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pjgal22's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this one a few years ago but stopped about 30 pages in when it became apparent the killer would be honing 'his' torture skills on a german shepherd. I read plenty of grisly and disturbing crime fiction, but animal torture is where I draw the line (and is the reason I've never been able to bring myself to finish the Stephen King short story 'Apt Pupil'). I decided to revisit this one, though, after finishing Beneath the Bleeding, because I wanted to have all the pieces of the puzzle in Tony and Carol's relationship, and this book is where it began. I'm also planning to start watching The Wire In the Blood on Netflix's instant play, and the first episode is based on this book. Glad I gave it another chance. Tony and Carol are two of my favorite characters in crime fiction, and there's critical information here about how they relate to each other. Fortunately, much of the torture in this book takes place 'offscreen', so to speak, and is left to the readers' imagination. Don't get me wrong; it's still a very disturbing story, but I was able to get through it without wishing I hadn't tried. What I've discovered about McDermid's books is that I can usually figure out the mystery about 100 pages before the end. Perhaps that's her intent; heaven knows there are plenty of other crime fiction writers out there who manage to keep me guessing until the big reveal, so it's not that I consider myself particularly skilled in solving mystery plots. Regardless, I find that being able to finger the killer just before the police do actually makes her books quite enjoyable. It heightens the suspense. All in all, I found this to be a very satisfactory read.
vstewart76's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
ghostofchristmaspast's review against another edition
4.0
Tough one to rate. A genuinely gripping and puzzling mystery story after a little bit of a slow start - but some transphobia towards the end kind of soured it for me.
starryworlds's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 140 pages.
The Mermaids Singing has a good premise and, in the TV show, that shines through. Here it doesn't. This is due to the homophobic and sexist comments that were littered throughout the 140 pages I read. Those comments became more consistent and made me feel more uncomfortable, due to how often those comments were mentioned, as the book went on. I dread to think how the reveal of who the murderer is would have been done.
The other issue I had was that it was very gory. Before I had gone into this, I was expecting it to be gory as I had watched the TV show which contains quite a bit of gore. But the amount of gore that was in the book was too much for me as it was making me feel sick and uncomfortable as I was reading it.
If you have read the book and didn't like or just want to watch a good crime drama, I would recommend The Wire in the Blood TV show but I just wouldn't recommend the book series.
The Mermaids Singing has a good premise and, in the TV show, that shines through. Here it doesn't. This is due to the homophobic and sexist comments that were littered throughout the 140 pages I read. Those comments became more consistent and made me feel more uncomfortable, due to how often those comments were mentioned, as the book went on. I dread to think how the reveal of who the murderer is would have been done.
The other issue I had was that it was very gory. Before I had gone into this, I was expecting it to be gory as I had watched the TV show which contains quite a bit of gore. But the amount of gore that was in the book was too much for me as it was making me feel sick and uncomfortable as I was reading it.
If you have read the book and didn't like or just want to watch a good crime drama, I would recommend The Wire in the Blood TV show but I just wouldn't recommend the book series.
welktickler's review against another edition
3.0
All the clichés of the genre are in here. It is like crime fiction bingo. Angry senior police officer that doesnt like the main character, the journalist that is nasty and hinders the process, the 'will they wont they' romance that will likely drag on for at least 10 books despite being spent and boring by the end of book one, being book one the crimes are of course linked to the main character, a kidnap of a main character, ............... I could go on but you get the idea.
That aside the book is badly written but the plot is actually quite good. I will read a few more and see if they improve.
That aside the book is badly written but the plot is actually quite good. I will read a few more and see if they improve.
tracey_stewart's review against another edition
4.0
After finishing Mapp and Lucia a while back, I felt in need of murder and mayhem. I can't say I've ever felt that before; I don't remember ever hating one book's characters enough to want to go read graphic descriptions of a serial killer's work. Although the demographic being murdered in The Mermaids Singing was completely different from that I had a wished death on in M&L, it still hit the spot.
That sounds a bit twisted, doesn't it…
It hit the spot surprisingly well, in fact. Maybe I've watched too much "Criminal Minds" and "Walking Dead" and so on over the years (and Wire in the Blood); maybe I've become jaded. Because this was beyond all doubt graphic. I usually do avoid this subsection of the genre, but back when Netflix still included streaming video with all subscriptions I stumbled on and became a huge fan of "The Wire in the Blood", and being as this is what that was based on, I wanted more of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan.
And that's exactly what I got. As it turns out, the first episode of the TV series was a remarkably faithful adaptation of this first book. Happily, I saw it long enough ago that details had faded, and my memory is bad enough that the end wasn't spoiled.
This isn't one of the sporting class of murder mysteries, where the clues are planted throughout the story for the clever and attentive reader to pick up and put together. This is pure procedural, with the coppers both dreading and hoping for the next victim of the serial killer on the loose: dreading, for obvious reasons, and anticipating in hopes that with a new body will come more data toward finding the killer. Intercut with the personal and professional lives of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan and their colleagues are journal entries from the killer, shadowing the timeline without giving away any real detail about the killer except how contact was made with the victims.
But it all really comes down to those two, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. They're terrific characters. I don't know that I'm quite jaded enough to pursue the book series - but it's good to know it's out there.
That sounds a bit twisted, doesn't it…
It hit the spot surprisingly well, in fact. Maybe I've watched too much "Criminal Minds" and "Walking Dead" and so on over the years (and Wire in the Blood); maybe I've become jaded. Because this was beyond all doubt graphic. I usually do avoid this subsection of the genre, but back when Netflix still included streaming video with all subscriptions I stumbled on and became a huge fan of "The Wire in the Blood", and being as this is what that was based on, I wanted more of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan.
And that's exactly what I got. As it turns out, the first episode of the TV series was a remarkably faithful adaptation of this first book. Happily, I saw it long enough ago that details had faded, and my memory is bad enough that the end wasn't spoiled.
This isn't one of the sporting class of murder mysteries, where the clues are planted throughout the story for the clever and attentive reader to pick up and put together. This is pure procedural, with the coppers both dreading and hoping for the next victim of the serial killer on the loose: dreading, for obvious reasons, and anticipating in hopes that with a new body will come more data toward finding the killer. Intercut with the personal and professional lives of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan and their colleagues are journal entries from the killer, shadowing the timeline without giving away any real detail about the killer except how contact was made with the victims.
But it all really comes down to those two, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. They're terrific characters. I don't know that I'm quite jaded enough to pursue the book series - but it's good to know it's out there.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 STAR
"You always remember the first time. Isn't that what they say about sex? How much more true it is of murder... Up till now, the only serial killers Tony Hill had encountered were safely behind bars. This one's different -- this one's on the loose. In the northern town of Bradfield four men have been found mutilated and tortured. Fear grips the city; no man feels safe. Clinical psychologist Tony Hill is brought in to profile the killer. A man with more than enough sexual problems of his own, Tony himself becomes the unsuspecting target in a battle of wits and wills where he has to use every ounce of his professional nerve to survive." (From Amazon).
A great suspense story that has you combing through the evidence - physical and psychological - to try and solve these grisly murders.
"You always remember the first time. Isn't that what they say about sex? How much more true it is of murder... Up till now, the only serial killers Tony Hill had encountered were safely behind bars. This one's different -- this one's on the loose. In the northern town of Bradfield four men have been found mutilated and tortured. Fear grips the city; no man feels safe. Clinical psychologist Tony Hill is brought in to profile the killer. A man with more than enough sexual problems of his own, Tony himself becomes the unsuspecting target in a battle of wits and wills where he has to use every ounce of his professional nerve to survive." (From Amazon).
A great suspense story that has you combing through the evidence - physical and psychological - to try and solve these grisly murders.
d_audy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A dark and challenging debut to this series, an interesting foray from a female writer's perspective into the darker territories occupied by the likes of Michael Connelly, Thomas Harris or Jo Nesbø, and with the same brilliance. You can sense McDermid's fascination and even admiration for the police forces and their work, but it doesn't stop her from also showing their flaws, especially from a queer, feminist perspective.