Welcome, Dr Tony Hill. Sort this one out then! (The Mermaid's Singing - Val McDermid)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Mermaid's Singing - Val McDermid
Date:	01/11/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great storytelling, characterisation and description

Disadvantages: May be a bit too brutal for some

A few years ago, I casually caught an episode of Wire In The Blood, having been a big fan of Robson Green when he was in Soldier, Soldier. I was curious to see him in another role, and it turned out to be in a genre that I am a huge fan of: crime thriller. As criminal psychologist Tony Hill, he was very good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and doing a little research, found that the series was based on the books by Val McDermid.

Curious, I went and got one of her books, loved it, and then, a few books later, I started to read this one, The Mermaids Singing. I was excited to read this one, as it had been a while since I had read a Tony Hill book or seen an installment of the series. I was not disappointed at all.

It's the first of a few books featuring Hill, and it is gives a very raw and hard-hitting tale and characterisation. Set in Bradford, it follows the inclusion of a criminal psychologist (Hill) to help with solving the murders of four men, all displaying similar methods. Various elements appear similar, and many assumptions are made, and the arrival of Hill throws the cat among the pigeons somewhat.

Heading the investigation is DI Carol Jordan, and she is pretty much the only advocate of Hill being included. The tension between the two becomes quite heightened, and McDermid does a fantastic job of letting the reader read between the lines into their relationship. It bubbles just beneath the surface throughout, threatening to become more than just professional.

What is quite stark though is the portrayal of the violence. It is definitely worth mentioning how graphic McDermid's descriptions can be. It's also in the storytelling and the characterisation, though. Whereas a lot of authors, such as Minette Walters and Ian Rankin, have the power of their villains and their crimes in the suggestive as much as the descriptive, McDermid launches at us with the gore and violence, but does so in a clinical and informative way, so as to make us appreciate the sheer heinousness of the crime at stake.

This in turn makes the story all that much more gripping, and I find that putting the book down is very hard. Sexuality is brought into the story at various points, but it's dealt with so openly that it loses any kind of sex appeal, being demoted instead to a dirty thing, not really showing any kind of 'love' as such, but just making the whole thing seem sordid and dirty.

What I find about McDermid's stories is that they are very easy to read. The words flow effortlessly, and I think this is probably because of the characterisation. The characters, their flaws and personality traits, extreme habits, and various other points, all combine together expertly under McDermid's pen (or laptop!) to give us a strong overall presentation of a well formed story.

She has a habit of giving us twists and turns in her books, throwing us off the scent before giving us the final punch. This is true of most crime thriller authors, but she does it very well, all the same, and it makes it work maybe even a bit better than some due to the skill involved with the plots anyway.

Overall, it's an excellent book. All of hers that I have read so far have been excellent, and this is one of the best. Stark, raw and powerful. Blatant with its description and very open with its brutal and gruesome elements, it is extremely hard to put down indeed. Recommended.

Summary: McDermid introduces us to Dr Tony HIll