Past Lying cover art

Past Lying

Karen Pirie Novels, Book 7

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Past Lying

By: Val McDermid
Narrated by: Lauren Lyle
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About this listen

THE HEART-POUNDING NEW NOVEL IN THE KAREN PIRIE SERIES, NOW A MAJOR ITV SERIES STARRING LAUREN LYLE

Edinburgh, haunted by the ghosts of its many writers, is also the cold case beat of DCI Karen Pirie. So she shouldn't be surprised when an author's manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime.

Karen can't ignore the plot's chilling similarities to the unsolved case of an Edinburgh University student who vanished from her own doorstep. The manuscript seems to be the key to unlocking what happened to Lara Hardie, but there's a problem: the author died before he finished it.

As Karen digs deeper, she uncovers a spiraling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist . . .

The Queen of Crime Val McDermid is at the top of her game in her most gripping and fiendishly clever case yet.

©2023 Val McDermid (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd Crime Fiction Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Cold Case Haunted Heartfelt Suspense

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All stars
Most relevant  
I haven’t finished this yet and I will, but I felt I had to add to all the other reviews and warn people to stay away from this one and just buy the book. The narration is poor which I’m so sad to say as I love Lauren as Karen in the TV show, but a good actor does not mean a good narrator. Worse than the lacklustre reading and lack of character distinction is the quality of recording and editing. There are so many places where the volume and tone change entirely for one sentence which I can only assume is a re-recording. Occasionally you find this in an audiobook but not several times per chapter. I have no idea how this got through quality control and it really impacts on the listening experience. So very disappointing!

So disappointing!

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The narrator may be a good actress, although looking nothing like the description in the novels, but could not read a menu. Slurred and sloppy speech, mispronounced words and a sense of pace and timing that does not exist. Please have this re-read by the previous excellent narrator. Read as if a book had never been read before, even to herself. I have heard wonderful narrators, this lass will never be one. She should try listening to some of the great narrators to develop a sense of how to do the job properly. If there are to be further novels in this series - please, please have the previous reader do the job so the story is paid it's due respect. I stuck with it as I am a fan of the series, but would think hard about buying another if this was to be the same narrator. I think at that point, it would be Kindle or the book!

Appalling narrator, excellent story.

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A slick and gripping story that we have come to expect from Val McDermid but the narration is dreadful.

The narrator sounds bored and the editing makes the script sound robotic and disconnected.

Listen to the book for the story and hope you can get passed the narration!!

Great but……

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Yes I agree that the narration could be better but I didn’t find it too off putting as I come from that part of the country. The story was a little muddled to begin with but once Karen and her ‘team’ started to unravel the ‘perfect murder’ the story fairly bowled along.
I thought that it dealt with the fear and frustrations of the pandemic and the difficulties faced in a realistic manner and of course there is the continuing stories of the familiar characters. I enjoyed it.

Slow burner

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The story was good but the story teller spoilt it, very nasally then quiet gutted

Awful narration

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Love the Karen Pirie novels and this is no exception because the characters are so well drawn. Great to have stories within a story. Despite the seriousness of murder underlying the novel there is genuine black humour.

Wonderfully complex plot

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Poor narration, tonal change when edited bits added, changes in volume, lack lustre narration, however the story is great, I persevered through the frankly awful narration almost returned the book purely because of it.

Great story

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I didn’t have any issue with the narrator. Excellent book. Looking forward to the next

As good as ever

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Excellent story. A good page turner.Lovely to hear praise of nhs staff. I can highly recommend.

The fact it mentions pre Sent day nhs staff help and praise A very good story Thanks

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Well written and well read from start to finish
Works as a stand alone story.

Ticks all the boxes

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