The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1)

Title: The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1)

Author: Val McDermid

Published in: 1995

Date read: 30th July 2019

Score: 5/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Psychological, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Mermaids Singing," published in 1995, is the first novel in Val McDermid's highly acclaimed Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series. It is a dark and intense psychological thriller that introduces a chillingly intelligent serial killer and the brilliant, but deeply troubled, criminal psychologist tasked with understanding him.

The story is set in the fictional English city of Bradfield, where a series of horrific murders begins to plague the male population. The victims are all men, brutally tortured and mutilated, often with their faces disfigured. The killer's methods are sadistic and highly ritualistic, leaving behind a disturbing signature that defies easy explanation.

The police force, struggling with the unprecedented brutality and lack of obvious motive, calls in Dr. Tony Hill, a clinical psychologist specializing in criminal profiling from the National Psychological Profiling Unit. Hill is socially awkward, suffers from various anxieties, and often finds himself more comfortable dissecting the minds of killers than engaging with everyday life. His brilliance, however, in understanding the darkest corners of the human psyche is unparalleled.

Hill quickly deduces that the killer is a highly intelligent, meticulous, and deeply disturbed individual who is enacting elaborate fantasies based on a twisted interpretation of male sexuality and vulnerability. The murders are not random acts of violence but carefully planned performances designed to humiliate and terrorize.

Working alongside Hill is Detective Inspector Carol Jordan, a strong, ambitious, and pragmatic police officer. Initially sceptical of Hill's unconventional methods and academic detachment, Jordan gradually comes to respect his insights, forming a complex professional relationship that will define the series. She is the ground-level investigator who must translate Hill's psychological theories into actionable police work. As the body count rises, Hill realizes that the killer is escalating, and his methods are becoming more audacious. The media sensationalizes the murders, creating widespread panic in Bradfield. Hill's profiling suggests that the killer has a deeply ingrained, personal grudge and is likely seeking to create a particular kind of narrative through his horrific acts.

The novel delves into the psychology of both the killer and the profiler, exploring the fine line between understanding evil and succumbing to its darkness. The climax involves Hill and Jordan racing against time to identify the elusive perpetrator, leading to a tense and harrowing confrontation with a killer whose depravity pushes them to their psychological limits. "The Mermaids Singing" is a grim and unflinching start to a landmark series in crime fiction.

Comments:
This was recommended to my by a now retired colleague. I must have been reading some very "tame" crime books because this one shocked me with its brutality. It was great how it made me really get involved with it. I will get around to reading the next one at some point.

Books that we've read by Val McDermid (1):
The Mermaids Singing (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #1) (1995)