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The Mermaids Singing
- Narrated by: Graham Roberts
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
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Publisher's summary
The bodies of four men have been discovered in the town of Bradfield. Enlisted to investigate is criminal psychologist Tony Hill. Even for a seasoned professional, the series of mutilation sex murders is unlike anything he's encountered before. But profiling the psychopath is not beyond him. Hill's own past has made him the perfect man to comprehend the killer's motives. It's also made him the perfect victim. A game has begun for the hunter and the hunted. But as Hill confronts his own hidden demons, he must also come face-to-face with an evil so profound he may not have the courage - or the power - to stop it....
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St Benjamin's Medical School is the greatest of its kind, any death occurring within its walls would have created ripples within the academic world, but the death of Nikki Exner is far from being ordinary. Raped, and then grotesquely executed, her theatrical murder horrifies everyone. John Eisenmenger, a former forensic pathologist, finds himself dragged unwillingly into the case. Teaming up with solicitor Helena Flemming, Eisenmenger sets out to discover what really did happen to Nikki Exner.
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excellent book
- By Yves on 06-27-09
By: Keith McCarthy
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Shallow Waters
- Hannah Robbins, Book 1
- By: Rebecca Bradley
- Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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When the naked, battered body of an unidentified teenager is found dumped in an alleyway, postmortem finds evidence of a harrowing series of events. Another teenage death with the same MO pushes DI Hannah Robbins and her team on the Nottingham City division Major Crimes Unit to their limits - and across county borders.
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Competent but Not Inspired
- By Sires on 03-14-16
By: Rebecca Bradley
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Blood for Blood
- Ziba MacKenzie, Book 1
- By: Victoria Selman
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone. When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus?
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Great New Series—Ziba Is Good Female Lead
- By Linda on 04-16-19
By: Victoria Selman
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All the Pretty Girls
- Taylor Jackson, Book 1
- By: J. T. Ellison
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene – the prior victim’s severed hand.
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Distracting subplot and uninteresting characters
- By Ed on 05-13-10
By: J. T. Ellison
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The Last Detective
- An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation
- By: Peter Lovesey
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is the last detective: a genuine gumshoe, committed to door-stopping and deduction rather than fancy computer gadgetry. So when the naked body of a woman is found floating in the weeds in a lake near Bath with no one willing to identify her, no marks, and no murder weapon, his sleuthing abilities are tested to the limit.
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Pleasantly surprised -- loved Inspector Diamond!
- By Tracey on 01-06-13
By: Peter Lovesey
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Blind Goddess
- A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel, Book 1
- By: Tom Geddes - translator, Anne Holt
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A small-time drug dealer is found battered to death on the outskirts of the Norwegian capital, Oslo. A young Dutchman, walking aimlessly in central Oslo covered in blood, is taken into custody but refuses to talk. When he is informed that the woman who discovered the body, Karen Borg, is a lawyer, he demands her as his defender, although her specialty is civil, not criminal, law. The young man is adamant: he will speak to Karen Borg, and to her alone.
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Not Sure Why I Didn't Like It
- By Tracey Rains on 05-28-13
By: Tom Geddes - translator, and others
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A Share in Death
- By: Deborah Crombie
- Narrated by: Michael Deehy
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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A week's holiday in a luxurious hotel is just what Scotland Yard's Superintendent Duncan Kincaid needs. But his vacation ends dramatically with the discovery of a dead body in the whirlpool bath. Despite a suspicious lack of cooperation from the local constabulary, Kincaid's keen sense of duty won't allow him to ignore the heinous crime, impelling him to send for his enthusiastic young assistant, Sergeant Gemma James. But the stakes are raised significantly when a second murder occurs....
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series readers, start here
- By connie on 02-09-13
By: Deborah Crombie
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- A Lisbeth Salander Novel
- By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
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A Classic Mystery with Wonderful Characters
- By Robert on 12-22-08
By: Stieg Larsson, and others
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Killing Kate
- By: Alex Lake
- Narrated by: Genevieve Swallow
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Kate returns from a post-break-up holiday with her girlfriends to news of a serial killer in her hometown - and his victims all look like her. It could, of course, be a simple coincidence. Or maybe not. She becomes convinced she is being watched, followed even. Is she next? And could her mild-mannered ex-boyfriend really be a deranged murderer? Or is the truth something far more sinister?
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Decent suspense thriller makes the mark
- By Candice on 02-21-17
By: Alex Lake
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Truly amazing
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Very good BUT an abridged version
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After torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside, a long-disregarded old wives' tale takes on a chilling new plausibility. For centuries, Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian, made infamous by Mutiny on the Bounty, staged the massacre on Pitcairn so that he could return home. And once there, what if he could tell his story to an old friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative poem—a poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for harboring a fugitive?
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Sort of like AS Byatt's Possession,
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thriller with a nightmare scenario: a parent who loses her child in a bustling international airport. Young Jimmy Higgins is snatched from an airport security checkpoint while his guardian watches helplessly from the glass inspection box. But this is no ordinary abduction, as Jimmy is no ordinary child. His mother was Scarlett, a reality TV star who, dying of cancer and alienated from her unreliable family, entrusted the boy to the person she believed best able to give him a happy, stable life: her ghost writer, Stephanie Harker.
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So close to being great
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Dead Beat
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As a favor to her rock journalist boyfriend, Thai-boxing, rock-and-roll private detective Kate Brannigan agrees to track down a missing song-writer Moira Pollock, a search that takes her into some of the seediest parts of Leeds and Bradford. But little does she realize that finding Moira is only a prelude to murder. Juggling her other cases, including a search to uncover the source of counterfeit luxury goods, Brannigan finds herself for the first time on the trail of a killer.
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dead beat
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Beware, scam!!
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Truly amazing
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Very good BUT an abridged version
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Sort of like AS Byatt's Possession,
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So close to being great
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dead beat
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Almost a good listen------
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A killer is on the loose, blurring the line between fact and fiction. His prey - the writers of crime novels who have turned psychological profilers into the heroes of the nineties. But this killer is like no other. His bloodlust shatters all the conventional wisdom surrounding the motives and mechanics of how serial killers operate. And for one woman, the desperate hunt to uncover his identity becomes a matter of life and death.
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Too much
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Lindsay Gordon, self-proclaimed cynical socialist lesbian feminist journalist, is less than overjoyed at the prospect of spending a weekend at a posh girls' boarding school. Tensions are running high over the school's financial problems; the fact that school alumna and renowned musician Lorna Smith-Couper will return to the school to perform at a benefit concert only exacerbates anxieties. When Smith-Couper is found strangled with her own cello string right before the concert, Lindsay and Cordelia find their new relationship tested in unique ways as they seek to find the murderer among a long list of suspects.
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Not what I expected
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Dark Is the Grave
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When the chief suspect in the notorious "peekaboo cop killer" case blew himself up, almost taking lead investigator DCI Duncan Bone with him, the psychologically damaged detective thought his days on the force were over. But, when another PC is abducted and murdered in the same deranged peekaboo fashion, Bone is persuaded to return to lead the new investigation.
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Fantastic
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Silent Tide
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A sinking boat is spotted off the South Coast. Waiting onboard is a grisly discovery. DCI Boyd, recently relocated from London to Hastings, is now with the East Sussex CID, and his first case is that of a local businessman and his new young wife, missing in the English Channel. All that remains of them is a grim scene aboard their half-submerged yacht and a digital trail of clues that could put Boyd and his daughter, Emma, in danger.
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Solid start to a series!
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By: Alex Scarrow
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The Last Detective
- An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation
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Story
Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is the last detective: a genuine gumshoe, committed to door-stopping and deduction rather than fancy computer gadgetry. So when the naked body of a woman is found floating in the weeds in a lake near Bath with no one willing to identify her, no marks, and no murder weapon, his sleuthing abilities are tested to the limit.
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Pleasantly surprised -- loved Inspector Diamond!
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Case Histories
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Case One: A little girl goes missing in the night. Case Two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random attack. Case Three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
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Trippy book
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Forensics
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The dead talk - to the right listener. They can tell us all about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Forensic scientists can unlock the mysteries of the past and help serve justice using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest of human traces.
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Crime Seen
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Blue Monday
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Frieda Klein is a solitary, incisive psychotherapist who spends her sleepless nights walking along the ancient rivers that have been forced underground in modern London. She believes that the world is a messy, uncontrollable place. The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, Frieda cannot ignore the coincidence: one of her patients has been having dreams in which he has a hunger for just such a child.
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Engrossing thriller - an easy "read"
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Knots and Crosses
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Detective John Rebus' city is being terrorized by a baffling series of murders…and he's tied to a maniac by an invisible knot of blood. As the ghoulish killings mount and the tabloid headlines scream, Rebus cannot stop the feverish shrieks from within his own mind. Because he isn't just one cop trying to catch a killer - he's the man who's got all the pieces to the puzzle…
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I've Read Mixed Reviews and Can Marry Them
- By Steve Mac on 02-13-16
By: Ian Rankin
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Grimm Up North
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Detective Chief Inspector Harry Grimm is forced to take leave from Bristol’s Major Investigations Team when his boss, tired of Harry chasing the ghost of his murderous father, sends him north on secondment. Used to city life and high stress, Harry fears his life will now be spent handing out speeding tickets, finding lost sheep, and directing tourists. But when a local teenager runs away, Harry finds himself pulled into an investigation much worse than anyone could have ever expected.
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An enthralling and entertaining new mystery series
- By Diana in SC @AudiobookObsession on 03-15-21
By: David J. Gatward
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An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
- By: P. D. James
- Narrated by: Penelope Dellaporta
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Handsome Mark Callender did not die the way a young gentleman should. He was found hanged, a lipstick stain on his mouth and a nude girl's picture nearby. The official verdict was suicide, but his aristocratic father suspects murder. He hires Cordelia Gray, a fledgling detective, to investigate. And as she follows a trail of guilty secrets and shameful sins, she concludes that the nicest people do the nastiest things!
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quite suitable
- By Holly Helscher on 01-20-09
By: P. D. James
What listeners say about The Mermaids Singing
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David
- 10-05-13
Formula, few surprises, heavy on romantic angst
Val McDermid handles the language really well, a saving grace in what is otherwise a formulaic, somewhat tiresome story. To be fair, the serial killer genre has been so done to death that it takes almost spectacular inventiveness to give it a fresh face. But that is what we want, isn't it? In this case, if you make a list of the usual elements in the serial killer yarn, you will be able to check them off one by one as you go along without missing a turn or a beat. Even the big twist at the climactic moment is ho-hum-obvious and the denouement is downright banal.
If there is an aspect of this book which is above average as presented in audible form, it is the persona of the killer and the chilling, makes-your-skin-crawl manner in which Graham Roberts brings it to life vocally. It is, after all, only when we are presented with an evil we cannot tolerate that we can really appreciate the struggle necessary to excise it. If only the protagonist pair were equally fascinating, the book would have risen above its prosaic formula, but instead they skirt perilously close to romance novel material, unconvincing and sometimes nearly silly. The author tries to lift the story out of its pedestrian path in a five minute coda at the end, but it is so blatantly an authorial device that it falls flat.
This is the first book in a series. Perhaps it improves, but I was left too disappointed by this one to continue to the next.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Katherine
- 07-06-13
A dark and ripping yarn!
Another outstanding mystery from McDermid. A perverse serial killer is on the loose, and the attacks seem to center on Bradfield's gay community. The two main characters, Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, are dedicated and likeable and reassuringly flawed (even if Tony's problem seems somewhat overblown: a major issue resulting from what was a minor critique). They move ever so slowly into mutual trust and honesty with authentic caution.
The author's conceit of introducing the victims to us inspires our sympathy and keeps us cheering on the investigators. While the detail can be quite gruesome, especially when you've become fond of the victim, it isn't gratuitous, and the author does turn our eyes away before it becomes unbearable.
As grizzly as the book can be, the narrator is steady and impassive. He reads with the reassurance of one who knows everything will turn out fine in the end. I'm off to unearth more of McDermid's older mysteries, and search out what Graham Roberts is reading as well.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Jacqueline Jones
- 11-20-14
The mermaid singing.
Would you listen to The Mermaids Singing again? Why?
This was such a freaky sick book for people who have a sick sense of what good horror writing is.the main character enjoys describing in detail each and every homosexual killing.I read this book in two days that's how much I enjoyed this book
What other book might you compare The Mermaids Singing to and why?
This book stands alone for me . I will definitely read ms Val again .I must confess I missed the reason for the title can anyone explain?
Which character – as performed by Graham Roberts – was your favorite?
I believe that Graham Roberts did an excellent job with the different dialects I was originally from the south of England and I did not perfect a ear for the northern lilts.Now I live in the USA so it all sounds a very strong accent.I believe he did the killers voice the best.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me feel sick at some of the extreme torture especially to the police officer.i just saw the series on Tv and it did not have the same impact as the book on tape.
Any additional comments?
firstlty I think Ms McDermids writing is so different to the other writers she has so much imagination and her use of the English language is unique and totally her own.She is able to describe a death scene and you feel you are part of the team able to give the next answer to the Inspectors questions.Can you tell I like this author?
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- Nancy J
- 04-08-13
The First of a Superior Series
I purchased The Mermaids Singing partially because of the reviews I read on Audible, but probably more because Val McDermid seemed to be the favorite mystery author of Mikael Blomqvist in The Millenium Trilogy (The Girl With .....). Now that I have read all of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books to date (a new one is due later this year), I felt it was time to write a review of the first book.
McDermid writes wonderful prose that makes her characters come alive -- all of them, not just the two major characters. I won't try to tell you about the plot, since many other reviews do that. But the development of the plot, along with the minutiae of each character's life and personality, make for excellent reading. McDermid creates a tight, incredibly tense story that keeps you reading, sometimes even when you don't want to.
If you are averse to graphic depictions of violence and perversion, you may want to skip this series. But if that's not a problem, I highly recommend these books. In Tony Hill, McDermid has created a flawed and damaged character who still manages to live in the world and work for the forces of good as a Profiler, expert at his work because of his scarred past. The relationship of Tony and Carol Jordan, police inspector, is so tentative and slow moving that you sometimes could scream, but you keep waiting for it to progress. The pair pursues serial killers in plots that will keep you on the edge of your seat with your jaw clenched.
It is important that you read the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books in the order in which they were published, since these are not stand alone novels. The characters and their relationships and pasts are developed over the course of the series, and reading out of order makes it more difficult to follow some developments.
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60 people found this helpful
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- Christina K Harris
- 09-18-16
Awesome!!!
This was a well written book, but I expect no less from Val McDermid, one of my favorite authors. The performance of the narrator was exceptional!
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- PBRlady
- 08-30-23
Better than other reviews
I like this book. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down. I did not find it overly gruesome or sexual. I will see what other books Val McDermid has written.
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-31-24
Complex characters humanized with voice
I loved the Wire in the Blood series, and see how much better the original work was!
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- Lynch
- 06-30-13
Great Book!
I was an avid viewer of Wire In the Blood which was the BBC television series based on these books but I had no idea at the time that there was a written series. This book was awesome! A bit violent but what a story, dark, devious, lots of sexual tension and as far as police procedurals go - top notch. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Graham Roberts does a great job of narrating. He brought all of the characters to life and you can tell which one is speaking just from his voice. I can't believe I missed this series from the start.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Ted
- 04-18-14
Creepy
Traffic slows at accidents. Slime fascinates children. Freak shows make money. Which is how, 'Mermaids Singing' seized my attention. Creepy… Tony Hill, like many of today's successful fictional detectives is disturbed… Both by terrors around him, and his own internal-disgustions. Hill trods through and morphsinto the aberrant part of the field: "Aberrant Psychology." It makes him an aberrant psychologist by profession and personality. Creepy.
The dialogues McDermid writes, and which Graham Roberts reads, are slimy. Frequently I wanted to turn them off. Creepy. But I slowed rather than sped away from the disturbing deviant muck. Creepy.
I'm a little embarrassed that I listened to the end of "Mermaids Singing." Creepy… My excuse is the exceptional writing, not, I hope, with a primal magnetic attraction to… to… things so slimy-dark and … creepy.
BTW, Graham Roberts struggles in this book with the nature of the voices that Val McDermid demands as well as the parts required. Perhaps another actor wouldn't? Or perhaps no one actor can really stretch quite as far as McDermid demands. I'll be interested to read how other reviewers describe their reactions.
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5 people found this helpful
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- CC
- 04-19-14
So good even though you know what's coming
McDermid is terrific! The psychology doesn't get overbearing; it adds to the quality of the story. Characters are well defined. An all around good listen!
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