In the past, I've enjoyed Ms. McDermid's work; she has created some wonderfully complex protagonists and some truly revolting villains. The Grave Tattoo, however, did little else than but disappoint. There's a wonderful idea here, but the execution of the idea leaves much to be desired.
In contemporary England, the corpse of a man who might provide answers to a 200 year old mystery washes up out of the past, triggering a series of events which can only lead to darkness and deceit. Taking center stage in the drama that follows is Jane Gresham, a Wordsworth scholar, who lives a lonely and frustrated existence. But when the body in question seems to lend credence to her theory, that one of HMS Bounty's mutineers might have secretly returned to England, Jane's life is transformed as her tireless endeavor to get to the bottom of the mystery invites jealousy and chaos from the selfish men who surround her. Companioning her on this hunt for the truth is Tenille, a teenaged girl whose impoverished upbringing makes her escape into Romantic poetry all the more necessary. Together, they just might solve Jane's mystery despite the best efforts of the police, art dealers and other scholars to thwart them.
It's clear that a great deal of research went into composing this rare, stand-alone volume from Ms. McDermid, but dogged research and a good idea don't always amalgamate into a good tale. The Grave Tattoo lacks focus, defusing its potency across way too many unnecessary protagonists. Way too often, I found myself flipping pages in hopes of returning to characters more vital to the story. It is meticulously plotted, but what it gains in symmetry it loses in dramatic punch. Needed to be a hundred pages shorter and two protagonists lighter to move me. Disappointing... I sensed that Ms. McDermid was rather too enchanted with her concept to see that her finished product lacked the sharpness and the intensity of some of her other work. (2/5 Stars)
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