This Scottish thriller is the first in the series about the psychologist Tony Hill and Detective Inspector Carol Jordan. I re-read it at a very fast pace without taking notes; hence the very short review.The setting is Bradfield, a fictional British city. The protagonist is Tony Hill, an excellent profiler, but he is not quite as good at attacking issues in his private life.
After some hesitation the police condescend to use Hill on the case, and all the way through he has to deal with suspicion and aversion.
Carol Jordan is appointed as his liaison within the police. She is very interested in Hill´s work, and soon she also takes an interest in his personal life.
This very exciting thriller is not for the squeamish reader as the cruel serial killer is quite imaginative, also when it comes to sex and torture.
Val McDermid, Sirenernes sang (1997).
Denne skotske spændingsroman er den første i serien om psykologen Tony Hill og kriminalinspektør Carol Jordan. Den korte anmeldelse skyldes at jeg genlæste den i en fart uden at tage notater.
Romanen foregår i Bradfield, en fiktiv britisk by. Hovedpersonen er Tony Hill, fremragende profiler, men ikke nær så god til at håndtere problemer i sit privatliv.
Efter nogen tøven nedlader politiet sig til at bruge Hill på sagen, og hele vejen igennem må han leve med mistænksomhed og modvilje.
Carol Jordan bliver udpeget som hans kontaktperson indenfor politiet. Hun er meget interesseret i Hills arbejde, og snart bliver hun også interesseret i ham privat.
Denne spændende thriller er ikke for de sarte, da den ondskabsfulde seriemorder er temmelig fantasifuld, også når det drejer sig om sex og tortur.
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6 kommentarer:
Your spot-on assertion that McDermid's novel is "not for the squeamish" is one of the reasons that I never warmed up to her work. It is not that I am squeamish, but there is in McDermid's an overall coarseness, which I see as being flaunted for stylistic effect rather than as a satisfying foundation upon which to advance plots and themes. Of course, that is simply one reader's opinion, and that underscores the wide diversity of taste among readers. There are probably no such things as good taste or bad taste; there are instead different tastes, and McDermid does not suit min.
R.T. I agree that this one is unnecessarily coarse. I don´t think all her novels are like that, however. I wrote one last year which was a rather entertaining yarn, and as far as I know it is only her Tony Hill series which is so graphic. I can live with reading a coarser novel once in a while, but it is not what I thrive on so to speak.
I haven't yet read McDermid, but it's not because I'm squeamish, it's just that there are soooooo many books on my wish list.
Beth, I certainly think you should try her out for yourself. She is good at plotting and creating excitement, still I agree with R.T. who calls her coarse - at least in this novel. The story "The Grave Tattoo" from 2006 is very different. I called it ´a rather delightful cock-and-bull tale´.
I read this one a while back. It was much too graphic for me. I haven't tried another one and hadn't had any plans to, but I might try The Grave Tattoo if it's very different.
Belle, in my opinion The Grave Tattoo is something altogether different. More of a yarn than serious crime fiction. I thought it was rather entertaining, though.
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