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  • Broken Ground

  • Karen Pirie, Book 5
  • By: Val McDermid
  • Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
  • Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,509 ratings)
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Broken Ground cover art

Broken Ground

By: Val McDermid
Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
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Summary

When a body is discovered in the remote depths of the Highlands, DCI Karen Pirie finds herself in the right place at the right time. Unearthed with someone's long-buried inheritance, the victim seems to belong to the distant past - until new evidence suggests otherwise, and Karen is called in to unravel a case where nothing is as it seems.

It's not long before an overheard conversation draws Karen into the heart of a different case, however - a shocking crime she thought she'd already prevented. As she inches closer to the twisted truths at the centre of these murders, it becomes clear that she's dealing with a version of justice terrifyingly different to her own....

©2018 Val McDermid (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd

What listeners say about Broken Ground

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

could hardly finish

I found it hard to get into the story - and I was continually annoyed by the narrator. She is good at Scots accents - but not at being a 'male' voice...also REALLY annoyingly, she will sometimes say sentences as though she has a big smile on her face, in a way that one may talk to tiny children...it is really cloying. Its a shame she reads nearly all Val McD's books - as she puts me off any further ones

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Highland games

Love the Karen Pirie series. She is so tenacious. The Mint is developing and although the plot is a little farfetched I love the way the pieces come together. Am sure the ACC isn’t finished with Karen - what a ghastly character - would she really get away with this in today’s workplace. Not to worry it’s a great tale and hopefully there will be more of Karen and her new ‘love’? Interest

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Fizzles out

Moves at a brisk pace, strays into Mills and Boons before a very unsatisfactory round up chapter at the end. Almost as though Val got bored and just wanted to end the book.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Pirie just gets better....

The series of Karen Pirie books just gets better and better , you even get three cases to resolve in one mystery so no chance of getting bored. Can’t wait for the next in the series 😊

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story, thoroughly enjoyed it

Val McDermid is a master craftswoman of the detective story, skilfully combining the historical background into the ongoing investigations, intertwining personal relationships and animosities, creating credible characters and an almost credible plot.
Excellent narration by Cathleen McCarron, with one glaring, fingernails scraping down the blackboard excrutiating exception: why on earth did she give The Mint that ridiculous voice!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent as always!

A great listen from start to finish. Brilliant characters, as always, from Val and brought to life by Cathleen's narration.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Dull and painful on the ears

The narration was painful. One thread of the story was unbelievable and the main one was dull.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narrator

What a pile of pish. I couldn’t finish this thanks to the dreadful narrator, her voice swings from posh Morningside to Janette Kranky and worse. The story didn’t grab me enough to put up with the narration.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent listen

Wonderfully narrated and an interesting story. Made my insomnia slightly easier to cope with listening to this

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting plot

A series of cold cases are being investigated by DCI Pirrie with few resources and active opposition from her ACC.cleverly plotted and developed, well read in Scottish accents this was good story telling throughout.

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4 people found this helpful