Rating: Summary: THE absolute best serial murder book I've read in years! Review: A fantastically well-written, gritty drama that grabs you right in - I was scared by the end of the prologue!All serial killer books compare themselves to Silence of the Lambs. I've read dozens of supposedly good ones since by all the major crime authors, and this is the first and only book that's been just as clever, creepy and well-characterized. I just read Messiah, a similar blend of medieval torture with modern realism, and this is much better. It's not a gentle murder mystery by any means, but the gore and rough language fit right in with the story instead of being gratuitous, like they are in most murder books. I'd only read one Val McDermid book before, one of the Kate Brannigan ones, which I didn't like at all, and got this book just to make up my library quota. It's hard to believe it's the same author - this is honestly one of the best crime books I've read. It looks like this book is not available in the US, so it's probably not getting the readership it deserves. If you've been wanting a book as good as the early Thomas Harris ones, then this one's worth back-ordering - I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating: Summary: Profiling In Its Infancy Review: Another winner from Val McDermid! Building slowly but relentlessly, profiler Tony Hill uses psychological maxims now accepted but at the time of the story were innovative and a novelty in the forensic pursuit of a serial killer. This story is different from other serial killer novels. It traces the profiler and his own psychological problems as well as the killer and their thought processes prior to and after each murder. While the police are split in their acceptance of profiling, some problems remain the same and never seem to change, especially intrusion from the media. Mistakes in the media occur and they are deadly. In the final confrontation, Hill is forced to use all his training, skills and insights. He begins to realize the perp may be hunting the profiler. The way McDermid has inserted life into the usually predictable tales of death has once again made my skin crawl. Even as I write this and remember, the hair on the back of my neck stands up and I need to turn around to assure myself no one is there. Read "The Mermaids Singing". You won't be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Mermaids Review: As a devoted mystery reader, I tend to approach a new one with much caution. The Mermaids Singing was, I say without qualification, the best I've read in many many years. The murders, while very brutal, are weird enough to leave the reader wondering why this way and not the simplest, most expeditious way to "off" someone was chosen. The red herrings and the real solution are entirely believable. The police's interaction with each other is interesting without being obtrusive. Yet how the police interact is crucial to their solution to the murders. Their need to prove themselves before their colleagues adds to their choices in the pursuit of the solution. It's a great read!
Rating: Summary: Absolutely first class Review: As serial killer novels go, this one is first class. Certainly one of the best i have ever read, almost as good as "The Silence of the Lambs" and her very own "Killing the Shadows". In a genre in which originality is a rare commodity, this book really shines. IN many instances it does contain every aspect we would expect from a serial killer novel, but Val McDermid builds on that, giving us, as Thomas Harris did so many years ago now, an excellent all round novel, rather than just a piece of genre fiction. The two lead characters are probably the best duo you will come across in all thriller-dom. The ... tension between the two just smoulders the pages beneath your eyes, and the rigid professionalism and determination of both adds a hard edge and hint of stubbornness to their relationship. They are both very human and very likeable. The reader warms to both Carol and Tony instantly. They are well drawn, characterised, and are immensely real. The killer is chilling, and the murders come close to Mo Hayder's "Birdman" in terms of gruesomeness. The descriptons of the dead bodies, and how those bodies met their deaths, has great capability to turn stomachs. The writing is packed with detail and grittiness. It is also enfused with quite a well evoked sense of place. High class prose, styled as only a master can, manipulates the reader, preparing them for a stuning final twist to the story, which has you kicking yourself whilst stunned at the same time. And the showdown between hunter and hunted is a brilliant climax to the entire book. So, if you like good serial killer thrillers, this is definitely one of the best you could choose to read.
Rating: Summary: Too much gore, not enough substance Review: Enjoyed Tony Hill, both his skills and his mental problems. The story was marred by an obscene amount of graphically described gore--wholly unecessary. The author's preoccupation with sadism, torture and sexual stimulation caused by the violence and torture seemed shallow, almost aimed at justifying sado-masochistic relationships. The serial killer plot was standard and cliched. Characterization of Brandon, Carol (female cop)were pretty good--especially Brandon. The sociopathic killer was sick and disgusting--but no subtlety of characterization--just globs of violence, torture and gore. The fact that the killer is sexually stmulated by torture etc. seemed not justified, but only served to viscerally punch the reader in the groin.
Rating: Summary: ONE OF THE BEST THRILLERS I HAVE EVER READ! Review: I adore thrillers and serial killers are my best reads.I picked this book from my Libraryand must say that its one of the best books i have ever come across....... Val McDermid is now on my priority list and want to read all her books.The novel is very well written and will really keep you glued to your seats. The mudrers are gruesome and i strongly suggest that the weak better stay away from it. the killings are traumatic and really turns your stomach inside out. I invariably felt sorry for all the victims and felt they did not deserve such a cruel fate. The characters of Dr.Tony Hill and D.I.Carol Jordan are real and lovable. The end is gripping, taut and takes your breath away. A brilliant novel and i intend reading it once again this weekend.
Rating: Summary: the Mermaids Singint Review: I finished this book against my better judgement. I hoped there would be some sort of redemption at the end. No such luck. No one is a better person for anything they suffered at the hands of McDermid. The book was so full of gore, torture and perversion I felt like I needed a shower.
Rating: Summary: A terrific serial killer novel Review: I happened upon this on the clearance bin of my local bookstore. It was about five dollars. I didn't expect much, but for five bucks, hey! Plus it had won the Gold Dagger (as had one of my favorite authors, Colin Dexter). Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. This is a real page-turner. I finished it in about three days (fast for me; I'm not one of those all-night readers) and kept going back to it when I wasn't doing something else (also odd for me; I'm not normally an obsessive reader). One warning, it is a little on the viscerally descriptive side. (Nothing approaching the level of Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite, but still...just a warning.) However, if you can handle that, you will be taken for quite a ride.
Rating: Summary: Good characters and very scary Review: I read this book in a day. I could not stop once I got going. The real strength is clash of characters that Val McDermid creates throughout the book. She can create a character in a few lines and then you feel as if you know them. It has a strong narrative. The pressure builds as the book progresses, and you cannot stop reading. It is not really a who dunnit, but how on earth are they going to catch a serial killer mastermind. I suspect McDermid has been influenced by Thomas Harris but she reworks the formula and avoids making her serial killer into a 'bogey man' like Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is a force and not a real being. The killer in Mermaids is a real person and the novel is more scary as a result. An enormously enjoyable read as a clinical psychologist Tony Hill - who has his own problems - matches wits with a very sick and intelligent killer.
Rating: Summary: Clunky but good. TV series was better. Review: It helped that I had watched the TV series first. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book as much otherwise. The book is good; a real page turner but almost in spite of the writing which is rather clunky and less than elegant which is a pity because her plot is well thought out and fairly original.That said, there are several rather stock character (one senior officer who is threatened by a woman detective coming up the ranks and is also a hater of gays and blacks). Didn't we see this in Prime Suspect some years ago? It's also very gory but that's the genre. I read the book in one sitting but probably won't buy any more in the series. I suspect this is the rare case where the TV series was actually better than the books.
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