Karen Pirie is a strong character to hang a novel on, and McDermid has yet to ruin her like she had Tony Hill and Carol Jordan - whom she has since rehabilitated - and I enjoyed reading this novel without ever truly caring. It's a solid three, even if you're likely to have pinned the tail on the murderer well ahead of the characters.
kittybetty's review against another edition
4.0
This one is very dark. Trigger warnings abound. War and war crimes echo and amplify individual murder and personal betrayal. People try to do what's right, and fail. People do what's wrong, and get away with it. (Sometimes, the same people.) When the score almost seems to even out, it may turn out there's no point in trying to keep score. That's life, and Val McDermid writes it so well.
drjoannehill's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Murder mysteries are not generally fun but this one is particularly sad, not only for the connections to the Balkan conflict and genocide in the 1990s. Quite a complex plot and set of characters to start with, but it all comes together. As with other McDermid books there's an interesting side plot about Scottish politics and economics. I guessed whodunnit fairly early again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Murder, and War
richard_morrow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Karen Pirie is now a DCI working out of Edinburgh during the time of the Referendum. A skeleton is found atop of an abandoned building which takes Karen to England and brings out mysteries which stretch to the Balkan states and back however there are other forces trying to solve them. McDermid employs an almost formulaic approach to these novels however this one was packed with brutal descriptions and ends in a way which is devastating for the fans in the final moments of the denouement.
juniperd's review against another edition
3.0
another good instalment in this series. a little bit more emotional depth evolving in some of the characters, which is nice. still really enjoying the settings. it is, again, predictable, but that hasn't taken away from any of the stories for me, so far. the jump to the balkans in this book was sensitively handled, i think. i appreciated the afterword sharing where and how mcdermid acquired her information on this aspect of the story.