Synopses & Reviews
In a novel reminiscent of The Rule of Four, The Dante Club and The Historian, suspense master McDermid spins a psychological thriller in which a present-day murder has its roots in the eighteenth century and the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty. After torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside, long discarded old wives' tales takes on a chilling new plausibility. For centuries, Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian staged the massacre on Pitcairn so that he could return home. And there, he told his story to an old friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative poem--a poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for harboring a fugitive. Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham, herself a native of the Lake District, feels compelled to discover once and for all whether the manuscript ever existed--and whether it still exists today. But as she pursues each new lead, death follows hard on her heels. Suddenly Jane is at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line. Against the dramatic backdrop of England's Lake District a drama of life and death plays out, its ultimate prize a bounty worth millions.
Review
"Even without the melodramatic plot twists, the novel's scholarship is exciting on its own terms, and entirely appropriate for a district so wildly beautiful that it attracts both poets and pirates." New York Times
Review
"McDermid is the winner of numerous mystery/detective book awards, and her latest effort is sure to please her fans." Library Journal
Review
"Val McDermid has written about a score of excellent crime-fiction books....The Grave Tattoo is well up to the standard of these previous offerings." Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
"McDermid...renders a supremely satisfying tale in which matters of heart and mind are entwined." Booklist
Synopsis
The discovery of a strangely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside gives rise to two-hundred-year-old rumors regarding William Wordsworth's ties to the infamous Fletcher Christian and the mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty, as Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham searches for a long-lost manuscript that could hold the key to the historical mystery. 100,000 first printing.
Synopsis
After torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside, a long-disregarded old wive's tale takes on a chilling new plausibility.
For centuries, Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian, made infamous by Mutiny on the Bounty, staged the massacre on Pitcairn so that he could return home. And once there, what if he could tell his story to an old friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative poem a poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for harboring a fugitive. Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham, herself a native of the Lake District, feels compelled to discover once and for all whether the manuscript ever existed and whether it still exists today. But as she pursues each new lead, death follows hard on her heels. Suddenly Jane is at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line.
Synopsis
From bestselling author Val McDermid comes a modern thriller about an ancient murder set on the high seas…
“Exciting…wildly beautiful” —The New York Times Book Review
After summer rains uncover a corpse bearing tattoos like those of eighteenth-century seafarers, many residents of the English Lake District cant help but wonder whether its the body of one of the towns most legendary fugitives.
“An old-fashioned detective yarn with enough modern touches to keep a reader on her toes.”—Salon.com
Scholar and native Lakelander Jane Gresham feels compelled to finally discover the truth about the myths and buried secrets rooted in her hometown. What she never expected was to find herself at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line. And with each new lead she pursues, death follows hard on her heels….
“Extraordinary.”—The Boston Globe
Synopsis
Against the backdrop of England's Lake District, a drama of life and death plays out, its ultimate prize a bounty worth millions
Synopsis
After torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside, a long-disregarded old wive's tale takes on a chilling new plausibility. For centuries, Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian, made infamous by Mutiny on the Bounty, staged the massacre on Pitcairn so that he could return home. And once there, what if he could tell his story to an old friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative poem--a poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for harboring a fugitive. Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham, herself a native of the Lake District, feels compelled to discover once and for all whether the manuscript ever existed--and whether it still exists today. But as she pursues each new lead, death follows hard on her heels. Suddenly Jane is at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line.
Synopsis
After summer rains uncover a corpse bearing tattoos like those of eighteenth-century seafarers, many residents of the English Lake District cant help but wonder whether its the body of one of the towns most legendary fugitives.
Scholar and native Lakelander Jane Gresham feels compelled to finally discover the truth about the myths and buried secrets rooted in her hometown. What she never expected was to find herself at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line. And with each new lead she pursues, death follows hard on her heels….
Synopsis
In
The Grave Tattoo, suspense master Val McDermid spins a psychological thriller in which a present-day murder has its roots in the eighteenth century and the mutiny on the
H.M.S. Bounty.
After summer rains uncover a corpse bearing tattoos like those of eighteenth-century seafarers, many residents of the English Lake District cant help but wonder whether its the body of one of the towns most legendary fugitives.
Scholar and native Lakelander Jane Gresham feels compelled to finally discover the truth about the myths and buried secrets rooted in her hometown. What she never expected was to find herself at the heart of a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line. And with each new lead she pursues, death follows hard on her heels….
About the Author
VAL McDERMID grew up in a Scottish mining community and read English at Oxford. She was a journalist for sixteen years and is now a full-time writer. In 1995, she won the Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of the year. Her novel, A Place of Execution, won a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She lives in the north of England. Visit her Web site at www.valmcdermid.com.