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    Trick of the Dark
    Trick of the Dark
    Trick of the Dark
    Audiobook14 hours

    Trick of the Dark

    Written by Val McDermid

    Narrated by Gerri Halligan and Juanita McMahon

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The Washington Post calls CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award winner Val McDermid "one of the bright lights of the mystery field." In 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's convinced her son-in-law was murdered by her daughter's new lover.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 30, 2012
    ISBN9781464029691
    Trick of the Dark
    Author

    Val McDermid

    Val McDermid is a number one bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than forty languages, and have sold over nineteen million copies. She has won many awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger the LA Times Book of the Year Award and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She writes full-time and divides her time between Edinburgh and East Neuk of Fife.

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    Reviews for Trick of the Dark

    3/5

    135 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A psychiatrist is asked by her old Oxford tutor to investigate her daughter’s girlfriend, a determined woman who has been associated with a number of mystifying deaths. An interesting investigation, & McDermid’s main characters: investigator, investigated, & their partners are all lesbian, thus allowing the author as another aspect of the story to shed a light on prejudice, coming out, & being gay in a largely straight world.
    • 2/5
      This book has been used by the author to push her homosexual agenda. There is more than one who talks about her 'wife' which is wrong and all the way through anyone who objects is portrayed as being bigoted. The Christians in the book both Evangelicals and Catholics are portrayed very negatively.

      Behind all the rhetoric is an intersting story and it shows the lengths a mother will go to to protect her family. I enjoyed the twists and turns as you try to work out what really happened and was amazed to work it out before the end.
    • 4/5
      "My mother disappeared when I was sixteen. It was the best thing that could have happened to me.
      When I say that out loud, people look at me out if the corners of their eyes, as if I've transgressed some fundamental taboo. But it's the truth. I'm not hiding some complicated grief reaction.
      My mother disappeared when I was sixteen. The guards had walked away from the prison leaving the door unlocked. And I emerged blinking into the sunlight."

      I wanted to keep this book for a while and read it when I needed a solid mystery to delve in and occupy my mind for a spell - when I needed something dependable.
      But just looking at the fabulous cover of the paperback edition made me twitch.

      This is only my fourth McDermid - I am quickly becoming a fan - and a short way into the story of disgraced psychiatrist Charlie Flint I got the impression that this book is different. Just a short way into this book I began to wonder if McDermid had an agenda which she wanted the characters in the book to play out.

      Trick of the Dark is centred on a mothers suspicion that her daughter is being seduced by a woman of dubious character - or rather one with a dubious past. There is no police work, no obvious crime, but one "obvious" suspect.

      Strangely enough, the story and the character had soon drawn me in and it took no time at all to want to figure out the mystery surrounding the main suspect. As mentioned, there is little in the way of procedural policing. Most of the book is based on good old sleuthing and psychology, or as I would call it "following a hunch" but I really liked it.
      There is also some humor in this, and I hope some of the giggles I got reflect some of McDermott's own sense of fun.

      The only criticism - and, having read some of the scathing reviews this book received, this is only a slight criticism - is that the dialogues were too stilted to be believable. Yes, the conversations between the characters carried most of the story, but some of the conversations, even hard ones to have, were way too polished.
    • 1/5
      The plot took second place to the relationships, and the ending was an obvious twist. None of the characters felt sympathetic, only shallow
    • 3/5
      There are twists and turns throughout the book, and it isn't easy to figure out who is the real murderer. As you get to understand each of the various characters, you are able to start ruling out some of them. The characters are lesbians, and for that reason alone the book may not appeal to some. It is a absolutely wonderful murder mystery.
    • 3/5
      I read all of Val McDermid's books and, although disappointed by this one, I will probably keep on doing so. The plot is clever and the device of telling part of the story, albeit a misrepresented part, through a set of memoirs, adds to the complexity. My problem with the book was that I struggled to empathise with any of the characters, just the same as in the Tony Hill books.
    • 3/5
      Good but not great. I've enjoyed her other books more. The premise was solid - but I had figured out the murderer halfway through the book. Not really enough twists to be satisfying. But still solid. McDermid's prose is enjoyable to read and her plotting is good. It was a good mixture of forward progression and flashbacks, although the continued use of a written memoir for the flashbacks seemed a bit contrived after the fourth or fifth use of it.
    • 3/5
      All the main characters (five in all!) are lesbians. And that doesn't seem at all gratuitous in the reading. Characters are well-drawn in McDermid's dark way. Everyone seems a bit *too* selfish, opportunistic and manipulative, even considering a couple of them are psychologists, but things aren't enough out of kilter for me . But the ending *is* gratuitous, and a real letdown.
    • 4/5
      Having complained often and at length about authors who write the same book over and over again I chose to TRICK OF THE DARK up precisely because it was clear from the disparity of opinion about it that, if nothing else, McDermid had written a different book from her previous work. My main exposure to her writing has been through the Tony Hill books which are a bit bloody for my taste though I do like her writing so I was keen to try more of her standalone novels.

      There were lots of things I enjoyed about TRICK OF THE DARK though my relationship with the book didn’t start well as the main character, psychiatrist Charlie Flint, is angst-ridden about whether or not to cheat on her wife Maria with another woman. I groaned audibly I think as the ‘to cheat or not to cheat’ storyline is a particular annoyance of mine both in real life and in fiction (cheat if you must but don’t bend my ear about your vacillation is my motto). But even though that thread does run throughout the novel I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of this complicated and fast-paced book.

      As well as considering embarking on an affair, Charlie is in professional disgrace as the book opens due to an assessment she had made in a criminal case. Although something of a side thread I found this quite fascinating as it explored the notion of guilt and whether or not people can or should be prevented by society from committing crimes they’ve only thought about. One morning she receives some curious news clippings in the mail about a murdered bridegroom she doesn’t know. After some plot contrivances she works out that the clippings have been sent by one of her tutors from her time at Oxford and the widower of the bridegroom is Magda, whom Charlie knew as Maggot when she used to babysit her some years ago. When she gets in touch with the tutor, Corinna, she is is asked to investigate Magda’s husband’s murder. Corinna doesn’t think the two people who have been found guilty of the murder were responsible, instead she blames Magda’s new love interest, a woman called Jay who is also a former student of Corinna’s and is now a very wealthy business woman. Corinna tells Charlie that if she does not investigate and find evidence of Jay’s guilt Corinna will do whatever it takes to protect her daughter from the woman she perceives as evil.

      That’s about as simply as I can summarise the early part of the book and it gets more complicated from that point on but it’s surprisingly easy to follow. Though perhaps that’s just because McDermid has the skill to make such twists and turns look easy. The book does require the suspension of disbelief but I had no trouble doing that, quickly getting caught up in the whydunnit aspects of the novel and the lives of its three main characters.

      In some ways I thought Charlie the least interesting of the three (though admit that’s mainly because I was bored by the whole cheating thread). Jay Stewart, whose point of view much of the story is told from, would be intriguing I think even if you weren’t always wondering in the back of your mind if she is a serial killer. She has already published one book, a misery memoir of her horrid childhood, to much acclaim and has been persuaded to write a second biography. This volume will focus on her more recent life of ‘triumph over tragedy’ and we learn about her life as she writes different chapters though readers are always aware of the unreliable nature of Jay’s ‘recollections’. It would be a terrific sign of society’s maturity to be able to write about this book without mentioning that the three main characters (and several minor ones) are lesbians but the women’s sexuality is a significant factor in the stories. Their various experiences of coming out (or not doing so) and being on the receiving end of homophobia significantly colours the lives of all the lesbians in the story and so is an integral part of the book. Unlike some of the more vitriolic reviews on Good Reads and Amazon I thought this aspect of the book was handled sensitively and intelligently.

      TRICK OF THE YARD managed to draw me into subjects and worlds I have no experience of including the cloistered atmosphere of Oxford college and its lingering pull on all who attend, as well as the tribulations of being gay and hated for that fact (in my bubble world I like to think we’re all grown up about such things now but clearly not). Having had somewhat ambivalent expectations of this book through reading very positive and very negative reviews I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend the book to those who can suspend their disbelief in the interests of a ripping, and thought-provoking yarn.
    • 4/5
      Although not a lesbian myself, some of my best friends are. And this is what distinguishes us from most of the gay characters in Val McDermid's new book, Trick of the Dark, who appear to inhabit an inverted universe where same sex love is the norm, and hetero and homosexual seldom meet at more than a superficial level. Having said that, I admit I thoroughly enjoyed the book, sympathised with the lead character psychiatrist Charlie Flint who despite a wonderful relationship with her dentist wife Maria has fallen head over heels in lust with a younger and sexually ambiguous Oxford academic. Charlie is approached by her former Oxford tutor and role model Corinna who is concerned over her daughter Magda: Magda's dream wedding in the grounds of her mother's college had something of a pall cast over it when her husband was bludgeoned to death on the banks of the river. When her late husband's business partners are charged with his murder, Magda is supported throughout the trial by celebrity lesbian, millionaire business woman and famous misery memoirist Jay Stewart, another of Corinna's former students. Jay, an 'alpha lesbian', has had a hard but extremely lucky life in that people who stood in her way ended up dead. Corinna is convinced the wrong people have been found guilty and Jay is responsible for the murder of her son-in-law: Magda has discovered she is gay and moved in with Jay, at which stage Corinna approaches Charlie for help. Despite their history - Charlie feels Corinna [a Catholic] turned against her when she discoeverd she was a lesbian - she has been suspended from her job and with time on her hands and Maria's encouragement, she agrees to help. Excellent investigative detection is levened by the youthful and paranoid pangs of desire everyone has felt as Charlie combines her search into the truth behind Jay with a gentle pursuit of the young and ruthlessly manipulatrive don who has her gonads in thrall. In additon she has to cope with her guilt and concern over upsetting loyal Maria, whom she really does love.Interesting - enthralling even - Val has never disappointed and her lesbian characters are always engaging, although somewhat socially insular [they should try broadening their social circles because they'll discover straights are people too]. The woman's college in the book was based on Val's alma mater St Hilda and one suspects the places and institutions described here are some the author knows well.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable novel based around a pyschologist's quest to discover whether a famous lesbian businesswoman with a shady past is actually a serial killer, with a lengthy string of victims to her name already.As always with McDermid the plot is tightly drawn and the characters enturely plausible. Maybe not up to the standard of her best novels but definitely worth reading.
    • 4/5
      A concerned mother asks psychiatrist Charlie Flint to look into the woman her daughter Magda is dating: Jay Stewart, self-made online-business success. Magda's husband was murdered on her wedding day and Jay is a suspect. There are others in Jay's past who have died or disappeared, people whose disappearances have helped her success. Charlie delves into Jay's past while balancing her own in the space between her wife and a new lover.I've read reviews that say there are too many lesbians in this book. This is a pretty bizarre thing to say. There are plenty of lesbians, and if anything I respect the author for doing what authors would love to do, which is to write a book they'd like to read. If you can get over the less average sexuality presented in the book, it's a great mystery that keeps you guessing. It also has enough clues that I figured a few things out before the last page, but not everything. There was enough left to surprise me. It isn't as strong in character and mystery as some of the Tony Hill books, but this is still a great thriller.
    • 4/5
      I think it's only fair that I warn you to stand by for some slightly enthusiastic reviews. I've had one of those outstanding periods of reading where there have just been some fabulous books and TRICK OF THE DARK is one of them.In this book of masterful storytelling by Val McDermid, TRICK OF THE DARK is a character study with the tension of a really good thriller. It also does something that I suspect some readers could find confronting, in that most of the characters in this book, including the lead Charlie Flint, are extremely flawed individuals. It's also probably fair to say that the character aspects dominate the narrative, and the book is much more of a whydunit as opposed to a whodunit. Having said that, there's plenty of room for a reader to doubt their belief that they know the whodunit aspects regularly. But in terms of character, the emphasis is most definitely on temptation, loyalty, love and respect. The viewpoint moves around each of the main characters - Charlie, Magda and Jay. Charlie, recently professionally disgraced, struggling with the possibility of losing the long-term career as a profiler that she loves, is feeling lost and vulnerable. She's also in a long-term same-sex marriage with a partner that she loves, but she cannot seem to control the attraction she feels for another woman. Conflicted, but seemingly unable to stop herself, her struggle seems so pointless and self-destructive.Magda, recently newly-wed and widowed within the same day, has obviously been profoundly affected by the death of her husband, but equally by the chance meeting with Jay on her wedding day. She's hesitant, almost ineffectual, and she seems to be struggling to move on. It doesn't help that her new love is somebody that her mother has some profound doubts about. Jay is a successful and wealthy businesswoman in her own right, but there have been tragedies in her past that Magda's mother, Corinna is particularly concerned about. Writing a book about her life, Jay's internal voice is often self-serving, giving the reader a skewed view of who this person is. Or maybe not.Magda's mother Corinna is an Oxford Don, teacher, mentor and sometime employer of Charlie and Jay, who is very concerned about Jay and Magda's relationship. She also doesn't believe that her son-in-law's business partners murdered him, despite the verdict of the trial so recently completed.The past connections give the story something of a closed room feeling, as everything revolves around events, and relationships from university days through to the present. The emotional states of each of the characters builds on that even further as they are often inward looking. Mind you, the present aspects of TRICK OF THE DARK aren't just introspective, overly dark or slow as a result. The story moves forward quickly, the character's personalities balanced against each other avoiding an overdose of self-pity or self-justification. Which really just leaves the reader looking to the future and wondering if this really is the last we'll see of Charlie Flint.