Out Of Bounds

Breaking the Game

In Out of Bounds, Val McDermid thrusts readers into the high-stakes world of international rugby and murder, where the roar of the crowd masks a darker undercurrent of secrets and rivalry. When star prop Greg “Tank” Mallory collapses during a crucial test match and dies under suspicious circumstances, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is dispatched to untangle a web of ambition and betrayal that stretches from the muddy scrums of Edinburgh to the exclusive training camps of New Zealand. McDermid’s razor-sharp prose crackles with authenticity, capturing every bone-jarring tackle, sideline conspiracy, and hushed team-room confession.

Lines of Allegiance

As Pirie delves into the locker-room politics of professional sport, she confronts a cast of characters whose public personas conceal private debts. There’s the charismatic captain battling a career-ending injury and desperate for a win; the ambitious coach whose loyalty to sponsors might supersede loyalty to players; and the up-and-coming fly-half whose meteoric rise has made him the target of envy—and blackmail. When an incendiary text message hints at a cover-up, Pirie must navigate a minefield of half-truths and alibis, questioning whether team solidarity is a virtue or a weapon.

Beyond the Final Whistle

With time running out and the next test match looming, Pirie uncovers clues in unexpected places: a discarded mouthguard scrawled with threatening graffiti, a clandestine meeting in a snow-bound highland lodge, and a therapist’s notes revealing the athlete’s hidden vulnerabilities. In a heart-pounding finale set beneath floodlights and falling snow, she confronts a killer who has exploited the very codes of loyalty that bind a team together. Out of Bounds is a tour de force of suspense, blending visceral sports action with the moral complexities of obsession and redemption.

. Val McDermid – bestselling Scottish crime novelist born in 1955, renowned for her masterful plots, incisive character studies, and the relentless pace of her modern thrillers.