A review by pjgal22
The Retribution by Val McDermid

2.0

I was really disappointed with this book. Definitely my least favorite McDermid novel (and I've read the entire Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series and all of her standalone thrillers). As another reviewer noted, it almost seems like she wrote this book merely to punish all the readers who had become invested in Tony and Carol's relationship, which had always had an air of uncertainty about it but which, by Fever of the Bone, felt like it was finally starting to move in a positive direction. She quickly undoes that progress with this book. The events that take place not only make it seem impossible that Tony and Carol will be able to find their way back to each other, they also make it seem highly unlikely that either one will know peace or happiness ever again. And all this just to revisit an old villain, who in this book came across as rather one-dimensional and not especially interesting.

Much of the book seemed to drag until about two-thirds of the way through, when suddenly it started barreling forward like a freight train, wrapping up plot lines so quickly and with so little detail that it was quite a letdown. The secondary serial killer case in particular felt rushed and under-developed.

I've been a big fan of the Hill/Jordan series, but I almost wish she had just ended it with Fever of the Bone. I'm not sure I'll read any more if she continues the series. I don't think I want to spend any more time with the irreparably damaged people these two have become.