I have read quite a few of McDermid's books, and though I often felt the ending was a bit dissatisfying, her writing is such that you feel instantly engaged.'A Place of Execution' is probably her best, so if you want to start with a McDermid book, I would recommend you start there. Now to 'The Skeleton Road'.
I was very intrigued by the premise of this mystery, as it focuses on the Balkan conflict, about which I knew, certainly, but had never read any novel about. Apparently this is part of a series with Inspector Karen Pirie, but to be honest, I had totally forgotten that I read the previous book, so you can easily read this as a standalone.
I liked Karen, and the shift between past and present was really smoothly done. The multiple POVs, too, gave the story greater dimension.
That said, this was not an easy book to read. What happened in the Balkans was horrific, and it is astounding how quickly the world has moved on, even though this only happened not so long ago. If nothing else, the book did make me interested in learning more about the Third Balkan War, which makes it a worthy read.
In terms of plot, I was not entirely satisfied, the story was very engaging for about two-thirds of the way, and then sort of petered out in a rather formulaic ending.
Nonetheless, I will always keep a lookout for whatever new McDermid has to offer, as her novels, despite some issues I may have with the endings, are always quite gripping.

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