 The flashbacks provide scattered, nonsequential background for the facts in the order that Pirie and present-day others discover them or relate them.This structure allows the author to present intricate plotlines and reveal facts in a manner that sustains the suspense.Because the plot is convoluted, however, and McDermid didn't offer the readers graphics to help them orient themselves in the local landscape, readers may want to glance at maps of the Fife area and Tuscan countryside where the plot locations are noted.