Karen Pirie, review: no second series nerves for TV tec

The Herald Scotland

20-07-2025

****
THIS is only the second series of Karen Pirie, but it feels like Val McDermid's creation has been a member of the Society of Maverick Detectives (Scottish Division) forever.
Like some sarky granddaughter of Taggart or a gallus cousin to Rebus, the character is so well-written and performed she is instantly believable - even if she does look like she's off to the big school after summer.
Possibly the worst-dressed television detective ever, Pirie (played by Lauren Lyle) is back with her polo shirts, badly cut suits, three for a pound sports socks and - the horror - bum bag. Not even Prada could make that last item fashionable, but with Pirie it's all about the practicalities. Where else would she keep her phone and a spare chip for her shoulder?
One thing she can't complain about is career progression. She is now a DI, her second giant leap up the ladder. While in two minds about this rapid rise into management, she does like that title.
With more power comes a high-profile case, the biggest there is on the books. In 1984, oil heiress Catriona Grant and her baby son were kidnapped at gunpoint in a case dubbed 'Scotland's John Paul Getty' by the media. (Really? Sounds naff even for the 1980s.) Mother and child were never seen again.
When remains are discovered in a quarry the investigation is rebooted with Pirie in charge. She has a whole squad room of helpers, including secret boyfriend DS Phil Parhatka and sidekick DC Jason Murray, aka 'Mint'. Bel the blogger, who spent series one nipping at Pirie's ankles, is back too.
By far the biggest obstacle in Pirie's path is Catriona's oil tycoon father, a man used to getting his own way. Played by James Cosmo, the scenes between 'Sir Broderick' and Pirie crackle with tension. The old lion with the still terrifying roar versus a squeak of a lassie. Not that Sir Brodie calls her any such thing: it is left to another character, later in the three-part series, to address the elephant in the room that is Pirie's youth and stature.
With six hours to fill, lots of hares are sent running. Slick editing makes the time fly by, while local viewers can enjoy a game of spot the location (bags I the Barrowland doubling as a Kirkcaldy nightclub).
The series is not above the odd cliche, starting with moodily lit interrogation rooms (see 24 Hours in Police Custody. Similarly, Pirie and her superior, DCS Simon Lees (Steve John Shepherd) retain the stereotypically surly maverick and shouty boss relationship.
Secondary characters are given room to shine, with 'Mint' still the best of the packet as the target of Pirie's teasing. What is clever about Pirie's character, and Lyle's interpretation of her, is that she is surrounded by people yet remains a stranger. She's tough yet not above tears, empathetic yet cold, driven but for what reason? Who is she, really?
It's a measure of this belter of a crime drama that we cannot wait to find out.