What do you think?
Rate this book
Kate Brannigan #5
Das Kuckucksei
Kate Brannigan, Manchester's tough-talking crime-stalking PI, isn't just having a bad day. She's having a bad week. The worst week of her life, in fact. Her boyfriend's obituary is in the newspaper, her plans to capture a team of heartless crooks are in disarray, and a Celtic neo-punk band under siege wants her to rescue them from the saboteurs who are trashing their posters and gigs. Kate can't even cry on her best friend's shoulder because ace crime reporter Alexis has a few worries of her own. Her girlfriend Chris is pregnant, and when someone involved in pioneering illegal fertility treatment is murdered, Alexis needs Kate as she's never needed her before. Delving into the alien world of medical experimentation and the underbelly of the rock music business, Kate confronts betrayal and cold-blooded greed as she fights to save not only her livelihood but her life.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
224 people are currently reading
1033 people want to read
About the author
Val McDermid
342 books5,328 followersVal McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.
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. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
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. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
January 10, 2021
EXCERPT: I was about to close the conservatory door behind me as I returned to Richard's house when his doorbell belted out an inappropriate blast of the guitar riff from Eric Clapton's 'Layla'. 'Shit,' I muttered. No matter how careful you are, there's always something you forget. I couldn't remember what the other choices were on Richard's 'Twenty Great Rock Riffs' doorbell, but I was sure there must be something more fitting than Clapton's wailing guitar. Maybe something by the Smiths, I thought vaguely as I tried to compose my face into a suitable expression for a woman who has just lost her partner. Just how was I supposed to look, I found a second to wonder. What's the well-bereft woman wearing on her face this season? You can't even go for the mascara tracks down the cheeks in these days of lash tints.
ABOUT 'BLUE GENES': Kate Brannigan, Manchester's tough-talking crime-stalking PI, isn't just having a bad day. She's having a bad week. The worst week of her life, in fact. Her boyfriend's obituary is in the newspaper, her plans to capture a team of heartless crooks are in disarray, and a Celtic neo-punk band under siege wants her to rescue them from the saboteurs who are trashing their posters and gigs. Kate can't even cry on her best friend's shoulder because ace crime reporter Alexis has a few worries of her own. Her girlfriend Chris is pregnant, and when someone involved in pioneering illegal fertility treatment is murdered, Alexis needs Kate as she's never needed her before. Delving into the alien world of medical experimentation and the underbelly of the rock music business, Kate confronts betrayal and cold-blooded greed as she fights to save not only her livelihood but her life.
MY THOUGHTS: This is #5 in Val McDermid's Kate Brannigan series. I haven't read/listened to any of the previous books, but it didn't matter at all.
There's plenty going on as Kate juggles multiple investigations, the main one being the murder of a doctor involved in illegal and groundbreaking IVF treatment for lesbian couples.
Kate thinks outside the box, coming up with logical but off-the-wall ways to get the information she needs to solve her cases. She, and all the other characters featured in Blue Genes, are realistic, consistent and totally believable, as is the dialogue.
McDermid's plotting is precise and plausible, well executed, and paced to keep the reader turning pages long into the night. I have long been a fan of this author's Tony Hill series. This is totally different. It is lighter with a little dry humour thrown in. I enjoyed Blue Genes and will certainly be reading more of this series.
And I want Richard's doorbell!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.3
THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid writes full time and divides her life between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to Blue Genes, written by Val McDermid, narrated by Chloe Massey, and published by Avid Audiobooks, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'BLUE GENES': Kate Brannigan, Manchester's tough-talking crime-stalking PI, isn't just having a bad day. She's having a bad week. The worst week of her life, in fact. Her boyfriend's obituary is in the newspaper, her plans to capture a team of heartless crooks are in disarray, and a Celtic neo-punk band under siege wants her to rescue them from the saboteurs who are trashing their posters and gigs. Kate can't even cry on her best friend's shoulder because ace crime reporter Alexis has a few worries of her own. Her girlfriend Chris is pregnant, and when someone involved in pioneering illegal fertility treatment is murdered, Alexis needs Kate as she's never needed her before. Delving into the alien world of medical experimentation and the underbelly of the rock music business, Kate confronts betrayal and cold-blooded greed as she fights to save not only her livelihood but her life.
MY THOUGHTS: This is #5 in Val McDermid's Kate Brannigan series. I haven't read/listened to any of the previous books, but it didn't matter at all.
There's plenty going on as Kate juggles multiple investigations, the main one being the murder of a doctor involved in illegal and groundbreaking IVF treatment for lesbian couples.
Kate thinks outside the box, coming up with logical but off-the-wall ways to get the information she needs to solve her cases. She, and all the other characters featured in Blue Genes, are realistic, consistent and totally believable, as is the dialogue.
McDermid's plotting is precise and plausible, well executed, and paced to keep the reader turning pages long into the night. I have long been a fan of this author's Tony Hill series. This is totally different. It is lighter with a little dry humour thrown in. I enjoyed Blue Genes and will certainly be reading more of this series.
And I want Richard's doorbell!
⭐⭐⭐⭐.3
THE AUTHOR: Val McDermid writes full time and divides her life between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to Blue Genes, written by Val McDermid, narrated by Chloe Massey, and published by Avid Audiobooks, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 7, 2019
These books have become something like a guilty little pleasure read. You don't have to think or try to figure out what needs to happen. You just read and enjoy it. Fast-paced with just the right amount of action and mystery to keep you fascinated.
This is not as good as McDermid's newer books, but I still like to read them.
March 25, 2023
This is my first Kate Brannigan book. I found they could be read alone as I did this one. Kate appears to have a lot going on her best friend is going through one of the happiest and most stressful times of her life, she is trying to help her and discovers she has a crime to solve. Meanwhile, she has already been brought a crime and hired by a punk rock band.
I did not find it five star, but I did find it a very good mystery read. I did not like it enough to go back and read more of the series . A large part of that was I had a very difficult time understanding the very thick accent of the narrator I listen to many books, for the narrator has a foreign accent, but for some reason, even with slowing the speed down, I was missing many words and phrases.
If I did go back and read a Branigan book, I would read it and not listen to it.
I did not find it five star, but I did find it a very good mystery read. I did not like it enough to go back and read more of the series . A large part of that was I had a very difficult time understanding the very thick accent of the narrator I listen to many books, for the narrator has a foreign accent, but for some reason, even with slowing the speed down, I was missing many words and phrases.
If I did go back and read a Branigan book, I would read it and not listen to it.
February 14, 2009
I really like Val McDermid in general but this one is the only Kate Brannigan's book I've read so far, and I wasn't too impressed. I really prefer the Tony Hill series or the books outside any series.
Maybe because I haven't started with the first book in the Brannigan series, and it left me with the feeling of missing some inside jokes/references.
Maybe because I haven't started with the first book in the Brannigan series, and it left me with the feeling of missing some inside jokes/references.
April 15, 2024
Much as I enjoy the Karen Pirie police procedurals by Val McDermid, I can't really say the same for the Kate Brannigan series. I gave it another try with this book, but it was no more than a "bleh" reading experience. I find the tension in the book very artificial, very contrived. Kate is a private detective in Manchester, and it seems like the whole universe conspires to make her life difficult. Her business partner wants to sell up his share in the business, her best friend needs help looking into a shady fertility doctor, and her boyfriend blunders in right when she's setting up a sting operation to trap a con man. Too much going on! And, unfortunately, not quite credible. So much of this chaos is of Kate's own making- what an idea to put a fake death notice in the newspaper for her very-much-alive boyfriend, without telling him! She also overreacts so strongly to every interaction, every interview with a witness or suspect that it becomes tiresome to follow her emotional ups-and-downs. Finally, one has to wonder what she's doing with Richard, who seems to be more of a perpetual thorn in her side than the apple of her eye (to stick with the physical metaphors). It's almost a dogma in the mystery genre that law enforcement personnel and private eyes should have troubled private lives (exception : Inspector Maigret), but there has to be some kind of understanding that there is a relationship. Kate and Richard seem to be ships passing each other in the night and one wonders what brought these two together.
February 14, 2018
When I read the first two chapters of this book, I nearly threw it back in the library stack. Kate Brannigan is supposed to be the sharpest of P.I.s, but she does something so dumb, so lacking in common sense, that she gets caught out on what should be an easy investigation. Apparently McDermid's need to inject humor into this series overcame her better judgement.
I stuck with it, and found that as usual Kate has three cases going at once. This time it's con artists targeting survivors, sabotage of a musical band that boyfriend Richard has befriended, and the death of a doctor that has been helping some friends do something a wee bit illegal. There's some interesting science posited in this last case; this book was written in 1997 and they are just now getting close to arriving somewhere with this research. But in England at that time such experimentation would be illegal.
Yet this stuff all seems easy compared to what partner Bill drops in her lap. He comes back from a working trip with a fiancée, rather shocking due to his rep as a ladies' man. Also shocking: he wants to sell his share of the business and move to Australia. Kate doesn't have the kind of money it would take to pay off a majority shareholder.
So, anyway, no pressure!
In the course of the book Kate gets to meet a small-time "Godfather" and make him an offer he can't refuse. I would have liked her to meet with him again in the dénouement, but unfortunately McDermid was in a hurry to finish the book, and also made some rather interesting ethical choices for Kate.
I must say that despite the unfortunate beginning, this book renewed my interest in the Brannigan series, and as long as there are no week-long surveillances to plod through, I think I can make it in the PI (reading) business.
I stuck with it, and found that as usual Kate has three cases going at once. This time it's con artists targeting survivors, sabotage of a musical band that boyfriend Richard has befriended, and the death of a doctor that has been helping some friends do something a wee bit illegal. There's some interesting science posited in this last case; this book was written in 1997 and they are just now getting close to arriving somewhere with this research. But in England at that time such experimentation would be illegal.
Yet this stuff all seems easy compared to what partner Bill drops in her lap. He comes back from a working trip with a fiancée, rather shocking due to his rep as a ladies' man. Also shocking: he wants to sell his share of the business and move to Australia. Kate doesn't have the kind of money it would take to pay off a majority shareholder.
So, anyway, no pressure!
In the course of the book Kate gets to meet a small-time "Godfather" and make him an offer he can't refuse. I would have liked her to meet with him again in the dénouement, but unfortunately McDermid was in a hurry to finish the book, and also made some rather interesting ethical choices for Kate.
I must say that despite the unfortunate beginning, this book renewed my interest in the Brannigan series, and as long as there are no week-long surveillances to plod through, I think I can make it in the PI (reading) business.
August 19, 2023
Probably a 4.5
March 23, 2024
This book is part of a series, but I read it as a stand-alone and this wasn't an issue.
Kate Brannigan is a private investigator based in Manchester investigating a number of cases simultaneously. Her investigations take her on a journey around Manchester and the surrounding towns and cities. The storyline surrounding the darker side of fertility treatment is original, interesting, and kept me thoroughly engaged. There were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way to a mostly satisfying conclusion.
It is definitely worth a read.
Kate Brannigan is a private investigator based in Manchester investigating a number of cases simultaneously. Her investigations take her on a journey around Manchester and the surrounding towns and cities. The storyline surrounding the darker side of fertility treatment is original, interesting, and kept me thoroughly engaged. There were a few unexpected twists and turns along the way to a mostly satisfying conclusion.
It is definitely worth a read.
January 21, 2025
This was a great read as the heroine comes across as a normal real person. By that I mean she has no super powers of deduction, her logic is very plausible and she has a heart that empathises with the characters in the story. She was for me a refreshing breath of air in a genre of over complex plots and troubled damaged detectives.
Will now look out for more Kate Brannigan stories.
Well done Val Mc Dermid.
Will now look out for more Kate Brannigan stories.
Well done Val Mc Dermid.
June 21, 2020
Gewohnt humorvoll und spannend geschrieben sowie hervorragend von Tanja Geke eingelesen hat mir das Hörbuch mit Abstrichen gefallen. Ich gebe 08/10 Punkte
https://sunsys-blog.blogspot.com/2020...
https://sunsys-blog.blogspot.com/2020...
April 11, 2022
Picked this up at my used bookstore for seemed like good beach read crime story and the fact it takes place Manchester, UK in the mid 90's. Not bad for what is and the Mancunian detective is quite that! Rough around the edges but gets things done. A quick read. 2.5 stars.
November 6, 2022
This was an enjoyable enough and quick read.
The very last bit didn’t have the emotional punch for me that other reviewers have reported. If anything it felt tagged on to try to get the story to hit harder.
The very last bit didn’t have the emotional punch for me that other reviewers have reported. If anything it felt tagged on to try to get the story to hit harder.
March 2, 2021
Lots of plots and twists and turns that results in a really good book.
December 11, 2020
Took me awhile to finish, the killer wasnt who I thought it be and I certainly didnt see the ending of the book.
June 28, 2017
Predictable and cheesy, but very well written. McDermid's skill is to keep you engaged despite the blatantly obvious plot twists and (in fairness, often acknowledged) bad jokes. Plus, Kate Brannigan, her boyfriend Richard, and her motley crew of friends are such a likeable bunch of characters that you're willing to forgive a lot.
However, there was one bit of the story that was so implausible that I genuinely thought it would turn out to be revealed to the bunkum that it was (it wasn't). I won't go into detail because that would spoil the plot but suffice to say that should you Google this particular plot point, you'll find that it still just seen as something that might happen in the distant future - a good 20 years after the book was written.
A series focused on female wisecracking PI who solves crimes that the entire Manchester police force can't seem to crack was never going to be that centred in reality, but I thought this stretched artistic license too far.
However, there was one bit of the story that was so implausible that I genuinely thought it would turn out to be revealed to the bunkum that it was (it wasn't). I won't go into detail because that would spoil the plot but suffice to say that should you Google this particular plot point, you'll find that it still just seen as something that might happen in the distant future - a good 20 years after the book was written.
A series focused on female wisecracking PI who solves crimes that the entire Manchester police force can't seem to crack was never going to be that centred in reality, but I thought this stretched artistic license too far.
July 22, 2016
This was another good book in the series. I'm coming towards the end of the series and will miss it. I think the next book is the last in the series, so far. I do hope that the author continues to add new books to the series.
I love the development of the characters from book to book and this didn't disappoint. As usual, the main character was investigating several cases in her role as a Private Investigator.
I love the development of the characters from book to book and this didn't disappoint. As usual, the main character was investigating several cases in her role as a Private Investigator.
December 9, 2013
Read this while travelling, and it was marginally more diverting than staring out the window at clouds. In future I would rather poke out my eyes than read another Val McDermid. I have tried to remove the one star from this review, as it's overly generous.
June 25, 2017
I normally love McDermid's books but this one isn't her best. The subject of fertility treatment for lesbian couples that the main plot revolved around was interesting as were the two minor investigations. But the characters and writing, especially the humour fell flat for me.
September 26, 2022
Meh.
Cliche after cliche.
Martial arts PI with best friends who are a top lawyer, a top cop and a top reporter.
I wonder where James Patterson got the idea for Women's Murder Club.
Hmm.
Cliche after cliche.
Martial arts PI with best friends who are a top lawyer, a top cop and a top reporter.
I wonder where James Patterson got the idea for Women's Murder Club.
Hmm.
June 17, 2022
The Brannigan books are pretty consistent. If you like one of them, you'll probably enjoy the rest of them. For me, the exception was Kick Back, but only because the real estate crimes at the core of the plot got too baroque for me to follow while listening to the book in audio format. (The audio format requires a certain narrative-to-action ratio that wasn't quite met there.) That wasn't a problem with Blue Genes, which has an ambitious three plot lines. But the main one, about , pushed the boundaries of credibility for me. I know it's scientifically possible, it just seemed more like sci-fi than like a normal whodunit. So I'm docking the book one star.
The other plot lines: the big one is that Brannigan's partner, Bill, is leaving the book series. That's not a big loss because he never had a very strong presence. It just creates an upheaval in Brannigan's own life, because she must now scramble to deal with more than half of her business being sold to parties unknown. There is a plot involving Scabbies and the Dandruff Lesions, I think their name is--an aspiring band that's having trouble with their promotion being sabotaged. And then there is a very minor plot line of scammers who bilk grieving people out of tombstone money. But the sci-fi plot is definitely getting the most focus.
I continue to appreciate the blast-from-the-past details about old school technology. Val McDermid must have seemed like such a hacker/pioneer type at the time! Good for you, Val. Early adopter. I also appreciate the forensic technology detail about DNA extraction from the hair shaft. I thought it was difficult-to-impossible, and I was right--at the time the book was written, at least. It was close to impossible. You need the root/bulb to get DNA. So that's another sci-fi detail. Apparently, today it is possible to extract DNA out of hair shafts, but back then, probably not realistically so.
Anyway, not a bad book, but ultimately not a stand-out for McDermid, and it gets some points off for getting "too futuristic", if I may quote Ivan Dobsky for a sec.
The other plot lines: the big one is that Brannigan's partner, Bill, is leaving the book series. That's not a big loss because he never had a very strong presence. It just creates an upheaval in Brannigan's own life, because she must now scramble to deal with more than half of her business being sold to parties unknown. There is a plot involving Scabbies and the Dandruff Lesions, I think their name is--an aspiring band that's having trouble with their promotion being sabotaged. And then there is a very minor plot line of scammers who bilk grieving people out of tombstone money. But the sci-fi plot is definitely getting the most focus.
I continue to appreciate the blast-from-the-past details about old school technology. Val McDermid must have seemed like such a hacker/pioneer type at the time! Good for you, Val. Early adopter. I also appreciate the forensic technology detail about DNA extraction from the hair shaft. I thought it was difficult-to-impossible, and I was right--at the time the book was written, at least. It was close to impossible. You need the root/bulb to get DNA. So that's another sci-fi detail. Apparently, today it is possible to extract DNA out of hair shafts, but back then, probably not realistically so.
Anyway, not a bad book, but ultimately not a stand-out for McDermid, and it gets some points off for getting "too futuristic", if I may quote Ivan Dobsky for a sec.
January 14, 2019
"Blue Genes" was my first exposure to author Val McDermid and I could literally kick myself for not discovering her earlier because she really knows how to spin a story.
This novel is a little dated - it was written in the 90s - but many of the issues confronting the characters are (sadly) still alive and well so except for some occasional references to life and culture scattered throughout the book it rings true.
And, of course, criminals and their crimes really never go out of style. Con artists, drug dealers, shady club owners; they act today as they have for generations. Culture may move forward, crooks seldom do.
McDermid's protagonist is Kate Brannigan, a private detective in Manchester who talks tough and knows a bit about fighting but who relies more on her brains than on her physical strength to get out of jams. She's an interesting character with a somewhat unusual love life and a strong sense of justice that allows her to bend (and sometimes break) a few rules in order to set things right.
She's also funny - not all the time, but enough to keep things a little light around the edges.
The plot revolves around lesbian couples that want to have children and the scientific advancements that might allow them to do that without relying on a man. It's an esoteric subject and McDermid provides the reader with just enough scientific detail about the process without turning this novel into a textbook on advanced fertility techniques.
McDermid has also populated this novel with some well-drawn secondary characters: An immoral doctor, her former lover, an obsessive librarian, and several others. Not many authors take the time to flesh out secondary characters and the fact McDermid does is a real plus.
All in all, a really great read.
This novel is a little dated - it was written in the 90s - but many of the issues confronting the characters are (sadly) still alive and well so except for some occasional references to life and culture scattered throughout the book it rings true.
And, of course, criminals and their crimes really never go out of style. Con artists, drug dealers, shady club owners; they act today as they have for generations. Culture may move forward, crooks seldom do.
McDermid's protagonist is Kate Brannigan, a private detective in Manchester who talks tough and knows a bit about fighting but who relies more on her brains than on her physical strength to get out of jams. She's an interesting character with a somewhat unusual love life and a strong sense of justice that allows her to bend (and sometimes break) a few rules in order to set things right.
She's also funny - not all the time, but enough to keep things a little light around the edges.
The plot revolves around lesbian couples that want to have children and the scientific advancements that might allow them to do that without relying on a man. It's an esoteric subject and McDermid provides the reader with just enough scientific detail about the process without turning this novel into a textbook on advanced fertility techniques.
McDermid has also populated this novel with some well-drawn secondary characters: An immoral doctor, her former lover, an obsessive librarian, and several others. Not many authors take the time to flesh out secondary characters and the fact McDermid does is a real plus.
All in all, a really great read.
August 18, 2020
It's nice to go back to the 1990s sometimes especially in the company of Val McDermid's Manchester PI, Kate Brannigan. This book has a brilliant beginning - Kate's boyfriend, Richard, is dead, she's tidying up his lounge and has put a notice in the paper. It's clever, vibrant and exciting.
After that, there is a lot going on for Kate. Her work partner, and mentor, has decided to move to Australia with his lady love, leaving Kate with a big problem. How does she afford to buy him out and how does she run the business? She gets lots of cases from her friends and colleagues and it seemed to me that there were quite a few of them who could help out with her business continuity questions too. She gradually works through that.
And, for the cases, well, she has a paid case and gathers enough evidence to pass the details to the police fraud squad. However, apart from that, she is asked to help out a new band whose early rise is being hampered by guerrilla fly-posting and that takes a very nasty turn; and her old friend, journalist Alexis, asks her to look into the death of a fertility doctor for many and complicated reasons.
So, it is all go with lots of investigating and enough action, thank you very much. There are big reveals and unexpected confrontations, all described and shown on the page. At the end, Kate catches us up with what has been happening and It is odd how I thought that "telling" seemed to work, even thought I often don’t like it. My conclusion is that it telling works for me at the tail of the story, tying up what has been taking place over a period of time.
After that, there is a lot going on for Kate. Her work partner, and mentor, has decided to move to Australia with his lady love, leaving Kate with a big problem. How does she afford to buy him out and how does she run the business? She gets lots of cases from her friends and colleagues and it seemed to me that there were quite a few of them who could help out with her business continuity questions too. She gradually works through that.
And, for the cases, well, she has a paid case and gathers enough evidence to pass the details to the police fraud squad. However, apart from that, she is asked to help out a new band whose early rise is being hampered by guerrilla fly-posting and that takes a very nasty turn; and her old friend, journalist Alexis, asks her to look into the death of a fertility doctor for many and complicated reasons.
So, it is all go with lots of investigating and enough action, thank you very much. There are big reveals and unexpected confrontations, all described and shown on the page. At the end, Kate catches us up with what has been happening and It is odd how I thought that "telling" seemed to work, even thought I often don’t like it. My conclusion is that it telling works for me at the tail of the story, tying up what has been taking place over a period of time.
August 4, 2025
This book sounded better in its back cover summary than it actually was. I didn't feel that any of the 3 mysteries PI Brannigan was investigating really took me in, even the one with the medical angle that caught my attention in the first place. The resolutions all left me wanting more, and there were minor plot lines throughout the book that were mentioned only briefly, but far more intriguing than the main ones.
There were 2 main things working against me. 1: This is 5 books into the series and I haven't read any of the first 4, though my only other experience with this author was another series that I read a book from the middle of and enjoyed quite a bit. Brannigan alludes to what I surmise some of the earlier books in the series focus on and likely gives spoilers as she speaks of prior successes. 2: I am American and this book is set in England written by a British author for her British audience. There were many terms used and scenes set that were completely unfamiliar to me, so I didn't feel connected to Brannigan or the other characters. This is no fault of McDermid, I wouldn't expect that an American author writing for their American audience would write in a style that would be completely familiar to all their international readers.
Bottom line, I'm not going to go out of my way to seek more of her books, and if I do, perhaps I'll try another from that first series. I would recommend reading at least this Kate Brannigan series in order due to the aforementioned suspected plot spoilings.
There were 2 main things working against me. 1: This is 5 books into the series and I haven't read any of the first 4, though my only other experience with this author was another series that I read a book from the middle of and enjoyed quite a bit. Brannigan alludes to what I surmise some of the earlier books in the series focus on and likely gives spoilers as she speaks of prior successes. 2: I am American and this book is set in England written by a British author for her British audience. There were many terms used and scenes set that were completely unfamiliar to me, so I didn't feel connected to Brannigan or the other characters. This is no fault of McDermid, I wouldn't expect that an American author writing for their American audience would write in a style that would be completely familiar to all their international readers.
Bottom line, I'm not going to go out of my way to seek more of her books, and if I do, perhaps I'll try another from that first series. I would recommend reading at least this Kate Brannigan series in order due to the aforementioned suspected plot spoilings.
March 31, 2025
Blue Genes is the fifth book in the Kate Brannigan series written by Val McDermid and was first published in 1996.
Kate Brannigan has taken a death notice out in the Manchester Evening Chronicle as she is in the midst of an investigation on a scam on bereaved families. It almost goes to plan until her dead partner appears home with a Chinese takeaway and a couple of band mates. Plus, the bandmates who turned up with Richard wanted to hire Kate. Their gig posters are getting fly posted over and then Nazis turn up and ruin their gigs. They want to find out who is behind this and the case will take Kate into a very dark place in Manchester’s club scene and music promotion.
Alexis, Kate’s reporter friend turns up at her door in tears, she and her partner are having a baby via IVF, but their doctor had been murdered. There are quite a few twists as the doctor treating them had used an assumed name. Alex hires Kate to dig in to the case.
At the same time her business partner is upping sticks and moving to Australia and wants to sell his shares in the company so he can leave. Kate is not happy; she has no money and cannot afford to buy him out and she needs to find a resolution quickly.
Another classic McDermid thriller.
Kate Brannigan has taken a death notice out in the Manchester Evening Chronicle as she is in the midst of an investigation on a scam on bereaved families. It almost goes to plan until her dead partner appears home with a Chinese takeaway and a couple of band mates. Plus, the bandmates who turned up with Richard wanted to hire Kate. Their gig posters are getting fly posted over and then Nazis turn up and ruin their gigs. They want to find out who is behind this and the case will take Kate into a very dark place in Manchester’s club scene and music promotion.
Alexis, Kate’s reporter friend turns up at her door in tears, she and her partner are having a baby via IVF, but their doctor had been murdered. There are quite a few twists as the doctor treating them had used an assumed name. Alex hires Kate to dig in to the case.
At the same time her business partner is upping sticks and moving to Australia and wants to sell his shares in the company so he can leave. Kate is not happy; she has no money and cannot afford to buy him out and she needs to find a resolution quickly.
Another classic McDermid thriller.
June 7, 2019
My first encounter with Val McDermid's writing and Kate Brannigan. Maybe I should not have begun with book #5 ... duh... but in a way, I am glad that I did. I have read other reviews where it is said that this is not the best Kate Brannigan novel and I cannot agree nor disagree... yet.
Brannigan, a Private Investigator, juggles three very different cases in the midst of her business partner bailing out on her. Two of the three cases come to a reasonable conclusion, her business in crisis does not seem to be resolved by the end of the book which is a bit annoying - now I will have to read #6 to see where that one goes, if it goes anywhere.
Easy to read though and captivating enough for me to want to turn the page. I must admit it took me longer than usual to get through the book - with so many constant interruptions! - but I really did enjoy the read. I love the author's style of writing and she really brings her characters to life.
Definitely a novel that I would recommend.
Brannigan, a Private Investigator, juggles three very different cases in the midst of her business partner bailing out on her. Two of the three cases come to a reasonable conclusion, her business in crisis does not seem to be resolved by the end of the book which is a bit annoying - now I will have to read #6 to see where that one goes, if it goes anywhere.
Easy to read though and captivating enough for me to want to turn the page. I must admit it took me longer than usual to get through the book - with so many constant interruptions! - but I really did enjoy the read. I love the author's style of writing and she really brings her characters to life.
Definitely a novel that I would recommend.
August 27, 2025
In a sense, I recommended this one to myself - I first read this as a teenager over 25 years ago and the themes within it have stayed with me ever since. It is an interesting little detective story with a great main character (it is hard to believe Kate is only 29 though!) but really this is a love story to Manchester - I don't think I have ever read a book which so vividly and realistically describes a place as well as McDermid does here (it really was quite lovely to 'walk' the streets I know so well - I especially liked how the very last scene takes place in the bar of the now relocated Cornerhouse cinema - it really does feel special to know you have sat in the exact spot an author is writing about).
As well as being full of interesting scientific stuff (not too complex, even for my rather un-scientific brain), I also loved the fact that because this book was published in 1996, the detective work is more old school - no horrible social media mentions/plot devices found here!
As well as being full of interesting scientific stuff (not too complex, even for my rather un-scientific brain), I also loved the fact that because this book was published in 1996, the detective work is more old school - no horrible social media mentions/plot devices found here!
June 20, 2024
An attractive tale of Kate Barnnigan as a Thai-boxing private investigator of a few crimes simultaneously in Manchester. Nothing goes to plan, but all puzzles are solved eventually in a bittersweet ending.
The style is consistent, light & humorous, grammar & printing good (I noticed only one missing inverted comma). Some turns of the plot seem unlikely, such as getting the corrupt policeman they were trying to frame to appear in a club at short notice, but mostly these liberties with reality didn't affect the plot. The central crime of the book, however, making a baby out of two ova (female eggs), is much more difficult than the author would have us believe.
Outdated were of course newspapers & tape recorders, the limited use of computers & cellphones, the cost of DNA testing, & above all that every character smoked.
The style is consistent, light & humorous, grammar & printing good (I noticed only one missing inverted comma). Some turns of the plot seem unlikely, such as getting the corrupt policeman they were trying to frame to appear in a club at short notice, but mostly these liberties with reality didn't affect the plot. The central crime of the book, however, making a baby out of two ova (female eggs), is much more difficult than the author would have us believe.
Outdated were of course newspapers & tape recorders, the limited use of computers & cellphones, the cost of DNA testing, & above all that every character smoked.
November 15, 2020
Reading through the full series, although these days, this is not really my genre of choice. Kate Brannigan, a PI living in 90s Manchester, has not aged well. The novels and their tone seem dated, not so much in terms of place but in terms of style. It’s tabloid-journalism-as-novel, so short sentences, lots and lots of terrible metaphors and a fair amount of non-PC insults (the first couple of pages have gypsy insults, and this is quite representative of the book as a whole). Perhaps a bit unfair for me to rate this as I wouldn’t pick it up today, and am just experimenting with re-reading some older books that I read over 20 years ago, but I don’t think much of this series really. I like the 90s Manchester setting, but beyond that, not a huge fan really.
September 29, 2022
I love this audiobook series. The narrator is very authentic. This time, Brannigan was investigating a funeral headstone scam, a murder involving a doctor who offered an unofficial and non-approved IVF procedure (fusion of eggs from lesbian couples) and an ex cop who was running a gang-related business where musicians had to pay to belong to his promotions company if they wanted their music and concerts to be promoted - otherwise posters were ripped down and concerts trashed.
The story begins with Kate's partner's death notice and was an effective way to draw the reader in immediately. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read - with some scandal and surprises along the way. Humorously written in McDermid's tongue-in-cheek and honest style.
The story begins with Kate's partner's death notice and was an effective way to draw the reader in immediately. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read - with some scandal and surprises along the way. Humorously written in McDermid's tongue-in-cheek and honest style.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews