A Darker Domain: A Novel: Amazon.de: Val McDermid: Englische Bücher

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1984. The National miners' strike is dividing the country, and in a struggling coal-mining town, the miners and their families are living at the edge of their resources. They have no money, and there is no food or heating. On the 14th of December, five miners break ranks to travel to Nottingham and work. For those who stay behind, this is an unforgivable betrayal, and the men are branded as scabs. 23 years later, a young woman is asking the police to trace her missing father: miner Mick Prentice vanished, never to be seen again, although money has been sent to his family; he was widely considered to be one of the scabs. Soon, D I Karen Pirie and DS Phil Parharta find themselves investigating a forgotten disappearance.

This is the provocative premise of Val McDermid's latest novel, A Darker Domain, and this utterly compelling book is further proof that McDermid is determined to stretch the parameters of what crime fiction is supposedly capable of. McDermid has always been prepared to freight serious issues into her work, and this novel -- which, in many ways, is an examination of the conditions that produced the Britain we live in today -- demonstrates the continuing high level of her ambition.

In fact, Karen Pirie, when taking on this new assignment, is already involved in a case of kidnapping that took place 22 years earlier (in which a woman was killed during a bungled handover of money). Journalist Bel Richmond makes a startling discovery concerning the MacLennan kidnapping while on holiday in Tuscany, and as the three protagonists dig deeper into ever-more labyrinthine mysteries, they are to make some remarkable discoveries -- discoveries which throw light not just on the crimes involved, but on the whole of British society.

As all of this might suggest, the stakes here are as high as one is likely to find in a crime novel, and Val McDermid demonstrates that she is as capable as ever of integrating the demands of the page-turning crime narrative with a discussion of the things that make society tick. McDermid fans who may be lamenting the fact that this is not another novel featuring Dr Tony Hill will quickly change their minds as A Darker Domain exerts its cobra-like grip. --Barry Forshaw

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Pressestimmen

“McDermid pulls us deeply into the lives of the victims and their families. . . . Pirie is a complicated heroine made all the more appealing by her everywoman demeanor.” (USA Today )

“Gripping and intense. . . . A strong, suspenseful psychological thriller. . . . McDermid pulls together these disparate cases with the aplomb and skill that will remind readers of her masterpiece, A Place of Execution. McDermid takes us into the heart of a mining community where unity meant survival.” (Mystery Scene )

“A DARKER DOMAIN is a prime example of a crime novel that manages to encompass politics, sexual relations and social changes as it examines two unsolved crimes of the mid-1980s. . . . McDermid digs into the two cold cases through a pair of terrific investigators.” (Connecticut Post )

“McDermid keeps the suspense high as she also delivers an emotionally wrenching story about people abandoned by those they trust the most.” (South Florida Sun Sentinel )

“This renowned Scottish writer’s fascinating new book is dark, less violent than some previous titles and heartbreakingly vivid. Its greatest strength is its depiction of the horrendous miners’ strike of the mid-1980s. . . . This is a wonderfully written book you can’t put down.” (Romantic Times )

“Complex and layered plotlines come together, and McDermid does an excellent job creating tension around a cold case. Sure to be a hit with McDermid’s large fan base, it should also appeal to those who read other Scottish police mysteries.” (Booklist )

“Multifaceted and relentlessly gripping. . . . McDermid advances each of the storylines separately until they are so intertwined that it becomes impossible to separate them, the intrigue mounting with each page turned.” (BookPage (Mystery of the Month) )

“This is McDermid’s storytelling at its best, and DI Pirie, with her blend of humor and tenaciousness, is both likable and believable. A great read; highly recommended for fans of the genre.” (Library Journal )

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history and mystery in scotland 28. Januar 2009

Von Gail Cooke

Format:Taschenbuch

Blend crime, historic social commentary, mysterious doings and place them in Scotland. That's a recipe for an intriguing story which is precisely what acclaimed writer Val McDermid serves up in A Darker Domain. Those familiar with McDermid's work know that her novels are multi-layered, carefully plotted and forcefully written.
A young woman, Misha, goes to report a missing person. When she is asked how long the person has been missing her reply is "Twenty-two and a half years. Since Friday the fourteenth of December 1984, to be precise. Is that long enough for you to take it seriously?"
Why now, why wait so long to try to find someone? McDermid's story begins with a mystery and more follow in quick succession, all leading inexorably to a startling conclusion. Ah, but the fun for a reader is in getting there as the past and the present are woven together and related from various viewpoints.
The missing person is Misha's father, Mike Prentice, who left his family and home in 1984 during the national miner's strike to join other strikebreakers in Nottingham. Or, so it is believed. DI Karen Pirie, head of the Cold Case Review Team, wants to know what really happened to Prentice.
In 1985 an heiress, Catriona Maclennan Grant and Adam, her small son, were kidnaped. In the worst of all possible scenarios she is killed and Adam disappears. Leap frog from Scotland and to a quarter century later - a journalist vacationing in Tuscany discovers what may be of import to that case. Pirie is summoned to Catriona's father's home. He is wealthy almost beyond measure and one of the most powerful men in Scotland.
Too many switches in time and narrative voices were disconcerting for this reader as well as a cloudy relationship between the cases Pirie faces. Nonetheless, few can match the setting recreated by McDermid and the authenticity she brings to a Scottish police mystery. In this, her 25th book, descriptions of the miners and their families are particularly moving as McDermid comes from a mining family, and spent time with her grandparents in East Wemyss where much of the book's action takes place. She has well described the plight of the miners in 1984 in passages ringing with intensity and passion.
- Gail Cooke

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Mein Krimi des Jahres 2008!!! 23. November 2008

Von Krimifan

Val McDermid hat es wieder geschafft, ein unglaublich packender Krimi, der mich nicht wieder losgelassen hat. Am Anfang meldet eine Tochter Ihren vor 22 Jahren verschwundenen Vater als vermisst. Mick Prentice verschwand während des Minenarbeiter-Streiks 1984 in Schottland und alle nahmen an, dass er mit ein paar Freunden verschwand, um woanders zu arbeiten. Ein unfassbares Vorhaben als Gewerkschafter in dieser Zeit. DI Karen Pirie nimmt sich dieses Falls an und bekommt gleich noch einen zweiten Fall auf den Tisch, eine ungelöste Entführung... Super spannend geschrieben, ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Val McDermid erzählt im Heute und aus der Perspektive der Vergangenheit, so dass ich die ganze Zeit das Gefühl hatte, hautnah dabei zu sein. Einfach unglaublich gut!!!

good story,geat read, 9. M�rz 2011

Von G.J.Freese

Format:Taschenbuch|Von Amazon best�tigter Kauf

Val Mc Dermid writes terrific crime stories, no doubt about it.
I'll not go into the plot, it's been done in previous posts.
As mentioned the time shifts can be a bit confusing. I had to keep
referring back to see which era we were in. She deals very
realistically with the miners strike, and doesn't spare with
her criticism of the strike leaders and Thatcher, that's just
a 'by the way'. It's a rolicking good read, but I found the
ending rushed. As if she was tired of the whole thing and just wanted to wrap it up quickly. But for that it would have 5 stars.