TRICK OF THE DARK

VAL MCDERMID

Published by Little, Brown; 16 September 2010; £18.99; Hardback

Trick of the Dark is the brand new standalone novel from CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient Val McDermid.

What's your earliest memory? I don't mean something you've been told so many times it feels like a memory. I'm talking about the first thing you remember through your child's eyes. A knee-high memory, a don't-understand-the-words memory, an honest-to-god slice of emotion that can still fell you like a tree. The recalled moment that is the key to what shapes you forever.

Set in the mysterious world of Oxford's exclusive colleges, Trick of the Dark reveals what passions of love, family, greed and ambition can lead a person to do...

Disgraced psychiatrist Charlie Flint finds herself drawn into a murder case when a package of press cuttings is inexplicably sent to her about a crime which has occurred in the grounds of her old Oxford college. A groom murdered within hours of his wedding. His bloodstained body ditched in the river as his bride and wedding guests sip champagne nearby.

As Charlie begins to delve into the case, she soon discovers things are not quite as they first appear...

Author Information

In 2010, bestselling crime writer Val McDermid was awarded the prestigious CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.  This followed her induction into the Hall of Fame at the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards in 2009, the same year in which she was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. In 2007, she won The Stonewall Writer of the Year Award.

Val is a top 10 bestseller, translated into more than 30 languages, with over two million copies sold in the UK and over 10 million worldwide. She has written 23 bestselling novels and Trick of the Dark is her 24^th.

The popular ITV series Wire in the Blood based on McDermid's books and starring Robson Green as Tony Hill ran for an impressive six series.  A 3-part ITV drama of Val's A Place of Execution was broadcast in the autumn of 2007 to great critical acclaim and won the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Screenplay.

Val was born in Kirkcaldy, a small town in the heart of the Scottish mining community. She graduated in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford before going on to be an award winning journalist for sixteen years. Her first novel was published in 1987.

Val's loves in life include walking on the beach, football (particularly Raith Rovers), cars and music. She writes full time and is also a regular broadcaster with BBC radio and writes occasional journalism. She divides her time between Cheshire and Northumberland.

www.valmcdermid.com

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Notes to editors

•  Trick of the Dark will be published by Little, Brown on 16 September 2010, Hardback, £18.99
• Val McDermid will be available for interview, please contact Colman Getty
• Cover image of Trick of the Dark and photographs of Val McDermid are available from Colman Getty
• More information is available at the Val McDermid website - www.valmcdermid.com

For further information please contact

Caroline Brown or Mark Hutchinson at Colman Getty

T: 020 7631 2666

E: caroline@colmangetty.co.uk or mark@colmangetty.co.uk

Praise for Fever of the Bone

"Taut, psychologically complex and so gripping that it puts your life on hold" - The Times

"Another cracker in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series from the most imaginative creator of serial killers we have" - Daily Mail

"Val McDermid has conquered the box and sold 10 million books - and her latest proves that she's worth every sale" - The Independent

"Fever of the Bone, is about as good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get (...) everything a great detective novel should be: pacey, gripping, clever and stylish and, most of all, a fantastic read" - Sunday Express

"It takes great skill to handle so many narrative strands with clarity without sacrificing the suspense - but McDermid does so with apparent ease" - London Evening Standard

"McDermid remains unrivalled at yoking chilling scenarios to a pulsing narrative; and Hill's torment is palpable in this scary, dark thriller. Horrible and brilliant" - The Observer

"A moving novel, not just a gripping one" - Financial Times

 "Fast-paced and psychologically compelling" - Woman and Home

"Highly recommended" - Literary Review

"Another page-turner from the mistress of crime" - Diva

"A graphic and gripping read" - Image

"Fever of the Bone is gripping, well-written, nail-biting stuff" - Waterstone's Books Quarterly

"Classic McDermid at her blood-chilling best" - Lady