The Distant Echo

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: This is the first book by Val McDermid I've ever read, but definitely not the last.

On a cold December evening in 1978 drunken four coeds from St. Andrews University stumble upon the bleeding body of Rosie, a local barmaid, in the snow. Before one of them returns with help, she has died and each of them are suspects.

Slowly their personal secrets are revealed as their lives are torn apart. Eventually they are able to focus enough to complete their college education and begin their careers.

Twenty-five years pass and their past comes back to haunt them. Rosie's murder has not been solved and a close relative of hers appears and wants revenge. One by one the co-eds of 1978 begin to meet their fates and their makers until Rosie's real murderer is revealed.

Rating:
Summary: The Distant Echo
Review: This is the first novel by Val McDermid that I have experienced. I plan on trying others. This is quite an enjoyable read. A few slow spots, but enthralling and captivating for the biggest part. The story is quite believable and could quiet conceivable really have happened. I'm not going to give away anything of the story, you can read the official reviews. I'm just going to tell what I really think of the book.
It's a darn good read and worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: Her Best Since Place of Execution
Review: Val McDermid is an excellent writer and certainly one of the top suspense writers today. The psychology involved in the Distant Echo crimes and the psychology of the characters' responses to the crimes never fails to be satisfying. This book finds her in great form--this is just as good as Place of Execution, arguably her best work.

Ms. McDermid has a real forte in carefully layering the melancholy atmosphere of a winter murder in Fife, Scotland. Her characters are believable and likable. The plot is superb and complex. Halfway through the book, the reader already feels like she/he has enjoyed a great novel of suspense. Happily, that's only the first half of the book!

I feel comfortable recommending this novel to even the most discerning reader.

One of my dislikes concerning the works of Ms. McDermid is a determination to promote her particular brand of feminism and homosexuality. There are short passages that are dedicated, or so it seems, solely to making a statement on those issues. Just a little too pedantic for my taste. This is certainly a minor matter, but I think her characters would come across as more evenhanded if she were to temper that trend.

Overall an outstanding novel!

Rating:
Summary: Her Best Since Place of Execution
Review: Val McDermid is an excellent writer and certainly one of the top suspense writers today. The psychology involved in the Distant Echo crimes and the psychology of the characters' responses to the crimes never fails to be satisfying. This book finds her in great form--this is just as good as Place of Execution, arguably her best work.

Ms. McDermid has a real forte in carefully layering the melancholy atmosphere of a winter murder in Fife, Scotland. Her characters are believable and likable. The plot is superb and complex. Halfway through the book, the reader already feels like she/he has enjoyed a great novel of suspense. Happily, that's only the first half of the book!

I feel comfortable recommending this novel to even the most discerning reader.

One of my dislikes concerning the works of Ms. McDermid is a determination to promote her particular brand of feminism and homosexuality. There are short passages that are dedicated, or so it seems, solely to making a statement on those issues. Just a little too pedantic for my taste. This is certainly a minor matter, but I think her characters would come across as more evenhanded if she were to temper that trend.

Overall an outstanding novel!

Rating:
Summary: A classic story of murder and redemption
Review: Val McDermid returns to fine form with an absolutely sensational thriller and an utterly compelling page-turner. I was somewhat disappointed with A Place of Execution; although good, it was rather long, and lacked the tightly driven plot and dramatic tension that is usually synonymous with McDermid's work. The actions of the past and how much these dealings come back to haunt us are woven through A Distant Echo, as throughout the first half of the book, the reader is catapulted back to New Year's Eve in 1978 and then, in the second half of the book, bought forward to 2003 where redemption and truth are finally revealed.

McDermid creates a solid and chilly atmosphere as she describes bleak and cold Scottish winters in the town of Kirkcaldy and in the University Town of St, Andrews, where our four main protagonists live. On a frosty, icy night four young students Tom, Alex, David, and Sigmund, full of optimism and idealism about their lives and careers, find the blood soaked body of Rosie Duff, a local girl, who has been brutally stabbed. What happens next turns into a riveting tale of recrimination and blame, as the boys faced with a seemingly, disinterested and inadequate local police force, face a life branded as killers. A Distant Echo, in classic whodunit style really keeps you guessing, and the tension and suspense never ceases as time periods are transcended and the real killer is gradually revealed.

McDermid, to her credit, infuses the narrative with lots of things Scottish. References are constantly made to homemade shortbread, nappies, black bun, sultana cake, Scottish country dancing, grouse, and whiskey. You really get a sense of familiarity, and that McDermid is completely passionate about her roots. She also raises lots of issues to do with gay bashing, hate crimes, and religious intolerance, so the story always has a sense of propinquity, immediacy, and relevance. A Distant Echo is a superbly crafted thriller and well worth the wait. And it without doubt reflects Val McDermid's unique talent as a one of the world's most pre-eminent mystery writers. This is a must read for fans of murder mysteries.

Michael

Rating:
Summary: Murder and suspicion envelope four young men......
Review: Val McDermid tells a story of four friends who discover Rosie, a dying young woman, as they are drunkenly making their way home. The young woman dies despite efforts to save her. The young men are suspects in Rosie's murder although the police can find no clear evidence to charge them, there is also no strong evidence to clear their names, and no other suspects seem to exist. The young men's lives are overshadowed by these events and many things turn out quite differently than they had hoped for.
The second half of this novel jumps ahead 20 some years. As the anniversary of Rosie's death again approaches, death and suspicion raise their ugly heads again and everyone is again thrown into a nightmare of a spotlight. The confusion, hate and fear wrap themselves around the characters in a dark blanket of hopelessness. The only way out is for the person(s) who murdered Rosie to be revealed. The question is, who will survive the investigation!!!

Rating:
Summary: Old crimes are never forgotten.
Review: Val McDermid's "The Distant Echo" is about four boyhood chums from Scotland who call themselves Ziggy, Weird, Mondo, and Gilly. They are university students at St. Andrews in 1978. The young men love carousing, drinking, and getting high. One night, after a late party, the four literally stumble upon the body of Rosie Duff, a young woman who had been brutally assaulted, stabbed, and left to die. The police consider the four lads to be suspects. However, since there is no solid evidence connecting them to the crime, they are not charged. However, the shadow of Rosie's death hangs over them for the rest of their lives. Twenty-five years go by. The four young men move on with their lives, but Rosie's death has not been forgotten. After so much time has passed, the men become the targets of a determined killer.

When she is in top form, Val McDermid is truly splendid, as she proved in her wonderful novel, "A Place of Execution." However, "The Distant Echo" is a paint-by-numbers thriller. The plot is recycled from innumerable books with the theme that old murders and long-buried secrets never die. In addition, at over four hundred pages, the novel is much too long and repetitious. Most unfortunate of all, the ending is so clearly telegraphed that there is absolutely no suspense in the final pages.

The only positive statement that I can make about "The Distant Echo" is that the four protagonists are an interesting and varied lot whose personalities change over time. I cared about these characters and I was interested to see what would become of them. However, it took a great deal of patience to finish this book, and only the most determined McDermid fans will want to pick up "The Distant Echo."

Rating:
Summary: Old crimes are never forgotten.
Review: Val McDermid's "The Distant Echo" is about four boyhood chums from Scotland who call themselves Ziggy, Weird, Mondo, and Gilly. They are university students at St. Andrews in 1978. The young men love carousing, drinking, and getting high. One night, after a late party, the four literally stumble upon the body of Rosie Duff, a young woman who had been brutally assaulted, stabbed, and left to die. The police consider the four lads to be suspects. However, since there is no solid evidence connecting them to the crime, they are not charged. However, the shadow of Rosie's death hangs over them for the rest of their lives. Twenty-five years go by. The four young men move on with their lives, but Rosie's death has not been forgotten. After so much time has passed, the men become the targets of a determined killer.

When she is in top form, Val McDermid is truly splendid, as she proved in her wonderful novel, "A Place of Execution." However, "The Distant Echo" is a paint-by-numbers thriller. The plot is recycled from innumerable books with the theme that old murders and long-buried secrets never die. In addition, at over four hundred pages, the novel is much too long and repetitious. Most unfortunate of all, the ending is so clearly telegraphed that there is absolutely no suspense in the final pages.

The only positive statement that I can make about "The Distant Echo" is that the four protagonists are an interesting and varied lot whose personalities change over time. I cared about these characters and I was interested to see what would become of them. However, it took a great deal of patience to finish this book, and only the most determined McDermid fans will want to pick up "The Distant Echo."

Rating:
Summary: Old crimes are never forgotten.
Review: Val McDermid's "The Distant Echo" is about four boyhood chums from Scotland who call themselves Ziggy, Weird, Mondo, and Gilly. They are university students at St. Andrews in 1978. The young men love carousing, drinking, and getting high. One night, after a late party, the four literally stumble upon the body of Rosie Duff, a young woman who had been brutally assaulted, stabbed, and left to die. The police consider the four lads to be suspects. However, since there is no solid evidence connecting them to the crime, they are not charged. However, the shadow of Rosie's death hangs over them for the rest of their lives. Twenty-five years go by. The four young men move on with their lives, but Rosie's death has not been forgotten. After so much time has passed, the men become the targets of a determined killer.

When she is in top form, Val McDermid is truly splendid, as she proved in her wonderful novel, "A Place of Execution." However, "The Distant Echo" is a paint-by-numbers thriller. The plot is recycled from innumerable books with the theme that old murders and long-buried secrets never die. In addition, at over four hundred pages, the novel is much too long and repetitious. Most unfortunate of all, the ending is so clearly telegraphed that there is absolutely no suspense in the final pages.

The only positive statement that I can make about "The Distant Echo" is that the four protagonists are an interesting and varied lot whose personalities change over time. I cared about these characters and I was interested to see what would become of them. However, it took a great deal of patience to finish this book, and only the most determined McDermid fans will want to pick up "The Distant Echo."

Rating:
Summary: I Must Have Read A Different Book
Review: While I thought A Place of Execution was terrific, this was a terrific disappointment. You could guess who did it early on and while there was still a surprise or two, the plot was contrived, the characters were one dimensional and the dialog was stilted. As I read the other reviews, I can't help but wonder what I missed.