Grove Atlantic
December 2, 2025
Reviewed by Barbara Fister
Karen Pirie and her small team of cold case detectives have their plates full. First, an angry New Zealander accuses the Scottish police of botching an investigation into the death of his brother, who broke his neck falling down a steep stone staircase on his way home from his job managing a hotel. He believes his brother was pushed. Then bones turn up when a storm washes out a portion of a road, revealing a skeleton. When DNA determines they are the remains of a journalist who was accused of murdering his pregnant wife before he disappeared, the case becomes another murder investigation for the Historic Crimes unit.
While that case is definitely a homicide, it doesn’t seem likely the other is more than an accident, until the team begins to look into a secretive all-male book club that the dead hotelier was keen to join because it’s an exclusive gathering of high-powered Edinburgh figures who could have advanced his ambitions. As they’re pursuing those cases, they uncover a sports scandal and yet another questionable death ruled accidental. Karen and her team need all of their skills to juggle all these investigations just as Karen’s personal life takes an unexpected turn.
Val McDermid has a sure hand when it comes to making a tangled plot unfold with clarity, steady pacing, and plenty of surprises. Along the way, the various skills of the team are put to use as they delve into the motives of the book club members and uncover stories of corruption and sexual violence the dead journalist was working on, one of which implicates a wealthy libertine supporter of independence and a popular comedian during an especially fraught referendum.
A special treat for readers of this series is the unapologetically Scottish setting, grounded in events like the referendum, and language that provides flavor: an event is a “hoolie,” a commotion is a “stooshie,” and a video that has a wobbly picture is described as “shoogly.” The meaning is never unclear, and it adds to the overall sense of place as well as delighting those who enjoy vivid dialogue. Silent Bones is a solid addition to an excellent procedural series.
It’s not clear why so many fine mysteries are written by Scots – is there something in the water (or the Irn Bru)? It’s a nation that contributes more than its share of top-notch crime fiction. Val McDermid has been at the top of that list for a long time, and she hasn’t lost a step.