Conferences Are Murder [Paperback]

Val McDermid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

A mystery novel featuring academic investigator Lindsay Gordon, in which a trade union conference turns into a hotbed of gossip and murder.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1984, after the traumatizing death of her closest friend, amateur sleuth and former reporter Lindsay Gordon left England for California. Nine years later, she finds herself back in her homeland, gathering data for her doctoral thesis. At a journalists' union conference in Sheffield, Lindsay reluctantly reenters the bullying, back-stabbing world of union politics. Shortly after she quarrels with the controversial, homophobic union boss Tom Jack, he tumbles out of her hotel room window, and the anonymous editor of the conference newspaper names Lindsay the murderer. To save her skin, Lindsay and her American girlfriend, Sophie, must unravel intricate union politics to catch the killer, who may have ties to the suspicious death that sparked Lindsay's departure years before. McDermid's (Report for a Murder, etc.) confusing plot is filled with obtuse union rhetoric, and her characters lack the quirks and complexities necessary to elevate them above stereotype. The ending provides a good surprise, but the killer's implausible motive ruins the novel's credibility. This is an unusually weak showing by McDermid, whose The Mermaids Singing won Britain's Golden Dagger for Best Crime Novel of 1995.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Lindsay Gordon (Report for Murder, 1998, etc.), a Scottish teacher of journalism now based in California, has returned to Sheffield, England, to attend a journalists conference concerned mostly with the business of unions. There's much to remind Lindsay of a conference in Blackpool nine years beforesoon after the death from cancer of her lover Frances Collier. At that meeting Lindsay's friend and fellow editor Ian Ross had died in an auto accident soon after his breakup with longtime mistress Laura Craig, who's in attendance at Sheffield nowchic and sharp-tongued as ever. Lindsay's more at ease after the arrival of Dr. Sophie Harley, her latest lover, who's to give a lecture. The entire assemblage is intrigued by the appearance every night of a gossipy newsletter that, among other things, accuses Laura of being a spy for anti-union forces and accuses Tom (Union) Jack, General Secretary of the Amalgated Union of Media Workers, of skimming union funds. All this takes a backseat when Lindsay, returning to her room one night, discovers her window smashed and the body of Tom Jack on the ground ten floors below. With Lindsay a prime suspect but not yet charged, Lindsay and Sophie proceed to play detective, using endless questions, hypnosis, break-ins, the study of secret documents, etc. Their mostly dull, repetitive moves do finally pin down the killer and even uncover the author of the infamous newsletter. Long on talk, short on suspense: McDermids fuzzy plot and the uninspired characters fall far short of some of her previous efforts. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Spinsters Ink Books (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883523303
• ISBN-13: 978-1883523305
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,742,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Agree with Publisher's Weekly Review..., January 19, 2005

By 

Autumn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conferences Are Murder (Paperback)

I didn't like this book...and I worship Val McDermid's writing!

I could understand virtually none of the union babble that took up a great deal of the book. I felt like I was reading one of those papers you are assigned in school that you read to say you read, but very little of it actually sinks in.

I was able to follow both the beginning and ending parts of the novel (both of which I liked), and I did not guess who was behind the murder. However, this just wasn't Val's strongest novel, and as much as I'm a supporter of her work, I have to say, unless you're a journalist yoursels, skip over this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good Lindsay Gordon, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Conferences Are Murder (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book because of the atmosphere, and also because you don't expect the end, which should always be the case in a good crime story.

It's a nice change to read good lesbian crime story that's taking place outside the US

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you guessing, April 17, 2004

By 

jsdunk "jsdunk" (Camas, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conferences Are Murder (Paperback)

Lindsey Gordon isn't a detective, but she is one of these characters who is constantly getting embroiled in murder investigations. This is the fourth such experience for the British lesbian and former journalist who has been transplanted to the US where she now teaches Journalism.

When Lindsey returns to the UK to complete research for her dissertation, she finds herself not only involved in UK trade union politics, but also a murder suspect. Intent on clearing her name and ensuring that she can return to the States, Lindsey and her girlfriend dive head first into solving one, or maybe two, murders.

This is a great whodunnit with well developed and likeable characters and a plot that keeps you guessing right up until the very end.

A final comment I'll add is that while the book is about trade unions, there was remarkably little politics and what was included actually served the story -- unlike some novels that seem to be more politics than plot.

If you've ever enjoyed any lesbian mystery novel in the past, you're likely to enjoy this one.