Val McDermid is one of Scotland's most successful authors.Val McDermid is one of Scotland's most successful authors.
Val McDermid is one of Scotland's most successful authors. | Getty Images

Best Val McDermid Books: These are the 10 best novels by the Scottish crime writer - according to readers

By David Hepburn
Published 2nd Jul 2024, 15:20 BST

The reigning queen of Tartan Noir has had an extraordinary career in writing.

Fife-born crime writer Val McDermid started out as a journalist before her success of debut novel Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery in 1987.

Since then she’s written over 40 novels, alongside a variety of collections of short stories, two children’s books, several works of non-fiction, and a graphic novel.

Her most popular characters include Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, who also feature in the television programme Wire in the Blood starring Robson Green, and Inspector Karen Pirie.

Her huge popularity around the world has seen her sell over 19 million books which have been translated into more than 40 languages.

With so many books to choose from, it’s hard for a Val McDermid beginner to know where to start.

To help out, we’ve had a look at how the millions of readers of book website Goodreads have rated her books.

Here are the top 10.

According to readers, Val McDermid's best book is 2023's Past Lying - the seventh in the Karen Pirie series. It scored an average rating of 4.27 (out of five) from 6,628 reviews. "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 spiralling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist...)

1. Past Lying

According to readers, Val McDermid's best book is 2023's Past Lying - the seventh in the Karen Pirie series. It scored an average rating of 4.27 (out of five) from 6,628 reviews. "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 spiralling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist...) | Contributed

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Second place goes to Still Life, which scored an average rating of 4.22 from 12,826 reviews. The 2020 book is the sixth in the Karen Pirie series. "On a freezing winter morning, fishermen pull a body from the sea. It is quickly discovered that the dead man was the prime suspect in a decade-old investigation, when a prominent civil servant disappeared without trace. DCI Karen Pirie was the last detective to review the file and is drawn into a sinister world of betrayal and dark secrets. But Karen is already grappling with another case, one with even more questions and fewer answers. A skeleton has been discovered in an abandoned campervan and all clues point to a killer who never faced justice - a killer who is still out there. In her search for the truth, Karen uncovers a network of lies that has gone unchallenged for years. But lies and secrets can turn deadly when someone is determined to keep them hidden for good..."

2. Still Life

Second place goes to Still Life, which scored an average rating of 4.22 from 12,826 reviews. The 2020 book is the sixth in the Karen Pirie series. "On a freezing winter morning, fishermen pull a body from the sea. It is quickly discovered that the dead man was the prime suspect in a decade-old investigation, when a prominent civil servant disappeared without trace. DCI Karen Pirie was the last detective to review the file and is drawn into a sinister world of betrayal and dark secrets. But Karen is already grappling with another case, one with even more questions and fewer answers. A skeleton has been discovered in an abandoned campervan and all clues point to a killer who never faced justice - a killer who is still out there. In her search for the truth, Karen uncovers a network of lies that has gone unchallenged for years. But lies and secrets can turn deadly when someone is determined to keep them hidden for good..." | Contributed

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Completing the top three is Fever of the Bone, the sixth in the series featuring characters Tony Hill & Carol Jordan. Published in 2009, it scores an average rating of 4.19 from 9,215 reviews. "Meet Tony Hill's most twisted adversary - a killer with a shopping list of victims, a killer unmoved by youth and innocence, a killer driven by the most perverted of desires. The murder and mutilation of teenager Jennifer Maidment is horrific enough on its own. But it's not long before Tony realises it's just the start of a brutal and ruthless campaign that's targeting an apparently unconnected group of young people. Struggling with the newly awakened ghosts of his own past and desperate for distraction in his work, Tony battles to find the answers that will give him personal and professional satisfaction in his most testing investigation yet..."

3. Fever of the Bone

Completing the top three is Fever of the Bone, the sixth in the series featuring characters Tony Hill & Carol Jordan. Published in 2009, it scores an average rating of 4.19 from 9,215 reviews. "Meet Tony Hill's most twisted adversary - a killer with a shopping list of victims, a killer unmoved by youth and innocence, a killer driven by the most perverted of desires. The murder and mutilation of teenager Jennifer Maidment is horrific enough on its own. But it's not long before Tony realises it's just the start of a brutal and ruthless campaign that's targeting an apparently unconnected group of young people. Struggling with the newly awakened ghosts of his own past and desperate for distraction in his work, Tony battles to find the answers that will give him personal and professional satisfaction in his most testing investigation yet..." | Contributed

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Fourth place goes to the eighth of the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan novels. Published in 2013, Cross and Burn has an average Goodreads rating of 4.19 from 7,462 reviews. "Someone is brutally killing women. Women who bear a striking resemblance to former DCI Carol Jordan. The connection is too strong to ignore and soon psychological profiler Tony Hill finds himself dangerously close to the investigation, just as the killer is closing in on his next target. This is a killer like no other, hell-bent on inflicting the most severe and grotesque punishment on his prey. As the case becomes ever-more complex and boundaries begin to blur, Tony and Carol must work together once more to try and save the victims, and themselves."

4. Cross and Burn

Fourth place goes to the eighth of the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan novels. Published in 2013, Cross and Burn has an average Goodreads rating of 4.19 from 7,462 reviews. "Someone is brutally killing women. Women who bear a striking resemblance to former DCI Carol Jordan. The connection is too strong to ignore and soon psychological profiler Tony Hill finds himself dangerously close to the investigation, just as the killer is closing in on his next target. This is a killer like no other, hell-bent on inflicting the most severe and grotesque punishment on his prey. As the case becomes ever-more complex and boundaries begin to blur, Tony and Carol must work together once more to try and save the victims, and themselves." | Contributed

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