A review by jfictitional
The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

3.0

I watched the TV show this series inspired first, and I must say they did an excellent job of streamlining it. The book certainly has its merits - the plot is well thought-out, the murders sufficiently horrifying (the descriptions are incredibly graphic), and the business of profiling the killer is fascinating. However, I found the pacing awkward (although the back-and-forth structure ultimately works), and the dialogue can be excessively talky, especially at the climax (a point at which the adaptation is far superior). I felt as if too many things were being made explicit, basically hand-holding. This being the first novel in the series, I can forgive most of these flaws; however, after reading the following two novels I find this the only one I would consider all that great. Val McDermid is clearly a talented writer, but I think her style of Tartan Noir is simply not for me.