The novel is set during the UK miners strikeof 1984–1985 in Fife. Despised and disowned by friends and relatives, he is not reported missing until twenty-three years later. The UK miners' strike and the disintegration of community that followed because of the suffering the miners and their families had to endure are central to the plot. Set in Scotland, the milieu of Ian Rankin’s John Rebus, … Superb characterisation all round. by Val McDermid. Aside from the fact that she lives in a country I don't know well, and writes about that country (Scotland), She is simply outstanding. One had to pay too much attention to the time period of the story. This is a wonderfully written book you can’t put down.” -- Romantic Times. A Darker Domain A Darker Domain, by Val McDermid, is yet another captivating and tightly woven story which McDermid is known for. Time spent with her extraordinar ... More " [A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history." Karen Pirie is the newly appointed Deputy Inspector of the Cold Case Unit, and her first investigation takes her 25 years into the past to the national miners’ strike. However, it didn't. A Darker Domain By Val McDermid ISBN: 9780061688997 Introduction Fife, Scotland, 1984. I did stay with it, though, thinking it had to get better. Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. [4] One reviewer pointed to McDermid's childhood in Fife as the reason she was so good at depicting the effects of the strike. But two decades' worth of secrets are leading Pirie into a dark domain of violence and betrayal—a place darker than any she has previously entered. She was sassy, strong and intelligent, and exactly the kind of female character I enjoy following in my novels. Already immersed in the Prentice affair, Detective Karen Pirie, newly appointed head of the Cold Case Review Team, wants to make her mark with this second unsolved 1980s mystery. , Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2019. [3] The New York Times noted that the author's parallel plots created too much "weight" for the story to stand on its own. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. So much to admire, the locations in Fife and Italy, the feeling for the broken lives in the strike and the progress of Karen Pirie. Want to listen? Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! The New York Times named the book one of the "Notable Crime Books of 2009."[1]. “[A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history.” —Seattle Times. Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2018. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. A nail biting thriller, with the bad getting what's coming to them. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I was given Out of Bounds for Christmas and just got around to reading it last week. Award-winning author Val McDermid offers up a suspense-filled stand-alone novel with A Darker Domain. You can't go wrong with one of her books. 22 years later an investigative journalist in Italy finds a clue to the kidnapping which gives her access to the reclusive tycoon. Karen Pirie is the newly appointed Deputy Inspector of the Cold Case Unit, and her first investigation takes her 25 years into the past to the national miners' strike. Time spent with her extraordinary thriller, A Darker Domain, will prove that it's true. Val McDermid . Before the strike, he worked down the Lady Charlotte. Maisie Dobbs navigates her own lost love when investigating a murdered man's wartime affair in The Mapping of … [7], Kim Sweetman of The Courier Mail was less enthusiastic, observing that "compared with some of the other work of this master writer, it can be a little slow and convoluted" though it was still a good crime novel. Mick Prentice abandons his family at the height of a politically charged national miners' strike to join the strikebreakers down south. In the first book “The Distant Echo” Pirie is more a peripheral character than a lead but obviously since then McDermid has spotted potential in the character and has developed her further. All in the same area. Plot? Might try one of her books from another series as recommended by another reviewer..then if not an improvement in this one will say goodbye to Val. Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2016. You'll mind what folk used to say around here—that nobody was more militant than the Lady Charlotte pitmen. The flashbacks between the time of the disappearances in 1984 and 1985 and the current investigation by DI Pirie help keep the novel moving. "[6] Fordyce Maxwell of the Scotsman proclaimed the book a great read despite its end, which ties together all the loose ends too neatly. The flashbacks provide scattered, nonsequential background for the facts in the order that Pirie and present-day others discover them or relate them. (February 2010) Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020. Fellow mine workers and even his own wife believed that Mick Prentice notoriously broke ranks and left to join a group of 'scab' strike breakers far south in Nottingham, but recent evidence suggests that his disappearance might not have been as simple as that. In A Darker Domain: A Novel we find some fascinating men too, many with their own dark secrets and agendas. Like other readers I hung on hoping for a fantastic twist at the end and couldn't believe how poor it was. [2] The New York Times calls her style "a gruff eloquence. It constantly flashed back to the past and then back in the present. In the first book “The Distant Echo” Pirie is more a peripheral character than a lead but obviously since then McDermid has spotted potential in the character and has developed her further. Some of her books ("A Place of Execution") run VERY dark, but others, like this one, although also quite dark, end with the main character experiencing a life she never thought she might. Its greatest strength is its depiction of the horrendous miners’ strike of the mid-1980s. Kidnapped heiress Catriona Maclennan Grant is killed and her baby son vanishes when the ransom payoff goes horribly wrong. "[A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history. Damn this puppy is complicated, and I thought I had it figured a couple of times, but there was something else there. She was the 2010 recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Crime Writing. Reviewers often noted the fast paced style of the novel as it flashes back and forth between two plot lines, a contemporary crime in 2007 and the investigation of a cold case from 1984. Time spent with her extraordinary thriller, A Darker Domain, will prove that it's true. Read a sample Read a sample Description; Details; Reviews; In Britain circa 1984, the news is dominated by the national miners' strike. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. A Darker Domain A Novel (Book) : McDermid, Val : A New York Times Notable Crime Book of the Year * A Finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize [A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history. Actually it just fizzled out ..wish I hadn't wasted my time. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. A Darker Domain. Despised and disowned by friends and relatives, he is not reported missing until twenty-three years later. "[A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history. Her accounts of the strike are particularly pointed, exploring the effects of the strikes on the emotions of the people involved and their community. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. "[A Darker Domain] combines a thrilling story with heartbreaking questions of social justice and history. Please try your request again later. Set in Scotland, the milieu of Ian Rankin’s John Rebus, McDermid’s brilliant … It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Oline H. 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