# Past Lying: A Karen Pirie Novel - Paperback

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by **Val McDermid** (Author)

**In this superb new addition to Val McDermid's masterful crime series, DCI Karen Pirie returns in a propulsive thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet of a global pandemic**

Britain's reigning "Queen of Crime" (_The Scotsman_), Val McDermid is the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of over thirty novels. The long-awaited seventh novel in the acclaimed series that has captivated audiences for twenty years, both on the page and now in the Edgar Award-nominated ITV/BritBox show, _Past Lying_ is a full tilt novel of ego, retribution, deceit, and just how far one will go to settle the score.

It's April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot--the streets all but empty, an hour's outdoor exercise the maximum allowed--but a mere pandemic doesn't mean crime takes a holiday. When a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie's team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it's game on again. At the center of it, a novel: two crime novelists facing off over a chessboard. But it quickly emerges that their real-life competition is drawing blood. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, and as Karen and her team attempt to disentangle fact from fiction, it becomes clear that their investigation is more complicated than they ever imagined.

A tense, atmospheric page-turner, _Past Lying_ reaffirms McDermid as one of the most talented crime writers of her generation.

### Author Biography

Val McDermid's bestselling novels have won the _Los Angeles Times_ Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, and the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger and Cartier Diamond Award for outstanding achievement. The Karen Pirie novels have been adapted into an Edgar Award-nominated ITV/BritBox show. She is also a five-time finalist for the Edgar Award, including Fact Crime nominee _Forensics_ and most recently the Sue Grafton Memorial Award nominee _Past Lying_. She lives in Scotland.

**Number of Pages:** 464

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 8.2 x 5.4 IN

**Publication Date:** September 10, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 25.0 GBP
- **Vendor:** BooksCloud
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books, Crime, Fiction, International Crime & Mystery, Mystery & Detective, Price Written on Book, Thrillers, Women Sleuths

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 25.00 GBP | Out of stock |

## Images

- Past Lying: A Karen Pirie Novel

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> Updated: 2026-08-22