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    Broken Ground
    Broken Ground
    Broken Ground
    Audiobook12 hours

    Broken Ground

    Written by Val McDermid

    Narrated by Cathleen McCarron

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Internationally bestselling author Val McDermid is one of our finest crime writers, and her gripping, masterfully plotted novels have garnered millions of readers from around the globe. In Broken Ground, cold case detective Karen Pirie faces her hardest challenge yet. Six feet under in a Highland peat bog lies Alice Somerville's inheritance, buried by her grandfather at the end of World War II. But when Alice finally uncovers it, she finds an unwanted surprise?a body with a bullet hole between the eyes. Meanwhile, DCI Pirie is called in to unravel a case where nothing is quite as it seems. And as she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear that not everyone shares her desire for justice. Or even the idea of what justice is. An engrossing, twisty thriller, Broken Ground reaffirms Val McDermid's place as one of the best crime writers of her generation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateDec 5, 2018
    ISBN9781980015529
    Author

    Val McDermid

    VAL McDERMID is the internationally bestselling author of more than twenty crime novels. She has won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; her novels have been selected as New York Times Notable Books and have been Edgar Award finalists. She was the 2010 recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Crime Writing. More than 10 million copies of her books have been sold around the world. She lives in the north of England. Visit her website at www.valmcdermid.com.

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    Reviews for Broken Ground

    4/5

    145 ratings18 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good novel 1st of the Karen Pirie series I have read. DCI Karen Pirie works in Edinburgh as a Detective in the Historic Crimes Unit. She and her colleague Detective Jason Mint are trying to unravel the discovery of a body in the Highlands of a man found in a Peat bog they reckon he died in 1995. They quickly discover is name is Joey Sutherland who used to compete in the Highland games, he was discovered with 2 old pristine Motorbikes that were buried after World War II The book jumps back and forth a bit to tell the whole story. After the War an American called Arnie Burke who worked undercover in Belgium stole some Diamonds from a Nazi. He was transferred to Scotland he wanted to smuggle the diamonds home to the States but as he knew his bag would be searched he hid the diamonds on a motorbike that was meant to be shipped back. There was no room for the Motorbikes on the boat these were then acquired by two British soldiers. They buried these bikes well and where going to get them once the War was finally over. They didnt know about the Diamonds. Artie tracks one of the British men down before he dies and gets the map, Artie tries to find the Bikes a few time but doesn't manage to. He gets old and dies he leaves the map to his Grand daughter Shirley O Shaughnessy she is a young student comes over to Scotland hires Joey to dig up the Bikes takes the Diamonds then kills him. Jump 18 years later OShaugnessy is a big time Property developer who helps builds affordable houses for the Scottish Government. Karen Pirie is warned off arresting her but she does it anyway while OShaugnessy is visiting the Scottish First Minister. Good tale this. I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      Engrossing mystery, delighted to see Karen finally starting to heal, and the Mint starting to take on more initiative. It's a little annoying that her relationships with her superiors are always so full of aggro, but love to see her smart (if risky) strategies. Did feel like the ending was abrupt, but glad it came off. Looking forward to more Hamish in the future, in a slow, unfurling sort of way.
    • 5/5
      Karen is investigating the discovery of a man's body (and two motorbikes) in a peat bog. The sections from 1944-46 explain how the bikes got buried, and are mercifully brief, so the main narrative continues apace. I thought Karen made some stunningly accurate assumptions as to the chain of events which led to the murder, but that didn't detract too much. The characterization of Karen, her colleague Jason, and the couple at the beginning who make the discovery, was especially good.Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Broken Ground is Val McDermid's thirty-second novel, but the first one I've read. Surprising to discover such a wonderful entry to the mystery genre. In this Scottish Cold Case investigation, the author juggles three cases, two continents and numerous recurring characters. A smart, well written novel with police procedure, forensic science and scenery to enjoy.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars.

      Broken Ground by Val McDermid is a very clever mystery that features two cold cases which are getting a second look by investigators in the Historic Case Unit. This fifth installment in the Inspector Karen Pirie series can easily be read as a standalone.

      Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie, her trusted underling, Detective Jason Murray and newcomer to the unit, Detective Sergeant Gerry McCartney are investigating a series of rapes that occurred thirty years earlier.  A new development with one of the victims is the impetus for reopening the case and thanks to Murray's research, they now have possible suspects to question. However, the discovery of a murdered man in a peat bog means Pirie has another case to investigate since evidence proves the victim's death occurred in the distant past. Along with the two new enquiries, Karen is suspicious of DS McCartney's assignment to the unit by Assistant Chief Constable Ann Markie.  Juggling  two cases and interference from Markie, will Karen and the rest of the team unmask the perpetrators of the long unsolved crimes?

      Karen is still mourning the loss of her significant other but she works hard to keep her personal life from interfering in her professional duties. She is dedicated to providing answers to the families who have been left to wonder what happened to their loved ones. Tenacious and hardworking, Karen is a veteran detective with a sharp intellect and keen instincts.

      Karen and Jason mainly focus on solving the case of the person found in the peat bog. The circumstances of the discovery are also quite intriguing. Although they quickly identify the victim, the biggest question that needs to be answered is why this person was at the scene of the crime. Karen and Jason meticulously research each lead they find and follow where the evidence leads. Jason is gaining confidence and he proves to quite adept at uncovering obscure information.  Once they exhaust the leads about the victim, Karen turns her attention to their suspect in hopes of building an airtight case.

      With her attention on the more recent murder, Karen puts McCartney tracking down the possible suspects in their cold case. As his resentment towards Karen grows, she becomes certain that Markie has an ulterior motive for assigning him the HCU. How far will McCartney go to harm Karen's career? And will Markie's personal feelings for Pirie interfere with the ongoing investigations?

      Broken Ground is an engrossing police procedural with a captivating setting and interesting characters. The main storyline is engrossing with flashbacks that provide compelling information about the investigation in the present. The secondary story arcs are equally appealing and while the cold cases are solved, Val McDermid leaves a few dangling threads that will leaving readers anxiously awaiting the next novel in the Inspector Karen Pirie series. I truly enjoyed and highly recommend this outstanding police procedural to fans of the genre.
    • 4/5
      I love books with intelligent characters. Karen Pirie. Her hostile superior, a woman, adds to the challenges faced by Pirie as she becomes involved in solving the 30 year old murder of a man found buried in the peat next to a hidden motorcycle.
    • 4/5
      Val McDermid never disappoints! I loved this latest Karen Pirie story - can hardly wait for the next one!
    • 4/5
      This is the fifth book in the DCI Karen Pirie series. I had not read any of the previous books but this works as a stand alone. It is a police procedural story set in Scotland. DCI Karen Pirie is in charge of the Historical Crimes Unit charged with solving cold cases. Despite the fact that she has a very strong solve rate, her boss has it in for her and seems to thwart her every chance she can gets, she even sends in a "spy" to work in HCU to see if he can dig up dirt on DCI Pirie procedures. They are working on solving a brutal rape case from the past when a body is found in a peat bog with some old Indian motocycles buried at the end of WWII. They slowly but surely dig up old leads that help them discover the perpetrators. I enjoyed this story finding clues little by little. I have a few gripes about the characters. Most of the main characters are not very likeable and it makes it difficult to believe when other characters go out of their way to help in the investigations. Also, being American, quite a bit of the Scottish vocabulary was foreign to me. I found many of the words I didn't know in the dictionary but a lot were not there and I could guess the meaning but it sometimes made for tedious reading. I also felt there was an overuse of the word "wee" and the Kindle formatting was not good. Hopefully that will be sorted out in the editing process. That being said, I really liked this book and would read more from this author. I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
    • 4/5
      I found this to be an engrossing "who-done-it" that had the trifecta of interesting characters, a strong sense of place (Scotland) and a multi-layered story, May not be enjoyed by readers who don't like works that have multiple time periods/characters/and plots but I found it to be very well done. The kind of book that made me want to read other books by the same author, especially ones in the same (Karen Pirie) series.
    • 3/5
      Not my styleVal McDermid is to be praised for the variety of setting and stories she brings to her books. Here we have a tale of WW2 leading to a cold case today for Karen Petie. The main story was great but I have downgraded my review because I do not like flashback construction and thought we could have done without three different timelines.I received a review copy of "Broken Ground" by Val McDermid (Grove Atlantic) through NetGalley.com.
    • 4/5
      Inspector Pirie is an investigator of cold cases, and that alone makes this an interesting read. You can read the synapses to find out the details of the book, but I can tell you that the reading of the book is much more fun than that.There is a search for two motor bikes by an heir, a dead body discovered, a helpful citizen, and the investigators. Oh, and the bad guy. This book has the investigators working on more than one case, one of them not even a cold case, a disgruntled chief, a new investigator whose heart doesn't seem to be in the job, and some clues that lead to high places. All the things one wants when one reads a mystery!I confess to not having read Val McDermid before, although I cannot figure out why , but for sure I will read more. Excellent writing. I was reading the dialogue in my not-so-good accent in no time at all. The characters were real to me and I cheered them on as if they were. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.Thank you to NetGalley, Val Mcdermid, and the publisher for providing this copy.
    • 4/5
      A body is discovered buried in a bog along with a WWII vintage motorcycle on a remote Scottish farm. The Historic Cases Unit headed by Karen Pirie is already investigating a series of unsolved vicious rapes from decades ago after one of the victims, left disabled by the attack, dies and new information comes to light. But with her boss doing her utmost to get rid of her including dumping an arrogant new officer on her to act as a spy, Karen decides to saddle him with a particularly time-consuming and likely fruitless task and head out to take over this new case since, although the bike is from the '40s, the body is definitely from a much later period putting the case well within her purview. While enjoying a break from the investigation, she stops at her favourite coffee shop where she overhears two women talking, one describing a possible deadly solution to problems with her ex-husband. Karen decides to let the pair know that she has overheard, a decision she will later come to regret. Broken Ground is the fifth book in Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series and it is one smart police procedural full of twists and turns and red herrings. Like most of McDermid's books, it is more puzzle than action but, as always, she makes it completely compelling. The story jumps between the three cases while the main case of the body in the bog is divided between 1944 and the burial of the bikes up to 1995 and the murder and now with the investigation. The other two cases, while given less space, are just as interesting. I enjoyed the story and found it impossible to put down. I did find the ending felt somewhat rushed but, overall, another satisfyingly addicting mystery by McDermid. Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
    • 5/5
      This is a gem of a book. It's my first Karen Pirie novel and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It has great plotting, a wee bit of romance and a wonderful amount of compassion for crime victims.
    • 3/5
      One of the storylines in Broken Ground is that DCI Karen Pirie’s scheming boss is trying to get rid of her. On this showing, my sympathies are with the boss.This is what Pirie does in a single week: interfere in a case in which she is a witness, be rude and aggressive to a witness in her own investigation, socialise with a potential suspect, take on a case before getting official clearance and assault another police officer. (There’s more but I’d have to give spoilers.)There’s nothing wrong with having a dodgy cop as your protagonist, but we are constantly told how brilliant Pirie is and that she has a fantastic clear-up rate. The trouble is, in this book we don’t see her doing anything impressive. All she seems to do all day is eat and moan about the traffic (we also get exhaustive details about the parking arrangements at the various locations she visits).I’m all for local colour, I used to live in Edinburgh so it’s nice to revisit landmarks, but there are so many namechecks for cafes and restaurants (and even a particular supermarket’s wine) that I was sure McDermid must have a product placement deal. Among all this we are told that Pirie has lost weight, which is about as convincing as the claims of her brilliance.The case itself is quite interesting, revolving round buried World War 2 loot in the Highlands and a body in a peat bog. However the team establish who their suspect is quite early on, and elements of the story are told in flashback which often repeat what we already know. The end is more grandstanding than dramatic climax and a number of subplots are left dangling.McDermid is often praised for the accuracy of her use of forensics and has even written a non-fiction book on the subject. But it seems that the commitment to realism does not extend to the rest of her work. Are we really expected to believe that a DCI spends her day looking up birth certificates online, or travelling hundreds of miles on a routine enquiry for elimination purposes? Without even ringing ahead to check if the person she intends to speak to is in?Broken Ground also introduces a new team member who is childishly rude and insubordinate to Pirie from the start. I found this unconvincing. The police have a strict hierarchy and expectations about behaviour. Of course officers find ways to disrespect and undermine their superiors, but it would be both more realistic and more interesting to see him do it with subtlety. Similarly, Pirie’s boss is a caricature and her motivation for her attacks on Pirie is thin.Despite everything, the pages keep turning. To use a food analogy (which seems particularly appropriate in this case) it’s like a takeaway that doesn’t taste great and you know won’t do you any good, but it has just the right confection of salt, fat and sugar to make you go on eating.What frustrates me is the fact that McDermid, like her creation, is capable of so much more. The early Jordan and Hill books, in particular, combined complex characterisation with dramatic storylines and an emotional resonance that stayed with me long after I’d forgotten the plots. Maybe it’s easy for her to turn out a book that’s good enough. But I wish she’d go deep and write something great.*I received a copy of Broken Ground from the publisher via Netgalley.Read more of my reviews at katevane.com
    • 4/5
      Alice Summerville and her husband travel to the Scottish Highlands in search of a legacy buried there by her grandfather at the end of World War II and bequeathed to her just before his death. Enlisting the help of the property owner to ascertain the exact location they dig into a peat bog and unearth both the treasure and a body, deemed to have been buried since the mid 1990s. DCI Karen Pirie, head of the Historical Crimes Unit of the Edinburgh Police, is called in to track down a killer who has remained on the loose for nearly 20 years.While seeking justice for this murder Karen must deal with a superior with an axe to grind who has planted a mole in the unit, a thirty plus year old cold case involving a serial rapist, and an overheard conversation that may lead to a fresh crime. All this while still grieving the loss of her partner.McDermid (Out of Bounds) has crafted a tight police procedural with a strong female lead. While this is number 5 in the Pirie series, newcomers are brought up to speed. It starts slowly but picks up speed. It might have been better if it was 50 pages shorter. She's got good characters in DCI Pirie and her team. The plots are good. So, I'd go for it. Fans of Tana French and Kate Atkinson will enjoy this series.
    • 4/5
      Val McDermid is one of our most prolific novelists (this is, I believe, her thirty-second fiction book), and along with a few ‘stand-alone’ stories she has written several series. Perhaps the best known is the series featuring Detective Inspector Carol Jordan and Dr Tony Hill, which transferred (with questionable success in my view) to television as Wire in the Blood. Other than Ian Rankin’s novels featuring John Rebus, I struggle to think of a television adaptation that has proved quite as disappointing, and which might actually have served to deter newcomers from trying the books. I am surprised that her series of books featuring private investigator Kate Brannigan has never made it on to the small screen.Her most recent recurring character is Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, who leads the Historical Crimes Unit based in Edinburgh’s Gayfield Square police station. McDermid specialises in strong, assertive female characters, and Pirie is no exception. She is also immensely empathetic, and in this novel still finds herself struggling to surmount her grief at the loss of her partner. McDermid also has a fine track record at delivering plausible and well-constructed plots, and this is no exception. In fact, in this novel we have two cleverly balanced criminal plots (one stretching back to the end of the Second World War, while the other is current), with internecine police politicking thrown in as well. The novel opens with a family treasure hunt in Wester Ross, with an English couple commissioning a local crofter to help uncover two crates buried in peat bogs more than seventy years earlier. In addition to the packages that they were seeking, they uncover a perfectly preserved dead body. The police are summoned, and they in turn summon forensic anthropologist Dr River Wilde, who is the acknowledged expert for such investigations. It soon becomes clear that the body had been the victim of murder, and because of the apparent age of the body, it falls to Karen Pirie’s team to lead the case.Meanwhile, a bizarre chance encounter in an Edinburgh coffee bar has piqued Karen’s curiosity, though her boss, with whom her relationship could not be much worse, is concerned at her extra-curricular straying. McDermid makes Pirie so empathetic that I found myself absolutely fuming at the outrageous and unfair behaviour of her boss.Very entertaining and engaging.
    • 2/5
      A Scottish police procedural (thanks to Net Galley for their free preview in exchange for an honest review.) I haven't read a ton of McDermid and I didn't much care for her protagonist DCI Karen Pirie who ostensibly is still suffering from the loss of her significant other and seems to be taking it out on everyone else. That her boss has it in for the Historic Crimes Unit and has planted a spy in her midst in the form of DS McCartney doesn't help. Her boss is but a caricature of the bitch boss. I would have liked to understand her more. But I suppose seeing her only through Pirie's eyes the view we get is biased in the extreme.A body has been found by a couple with the help of a crofter. They had been trying to dig up two Indian motorcycles, presumed now to be worth a considerable sum, that had been buried by the woman's grandfather who was "taking" them rather than let them be destroyed as post-war trash. Unbeknownnst to them, the pannier of one also contained a slug of diamonds that another GI was trying to smuggle out of Europe. I was a bit surprised they hadn't bothered to look in the pannier before burying it, but never mind.I was a bit disappointed with this book. The characters just weren't particularly likeable, not that it's a necessary criteria for liking a bit. They just seemed a bit "off."Note that the formatting in this ARC for Kindle is really awful, but I assume it will have been fixed by the time of publication.
    • 4/5
      Alice Somerville travels to a Highland peat bog to claim the vintage motorbikes her grandfather buried there at the end of the Second World War. But a body entombed with one of the motorbike crates short circuits her plan to claim the bikes and return home. Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie, working the Historic Cases Unit and still grieving the loss of her lover, begins an investigation. But this isn’t the only case landing on Karen’s desk. There’s new evidence in a cold case involving several violent rapes. And an overheard conversation in a coffee shop gives her cause for concern. Can she solve the cases and bring justice to the victims as she deals with a difficult boss and an underhanded investigator newly-assigned to her unit? With a strong sense of place, well-defined, believable characters, and a twisting plot, tension mounts as the narrative unfolds, slowly revealing the backstory as it follows the present-day investigations. Seamlessly woven into the narrative, the storyline for all three of the crimes maintains both interest and suspense; the accurately-detailed process of investigating a crime adds depth and realism to the story.Although the story is well-told and readers are likely to remain involved in the telling of the tale, the often-recurring, offensive expletives are likely to be particularly off-putting for many readers.I received a free copy of this eBook from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley #BrokenGround #NetGalley