On a cold December evening in 1978 drunken four coeds from St. Andrews University stumble upon the bleeding body of Rosie, a local barmaid, in the snow. Before one of them returns with help, she has died and each of them are suspects.

Slowly their personal secrets are revealed as their lives are torn apart. Eventually they are able to focus enough to complete their college education and begin their careers.

Twenty-five years pass and their past comes back to haunt them. Rosie's murder has not been solved and a close relative of hers appears and wants revenge. One by one the co-eds of 1978 begin to meet their fates and their makers until Rosie's real murderer is revealed.


A classic story of murder and redemption   November 17, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Val McDermid returns to fine form with an absolutely sensational thriller and an utterly compelling page-turner. I was somewhat disappointed with A Place of Execution; although good, it was rather long, and lacked the tightly driven plot and dramatic tension that is usually synonymous with McDermid's work. The actions of the past and how much these dealings come back to haunt us are woven through A Distant Echo, as throughout the first half of the book, the reader is catapulted back to New Year's Eve in 1978 and then, in the second half of the book, bought forward to 2003 where redemption and truth are finally revealed.

McDermid creates a solid and chilly atmosphere as she describes bleak and cold Scottish winters in the town of Kirkcaldy and in the University Town of St, Andrews, where our four main protagonists live. On a frosty, icy night four young students Tom, Alex, David, and Sigmund, full of optimism and idealism about their lives and careers, find the blood soaked body of Rosie Duff, a local girl, who has been brutally stabbed. What happens next turns into a riveting tale of recrimination and blame, as the boys faced with a seemingly, disinterested and inadequate local police force, face a life branded as killers. A Distant Echo, in classic whodunit style really keeps you guessing, and the tension and suspense never ceases as time periods are transcended and the real killer is gradually revealed.

McDermid, to her credit, infuses the narrative with lots of things Scottish. References are constantly made to homemade shortbread, nappies, black bun, sultana cake, Scottish country dancing, grouse, and whiskey. You really get a sense of familiarity, and that McDermid is completely passionate about her roots. She also raises lots of issues to do with gay bashing, hate crimes, and religious intolerance, so the story always has a sense of propinquity, immediacy, and relevance. A Distant Echo is a superbly crafted thriller and well worth the wait. And it without doubt reflects Val McDermid's unique talent as a one of the world's most pre-eminent mystery writers. This is a must read for fans of murder mysteries.

Michael


Old crimes are never forgotten.   February 17, 2004
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

Val McDermid's "The Distant Echo" is about four boyhood chums from Scotland who call themselves Ziggy, Weird, Mondo, and Gilly. They are university students at St. Andrews in 1978. The young men love carousing, drinking, and getting high. One night, after a late party, the four literally stumble upon the body of Rosie Duff, a young woman who had been brutally assaulted, stabbed, and left to die. The police consider the four lads to be suspects. However, since there is no solid evidence connecting them to the crime, they are not charged. However, the shadow of Rosie's death hangs over them for the rest of their lives. Twenty-five years go by. The four young men move on with their lives, but Rosie's death has not been forgotten. After so much time has passed, the men become the targets of a determined killer.

When she is in top form, Val McDermid is truly splendid, as she proved in her wonderful novel, "A Place of Execution." However, "The Distant Echo" is a paint-by-numbers thriller. The plot is recycled from innumerable books with the theme that old murders and long-buried secrets never die. In addition, at over four hundred pages, the novel is much too long and repetitious. Most unfortunate of all, the ending is so clearly telegraphed that there is absolutely no suspense in the final pages.

The only positive statement that I can make about "The Distant Echo" is that the four protagonists are an interesting and varied lot whose personalities change over time. I cared about these characters and I was interested to see what would become of them. However, it took a great deal of patience to finish this book, and only the most determined McDermid fans will want to pick up "The Distant Echo."


Something rotten in the state of St. Andrews   September 25, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Itys December 1978 in St Andrews, Scotland, and the town is held in the smooth grip of a blanket of snow. Four young men are stumbling home from a party, taking a shortcut over Hallow Hill, when one of them discovers, half-buried in the snow, the body of young barmaid Rosie Duff, bleeding profusely and barely alive. Unfortunately, she dies before any help can arrive, and the four lads become, for lack of any contrary evidence, the only suspects.

Fast-forward 25 years. Now, Fife police have set up a cold-case review team, to apply new techniques to unsolved cases. And one of the cases they will be looking into the notorious Rosie Duff murder. The original quartet of suspects has now been scattered to the four winds. Their bond has been strained almost to breaking by the suspicion that they had to bear, and all their lives have been fundamentally changed by what they uncovered that evening.

Then, one of them dies in a suspicious fire, and the four remaining friends are brought together again with a crash. But, soon, further events conspire to make it abundantly clear that someone is wreaking vengeance or Rosie Duff. Someone who is determined to see that the most harsh of justice is finally meted out to those who killed hery

Itys rather clear, even from just reading a brief synopsis, that Val McDermidys latest book is going to be very, very good.

The Distant Echo returns McDermid to the dizzying heights of A Place of Execution (which, really, is so good that it must be placed outside the genre of ycrimey), while retaining all the sheer enjoyability factor of other successes such as Killing the Shadows. Itys an excellent book, destined for great success. Itys an intense examination of how suspicion can affect lives, tear them apart, and of the bonds that tie people together, and what it takes to break them.

Itys excellently written, and the plot is original and fascinating, and plenty of twists are provided along the way to keep the reader satisfied and interested. Thereys enough atmosphere to convince the reader that McDermid is far more than just going through the motions, and the characters are well drawn and real enough to care about. The Distant Echo is a triumph, and a prime example of why McDermid is one of the best thriller writers we have.