Sadism and homophobia (The Mermaid's Singing - Val McDermid)

Member Name: sympatic

Product:	The Mermaid's Singing - Val McDermid
Date:	01/11/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good tight plot

Disadvantages: Not for the squeamish

This is a good psychological thriller and an enjoyable read. The story is based in the northern fictional town of Bradfield and opens with the brutal murders of four young men whose deaths were rather grusome as they had been tortured and their bodies mutilated and the suspiscion is that these murders may be part of a homophobic killing spree.

Tony Hill is a criminal pschologist and he is enlisted to help search for the serial killer as he has experience with such killers having studied those who are behind bars and is able to build profiles of them. Thi sees him working closely with the lead inspector on the case Detective Inspector Carol Jordan and soon they have to deal with their feelings for each other as well as trying to hunt down the killer.

Hill is an interesting character who has a number of flaws both professional and personal, it is nice to have a lead character who is far from the usual macho hero you get on the cinema screens but then with books this is often the case.

This is a good solid thriller with a few plot twists and enough going on outside of the main story to keep it really engrossing and holding my attention as I got more involved in the storylines.

Some of the scenes in the book are quite graphic as they deal with torture and sadism so if you are easily offended or a bit squeamish then avoid this book as it is probably not for you, I guess it depends on how vivid an imagination that you have.

This is a good read and a book that I would recommend to anyone who likes psychological crime thrillers.

Summary: Psychological crime thriller