Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsArt, murder and mystery against a backdrop of a most dangerous undercover agent: Covid 19
Reviewed in Australia on 2 January 2021
Not usually my genre but I was curious to see how and where 'art' played a part in the tale. I also enjoy novels with a Scottish setting. In both parameters 'Still Life' gets a tick. The novel started rather slowly (in spite of a body caught in fishing nets in the Prologue!) and built momentum. Most of the characters were sympathetic, if a somewhat stereotyped, the dialogue and descriptions as well. Mc Dermid gives the book a very topical flavour/setting: as the police investigation progresses, so does an almost undercover virus begin to move. Covid 19 becomes a character in its own right as Scotland goes into lockdown. 'Still Life' is thus an entirely suitable novel to read in these strange times.
