Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Cross and Burn" is Val McDermid's 27th novel, and it has to be asked why we waited quite so long to start reading such a superbly accomplished contributor to the "Tartan Noir" genre. We don't know the answer, but we do know that while this may have been the first Val McDermid book we've read, it most certainly won't be the last. Cross and Burn is a truly compelling read, a book whose complex and closely woven plot is beautifully managed and whose characters are convincing, even if the ruts into which the most important of them have dug themselves are at times as frustrating as the author intends them to be.

The book is the eighth to feature psychologist and criminal profiler Tony Hill and (now-ex) Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan. It is almost obligatory for any book with even a hint of Tartan Noir to have a central character with a dysfunctional private life, but Val McDermid has upped the stakes by giving us two thoroughly messed up central characters, and others who could easily head in that direction. The problem is that someone has taken to abducting and killing women who bear a striking resemblance to Carol Jordan, and Tony Hill finds himself drawn into the investigation in ways he didn't expect. The story is told from the perspectives of a number of the main characters, particularly Detective Sergeant Paula McIntyre, as well those of the killer and his victims, and the plot builds beautifully with numerous twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout, but which, as twists and turns should, are perfectly resolved as the books reaches its genuinely gripping climax.

Cross and Burn is set in the northern English city of Bradfield. We find that fictional locations can be a slight distraction, as it means part of the reader's attention is diverted to working out where the action is taking place, rather than what is going to happen next, but this really doesn't detract from the story or from the enjoyment of this excellent book. We've seen "Bradfield" identified as a cross between Bradford and Sheffield, but thought it felt more as if it were on the west side of the Pennines, representing perhaps Oldham, or Manchester itself. But the really important question is whether we should now wait with eager anticipation for the next book in the series, or read our way back into what has gone before...