This was the first book by Val McDermid that I've read. I have seen her on TV a few times so I had been wondering what her books were like and thought I'd try this one. It was great! More intelligent and modern than many detectives, more than a touch of a critical viewpoint on society and a definite page-turner. There was no surprise twist to the plot at the end, but that was clearly not the point, so no problem. I enjoyed it!