Disturbingly good
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If you're a fan of crime novels and you've never read anything by Val McDermid before, this is a great place to start. McDermid is pretty well known these days since the TV drama 'Wire in the Blood' featuring Robson Green as the criminal profiler Tony Hill became popular. Tony Hill was created by McDermid and this is the first in a string of books featuring him. The novel of 'The Wire in the Blood' follows straight on from this, and I'd recommend readings 'The Mermaids Singing' first, as you get a good deal of background information on the character as he is introduced.
'The Mermaids Singing', winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Fiction, is set in the northern (and fictional) town of Bradfield where four men have been found tortured and killed. The city is in a panic and so the police bring in clinical psychologist Tony Hill to help catch the murderer. This is the first time Hill has been involved in an active police investigation, as he has previously spent his time studying killers who have already been caught.
Hill is a complex character who is very well portrayed, with all his strengths and weaknesses revealed for us by McDermid. He is a truly three dimensional character who we become quite involved with as readers. His own sexual problems and his anxiety over them make him seem very human. The tentative flirtation between him and Inspector Carol Jordan is nicely conveyed as well.
One of the things that makes this book original is the fact that the reader is allowed into the mind of the killer. At the beginning of every chapter, we are shown a few pages from the killer's journal. These can be disturbing, but they are an interesting device and very well written, and they give the book that little bit of edge.
I won't say too much about the plot so as not to ruin it for you, but it is exciting and well developed and definately worth a read. Personally I prefer the second in the series, 'The Wire in the Blood', but this is great to set you up for that.
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The Mermaids Singing
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This introduces an excellent team of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. The author establishes a good rapport between them. The book is well plotted and paced. A twist towards the end is perhaps guessable but this doesn't detract from the book's success as a good crime thriller. I look forward to the next Hill/Jordan investigation.
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It's a killer!
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Highly recommended! The plot is clever and well thought out and the writing is very pacy. I was gripped from the very start of the book and I loved watching the skewed relationship develop between Carol and Tony. This subject matter is dark and distubing but McDermid has a way of involving you so you feel that you are fully immersed in this macabre world. This is the first McDermid book that I have read and I feel that she is out and out fore runner in crime fiction. Looking forward to devouring her back catalogue.
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Graphic but gripping
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As with all books by this author the descriptions of the killing methods are graphically detailed and only for those with a strong constitution.
However, all the books in the Tony Hill series are excellent and as long as you don't read them whilst you're eating they are well worth the cover price!
For fans of the thriller genre - you will not be disappointed. But be prepared to buy all her books once you've finished the first one - addictive stuff.
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Worth reading even if you've seen the TV series
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The Mermaids Singing introduces us to Dr Tony Hill and DI Carol Jordan, as they attempt to find a killer who appears to be targeting young men and then dumping them in areas known as gay haunts. The chapters about the investigation are interspersed with diary entries written by the killer, which are creepy and often quite grisly! Another interesting aspect of the novel is that it includes a number of other plot lines and really strong characterisation. The characters seem a lot more human because we see their imperfections.
I had watched the TV series of `Wire in the Blood' before I came to this book and was a little hesitant, knowing that I already knew who the murderer was. However, I would still say that this book deserves a read. It is very well paced, the characters are interesting and rather than revealing the murderer at the end, we witness them carry out their crimes learning more about their motivations. The plot turns are also slightly different to those of the TV show, which kept it interesting for me!
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