Scan barcode
punkinmuffin's review against another edition
4.0
I am a bit late to the Val McDermid party but have been a fan of the tv series. It's interesting to note that the tv series departs significantly from the books in terms of storylines but not from character - Hermione Norris' Carol Jordan and Robson Green's Tony Hill are very close to the written characters.
This is the second in the series. After the disastrous dénoument of [b:The Mermaids Singing|459386|The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1)|Val McDermid|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389270695s/459386.jpg|88269] Carol Jordan has been promoted to DCI and relocated to East Yorkshire. She's inherited a squad who are resentful of her as an outsider, making it hard to get their buy-in on investigating what she believes is serial arson.
Meanwhile, Tony Hill has been given the go-ahead to create a National Profiling Taskforce. Sharing office space with the plods in Leeds (who are none too happy to have witch-doctors on their patch) he sets about training his baby profilers.
As an exercise, the trainees are assigned a series of missing persons cases, all involving young girls with a certain, shall we say, insouciant look. One super keen young profiler thinks she's found a real-life cluster of serial killer victims, and it all hits off from there. Carol gets drawn in as she seeks Tony's help profiling her arsonist, and is soon drawn in to his protegé's controversial theory.
No more because SPOILERS!
This is the second in the series. After the disastrous dénoument of [b:The Mermaids Singing|459386|The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1)|Val McDermid|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389270695s/459386.jpg|88269] Carol Jordan has been promoted to DCI and relocated to East Yorkshire. She's inherited a squad who are resentful of her as an outsider, making it hard to get their buy-in on investigating what she believes is serial arson.
Meanwhile, Tony Hill has been given the go-ahead to create a National Profiling Taskforce. Sharing office space with the plods in Leeds (who are none too happy to have witch-doctors on their patch) he sets about training his baby profilers.
As an exercise, the trainees are assigned a series of missing persons cases, all involving young girls with a certain, shall we say, insouciant look. One super keen young profiler thinks she's found a real-life cluster of serial killer victims, and it all hits off from there. Carol gets drawn in as she seeks Tony's help profiling her arsonist, and is soon drawn in to his protegé's controversial theory.
No more because SPOILERS!
hinesight's review
2.0
I tried my best, I really did. I didn’t even make it as far as the gore, just the creepy lead-up to the gore. I just can’t; I have enough in my imagination that scares me without adding something more.
carolyn0613's review
3.0
Liked it. Characters and dialogue were both a little clunky but the plot races along.
trish33's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
burrowsi1's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
billymac1962's review
3.0
The Mermaids Singing was one of the best serial killer novels I've read, so no matter what bumps in the road happen along the way, I will always be willing to give Val McDermid a shot.
In The Wire in the Blood, we know early on who the killer is. It's impressive that, given that fact, the story remains interesting throughout the end. But it began to lose its hold on me towards the end.
It was a fine read in most places, but considering what McDermid is capable of, I found the novel as a whole to be less than stellar. But it was interesting enough to keep me going, so I can't not recommend it.
McDermid's a fine writer, and I'll continue to read her.
In The Wire in the Blood, we know early on who the killer is. It's impressive that, given that fact, the story remains interesting throughout the end. But it began to lose its hold on me towards the end.
It was a fine read in most places, but considering what McDermid is capable of, I found the novel as a whole to be less than stellar. But it was interesting enough to keep me going, so I can't not recommend it.
McDermid's a fine writer, and I'll continue to read her.
darc_paige's review
4.0
Found this one harder to read...probably due to having seen the episode of the TV show before reading the book.
sshabein's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A few plot points were a little convenient, but this was a good one. A lot more gross, details-wise, than some of her others. Maybe that's just how this particular series is though, which is fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Racism
shirlee2024's review
5.0
Already looked for the next in the series. The library doesn't have the e-book, so I might have to buy it.
gailm's review against another edition
5.0
Another good book in the bag. Left open so could bring the baddy back in the future. Remember this from the TV series.