A review by shallowdepths
The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

2.0

The TV series (Wire in the Blood) is plenty flawed but I love it anyway. This book has its good points but it’s even more flawed than the TV version. It tries for a feminist perspective -- particularly through its focus on a female police officer struggling for respect in a male-dominated profession, which I’m sure is in a lot of these kinds of books -- but sexism and other bigotry is displayed like caricature, while the prejudices of the main characters pass largely without examination. Weird attitude towards gender throughout.

Fails to humanise any queer characters despite their importance in the story. Lazy stereotypes and unnecessary

Spoiler

prison rape

that is quickly glossed over, especially compared to the (expected) detail and focus on torture elsewhere in the book. Quotes at the start of chapters that don’t add anything worthwhile. The sexual tension goes in circles as they keep speaking and thinking the same damn things. Lots of explaining exactly what the characters are thinking instead of letting it come across naturally. In general just not skilled enough writing to fully pull off what it’s going for.