Customer Reviews
A Dumbing Down - By: Mo Cree, 14 Oct 2008 
I've always thought that Val McDermid's has a journalist's grasp of the chapter as a literary form but until now she has always compensated with good storylines & interesting characters.
As well as being lackingin literary style, this book contains all the psychological agonies of the Brannigan novels plus the snappy humour of the Tony Hill novels, which together with a weak plot make it one of her poorest novels to date.
I think Ms McDermid has been watching far too much TV.
I got 'A Darker Domain' from the library & wouldn't bother buying it for my McDermid collection until it arrivesin paperback at the nearly-new shop.
Maybe it will improve on a second reading.
Another great McDermid read - By: Avid Book Devourer, 29 Sep 2008 
It's great to see McDermid back to form after the terrible Grave Tattoo. A gripping read which neatly merges two cases. A bit of a rushed conclusion & the tying up of ends stretches credibility somewhat, but a good way to spend a rainy evening nonetheless.
Brilliant - Buy It! - By: Polly Potter, 25 Sep 2008 
Satisfying, intriguing & beautifully crafted thriller. One of those books you want to gobble upin one sitting, because you want to know what happens next, but at the same time, want to go on for ever. A wonderful sense of place, whether she's writing about the bleak NE coast, or the sun hazed Tuscan hills & olive groves. I can't recommend this highly enough, superlatives fail me!
A Darker Domain - By: Gwenllian, 08 Sep 2008 Nearly finished it, & completely engrossed. Val McDermid occupies quite a large spacein my bookcases, & all her books are brilliant.
Starts with a bang, ends with a whimper - By: M. D. Smart, 05 Sep 2008 
Val McDermid is best known for her gory serial-killer thrillers featuring Dr Tony Hill, but personally I have always preferred her stand-alone novels such as 'A Place Of Execution.' In these she tones down the violence of her other work & focuses more on the psychology of her characters, which I find far more engrossing than the wince-inducing torture & depravity Tony Hill & Carol Jordan regularly face - although I do enjoy the Hill books too. This, her latest, doesn't altogether count as a stand-alone novel, as it is a sequel of sorts to an earlier book, 'A Distant Echo' (and anyone who intends to read that book should do so before this one, as 'A Darker Domain' reveals its predecessor's ending), butin style & tone this is very much one of her slow-burning psychological thrillers.
In fact, for the majority of the book it represents the author at her best: the characters are believable, the dialogue convincing & the plot gripping. The story concerns two cold cases which originated within a few weeks of each other at the end of 1984 & beginning of 1985. One is the disappearance of a striking miner, the other is the kidnapping of the daughter & grandson of a wealthy & influential businessman. Gradually new evidence is uncovered which suggests there may have been a link between the two events, & it's up to DI Karen Pirie & journalist Bel Richmond to uncover the long-buried truth. The Miners Strike forms a backdrop to the story; Val McDermid grew upin a mining community & her passionate anger as she describes the hardships suffered brings home just how devastating the consequences were for the miners & their families. It all adds up to a rich, thought-provoking read.
However, a couple of major flaws emerge towards the end. Firstly, the solution to what exactly happenedin the past & how the two cases are linked is actually quite obvious. Not all the details, but the main points. I kept expecting a big twist to turn the plot on its head, but it never came; there is a minor surprise at the very end, but nothing to make the reader gaspin shock. The second flaw, the one which came close to ruining the book for me, was the ending. The solution of the cases & the tying up of loose ends takes placein just TWO pages. It's almost as if the author ran out of time, or simply lost interest & decided to wrap things up as quickly as possible. One minute the investigation seems doomed - two pages later & it's all over. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed with a novel's ending. Over three hundred pages gradually building to a climax & then a few bald paragraphs as the payoff.
Val McDermid is undoubtedly a talented writer who has produced some excellent thrillers over the years. 'A Darker Domain' starts so well I really thought it was destined to be another, but I ended up feeling disappointed & rather cheated. It's still worth 3 stars, because the majority of the book is highly enjoyable, but prepare yourself for a damp squib of a conclusion.
