Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid

Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 544

Publisher - Sphere

Source - Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

"Val McDermid is one of the bright lights of the mystery field."--"The Washington Post"

"She's the best we've got."--"The New York Times Book Review"

Barred from practice, disgraced psychiatrist Charlie Flint receives a mysterious summons to Oxford from an old professor who wants her to look into the death of her daughter's husband. But as Charlie delves deeper into the case and steps back into the arcane world of Oxford colleges, she realizes that there is much more to this crime than meets the eye.

Val McDermid has published twenty-four novels. An internationally best-selling author, her books have been translated into thirty languages. She has won more than a dozen major awards, most recently the 2010 Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement in the field of mysteries.

My Review

Charlie Flint is having a bit of a tough time, normally called for her expertise with the police on court cases she is now "untouchable". Her last expert witness testimony lead to horrific consequences and now she is struggling to find things to do. When she gets an anonymous letter and a puzzle to solve Charlie heads back to her old university to investigate. In between that she is dealing with temptation and considering embarking on an affair and her supportive wife is none the wiser.

So we have a murder, Charlie's old mentor wants her to investigate as she suspects her daughters new girlfriend of killing her husband on his wedding night, gasp! Jay is rich, successful and currently penning her memoir which we get snippets of throughout the book.

It is tense at times, filled with questioning behaviour particularly the issue of infidelity (Charlie), relationships, love, investigation, murder, manipulation, lesbianism and loyalty. It is a busy book but I felt sometimes the relationship stuff overshadowed the investigation and crime aspects. It is a good read and I will read more of McDermid, I liked it I just didn't love it.

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