Trick of the Dark

By: Val McDermid

Narrated by: Gerri Halligan

The Washington Post calls CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award winner Val McDermid “one of the bright lights of the mystery field.”

In her Trick of the Dark, forensic psychiatrist Charlotte Flint is in desperate need of a distraction after her testimony in a high-profile case comes under fire, threatening her career. Enter Dr. Corinna Newsam, an old professor of Charlotte’s who is convinced her son-in-law was murdered by her daughter’s new lover.

©2012 Val McDermid (P)2012 Recorded Books. LLC

Not One of My Favorite McDermid Books

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I have no real feelings about this book. I have always loved McDermid mystery books and would have purchased this anyway, based on past experience. It was somewhat boring and disappointing this time, as I always look forward to her newest work. Based on this experience , I will think twice about purchasing her next title.

If you’ve listened to books by Val McDermid before, how does this one compare?

The characters in this book were not at all sympathetic to me. It seems artificial in that there are no main male characters. It is heavily weighted with lesbian characters and not well balanced with other viewpoints or storylines. Past books had much better plots.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't remember any favorite.

Was Trick of the Dark worth the listening time?

Would not recommend this whole heartedly.

Not up to par

I love Val McDermid's psychological thrillers. However, it was really hard to like the protagonist of the story. The story itself was far fetched and toward the end it was completely unbelievable. The narrator is wonderful though.

Fantastic Writer and Story

What made the experience of listening to Trick of the Dark the most enjoyable?

I love the descriptions and the exploration of the characters. I love the way, I felt like I really knew and understood the characters from the main character's perspective. The settings and all events equally were visually written well which made this book so interesting, not to mention the plot and main events in the story

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character was a lesbian, but that was not what the story was about. It was a murder mystery, much like Tony novels

What about Gerri Halligan???s performance did you like?

She is an excellent reader that allows you to feel the emotions of the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but alas, couldn't due to my responsibilities. Had I been retired, I would have listened to the end or till I finally fell asleep which was hard considering the story.

Any additional comments?

I liked that the main character was a "normal" lesbian character, not your normally stereotyped, defamed ones. This story is one that main stream, non homophobic readers would really enjoy.

Complicated psycho drama

I enjoyed the performance and the structure. Delving into the underbelly of some really sketchy people

One of McDermid's best.

Dr. Charlotte Flint, (Charlie) was a forensic psychiatrist whose expert testimony in a case was unpopular leading to a verdict of not guilty for a man who then went on to murder four women. Charlie was suspended from psychiatry, on administrative leave from the faculty, and had little to do with her time. Then a former professor, Dr. Corinna Newsam, asked for her involvement to determine who murdered her daughter’s husband on their wedding day. She was certain she knew who had done it, and thought it was her daughter’s lover. She further believed that this same woman was a serial killer and had done away with anyone who got in her way. Charlie started investigating. Her partner, Maria, was very supportive, and a policeman friend of Charlie’s was helpful, but she connected with a psychologist who was very attractive, and very flirtatious. She also kept trying to discourage Charlie from investigating further. Charlie went through various layers involving Jay, the daughter’s lover, involving four different cases, and as she went along, she was faced with a surprise which almost ended her life. A very good book, one of the best I’ve read so far this year, even though I did figure out who killed who before the end. It’s one of McDermid’s very best.

Great ending!

Hard to get into in the beginning because it felt disjointed, with all of the new characters being introduced in their separate lives, but eventually I got there. Very well done.

boring!

What would have made Trick of the Dark better?

I had a really hard time following this book, my mind kept wandering and would have to rewind. I finally just stopped and asked for a return.

Would you ever listen to anything by Val McDermid again?

No

What three words best describe Gerri Halligan’s performance?

She was very good

I'm retuning this book

I have read many many Val McDermott books. I think she is a brilliant writer. I found this book very fragmented and hard to follow. I have not even got a quarter through the book!

Almost a good listen------

The murder mystery and storyline are well done. It could have been such a good listen. However, there are problems. The only reason I listened until the end was just to find out who the murderer was.

This author has done some really good work in other books. This one left me feeling frustrated due to the interjection of corny dialogue and lesbian relationships. Before you get all judgmental about me-- I would feel the same about any book that is overly concerned with sex between a man and a woman as well--not because of any disproval of lifestyles--but because this book is being sold as a murder mystery. That is what I got from reading the summary.

Almost every main female character is supposedly smart, well educated, accomplished, etc--yet we still get this:

A woman and her girlfriend are in the sauna talking about who might be the murderer, and one woman is thinking "I sure would like to lick that sweat off of her"

When I want to listen to a good murder mystery, I really don't need or want to hear about the sexual activity which seems to be added for no apparent reason. It distracts from the storyline. The author missed the mark on this issue.

Also the dialogue at times is beyond belief. On the same day in which one of the main characters is married, her husband is murdered. On that same day, this newly married woman runs into another woman who babysat her twenty years ago, and they both decide that they have always been in love with each other and must have each other NOW! They think is may be awkward to tell others about their relationship though, due to the murder that day and all. Come On!

Val, what were you thinking?