The books by Val McDermid are excellent - gripping and tense. The TV series, while based on the books, changes the storylines around quite a bit, especially Shadows Rising (episode 2) which was based on the original book Wire in the Blood that gave the series its title. The book is far too complex to convert well to even the small screen in a reasonable time. The adaptation is excellent, and very well suited to the two hour format.In many ways it's the best of both worlds - both the books and the show are excellent, and sufficiently different that they are enjoyable quite independent from each other. If you buy this and enjoy it, make sure you get the books too - you won't be disappointed.