Karen Pirie

I was concerned, as other reviewers say, that the sound production was poor but had assumed it was my TV. But after the first episode I then settled down to watch the following two. The plot may appear a bit obvious (in hindsight). Unlike others I really liked Lauren Lyle in the lead role - in fact a welcome change from middle aged obese men. The characters were all believable and I liked the switching from current time to mid 1990s. One puzzle -- Loch Leven ? It was not the one in Fife and looked more like Loch Lomond, but could have been Loch Leven, close to Glencoe? I hope ITV will film and broadcast more of Karen Pirie stories.

D. S. Karen Pirie is brought into The Serious Crimes unit, and tasked with investigating a cold case, involving the death of a young barmaid.

Firstly, it's nice that after Ridley, that we're given another new mystery series, ITV really are going for the Sunday evening slot, I'm a fan of the two hour dramas, question is, does Karen Pirie cut the mustard?

For the most part, yes, well written, well acted and well produced, there's nothing particularly unique or original, but what was done, was done well. A little different, in that it's not a series of mysteries, it's a continuation of the same story.

As a big fan of Emer Kenny, it was interesting to see how her writing skills compared to her acting ones, she's clearly talented at both.

It's visually very good, though some of the dialogue is a little tough to follow, I had to have the subtitles on for the first ten minutes, as I just couldn't make it out.

Lauren Lyle did a good job in the title role, well acted, I'm hoping we learn a little more about Pirie.

A good watch, 7/10.

The character Karen Pirie is a real woman. Not a woman written by a man. Not a woman written by a woman just to make a point. This character feels real. She is soft and strong, awkward and assertive all at the same time. Is it the greatest crime story ever? No, probably not. But it is a good story with an outstanding lead character. The rest of the cast is great and noticably diverse. Story lines were created, that managed to circumvent clichés and steered clear of stereotypes. This is what I want to see more of and I am hoping for a second season to see Karen Pirie step up even more as a successful detective, while nurturing genuine relationships.

In terms of sound I can't really complain, since headphones were in use.

Really liked it, with its decent twists & turns, plus good performances imho. Nothing is what it seems at first. Got flashbacks hearing Slam - Positive Education, scottish DJ Duo

At first I also thought she would be too young etc. However, if you watch the whole series you'll know why. Same applies to the point of the podcast starting a 25 year old murder to be reinvestigated... I get the feeling those people haven't watched the show, at least not till things are really unfolding.

And it is quite realistic having VHS tapes in 1996, since agencies like the Police were/are at least 5 years behind in terms of technology.

The series, set in the university town of St Andrews, on the Fife coast, opens in 1996. A Police woman stops a student who is covered in blood; he claims that he and two friends found a seriously injured woman in the grave yard of the cathedral. When she gets there the woman is dead. The three students are detained but despite their somewhat implausible explanations there is no evidence that they committed the murder so they are released. Twenty five years later the case is still unsolved and after a 'true crime' podcaster uses it as an example of the police not caring about women the case is reopened. Wanting a woman to lead the reinvestigation they turn to DS Karen Pirie. She is teamed with DC Jason Murray. The case will see them talking to the trio of students again as well as to the victim's brothers, one of whom has a propensity for violence. As the story progresses various secrets are exposed and alibis broken; we also learn more about the victim.

When I sat down to watch this I expected it to be a standard ITV Sunday night mystery that would be wrapped up in one two hour episode; as the end of the first episode approached it was clear that wouldn't be the case. Thoroughly gripped I was concerned that I'd now have to wait a week between episodes but thankfully all three are available on ITV Hub so I could enjoy the series over three nights. The story got off to a great start before effectively introducing key characters; most obviously the eponymous DS Pirie. She is a solid leading character; making a refreshing change from the typical older character with some sort of emotional baggage. The story progresses nicely with the events of the present being intertwined with key events from 1996. The location is good; making a refreshing change from stories set in a big city while avoiding becoming a Scottish 'Morse' which could have happening in a famous university town. The acting is impressive; I particularly liked Lauren Lyle's performance as Pirie. On the strength of this story I hope we see more of DS Pirie.