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Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #4
The Torment Of Others
From one of Britain’s blockbuster novelists ―also explodingin Canadian popularity―comes a shattering psychological thriller featuring theheroes of The Last Temptation and The Wire in the Blood .Facing the toughest challenge of their careers, Dr. Tony Hill and DetectiveChief Inspector Carol Jordan confront a series of "impossible"murders. Evidence suggests that this is not a copycat killing, but somethingmuch stranger. Now Tony and Carol are facing one of the most perverse killersthey have ever encountered.
556 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
485 people are currently reading
3374 people want to read
About the author
Val McDermid
314 books5,401 followersVal McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.
She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 497 reviews
September 10, 2019
Tony Hill and Carol Jordan – what an odd pair, but they complement each other as they work criminal investigations. Hill, a criminal psychologist and profiler, has recently quit his job in academia and has returned to treating patients serving sentences for violent crimes. After much soul searching, DCI Carol Jordan has taken a position leading a team in one of her old districts. This involves looking at cold cases, and in THE TORMENT OF OTHERS, Carol and Tony team up to work on two dead-end cases of boys who went missing without a trace. Just as Carol’s crew of investigators begin to dig into the files, a prostitute is found brutally murdered.
DCI Jordan is taking a giant leap, personally as much as professionally, since this marks her return to police work following a disastrous undercover operation on her past assignment that left her physically and emotionally battered. Now that she is commandeering a squad of fellow officers, will they respect her judgment? Or will they question her stability? Especially when taking charge of the murder of the prostitute who was violated and cruelly attacked – tortured to death for someone’s pleasure.
Tony is baffled. The crime appears to be an exact replica of others for which a man is already incarcerated in the mental hospital. Tony knows that it is impossible that anyone else could know the exact methods Derek used to commit his crimes; he is certain that someone is manipulating the killer. If only he could get Derek Tyler to speak to him about the voice he hears. But Derek refuses to speak at all.
Val McDermid gives us the killer’s inner thoughts and actions in italics, so we know what’s going on. We do not know the identity of the Voice, but we know that Tony is on the right track. It’s somewhat distracting at times; I’d have preferred separate chapters for these interludes, as I think that may have been less disruptive to the flow, but overall, I think it was helpful to know the killer’s movements. I had several suspects in mind, thanks to McDermid’s red herrings, but the actual culprit came as a shock to me. I could not discern anything from this person’s background that would have led me to suspect. In spite of that, as I kept reading, I found this book pretty darn hard to put down.
The case of the missing boys is also fascinating, especially the clues that Carol is able to follow up on that leads to the killer. It also gives her a chance to regain some of her own self back, which is a very big step in her healing process.
What about “the odd couple”? It is quite obvious that Carol and Tony work well together when they are teamed up to catch criminals. It is also pretty clear that they love each other. They question is, what, if anything, will they do about it?
Love, sex, power, control, pain, torment. McDermid has seen to it that there is plenty of tension and drama throughout this fourth book of her Hill/Jordan series, which I am certain I will continue to read in the future.
4 stars
March 12, 2018
This is another solid entry in the Carol Jordan and Tony Hill series. It picks up soon after the events of the previous book, and it’s my recommendation that these be read in order. It’s important to get the history of these two characters to fully appreciate them.
Carol has recuperated enough to be back on the job, so she thinks. Her group has two cases to work, a cold case involving two abducted boys and a murder that duplicates four previous murders that have been solved forensically with the culprit already incarcerated.
Tony has realized academia is not where he wants to be and returns to a clinical setting in an institution. This puts him back into contact with “the nutters” he prefers to study, which he feels is the best use of his strength.
I feel that the italicized sections from the murderer's point of view added nothing much to the narrative. They didn’t give any clues to the identity, nor did they give me much insight into behavior. They actually disrupted the story for me.
While both cases are solved in the end, the author leaves some things unsaid and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. This seems to be typical in this series of books. There is no explanation of what happens to some of the secondary characters. How is Paula physically and mentally? Will Sam be demoted? Who will fill Merrick's position? Maybe I’ll find out in the next book, which I will be reading soon.
Carol has recuperated enough to be back on the job, so she thinks. Her group has two cases to work, a cold case involving two abducted boys and a murder that duplicates four previous murders that have been solved forensically with the culprit already incarcerated.
Tony has realized academia is not where he wants to be and returns to a clinical setting in an institution. This puts him back into contact with “the nutters” he prefers to study, which he feels is the best use of his strength.
I feel that the italicized sections from the murderer's point of view added nothing much to the narrative. They didn’t give any clues to the identity, nor did they give me much insight into behavior. They actually disrupted the story for me.
While both cases are solved in the end, the author leaves some things unsaid and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. This seems to be typical in this series of books. There is no explanation of what happens to some of the secondary characters. How is Paula physically and mentally? Will Sam be demoted? Who will fill Merrick's position? Maybe I’ll find out in the next book, which I will be reading soon.
May 3, 2016
Following her traumatic experience in Berlin, Carol Jordan is still recovering and trying to find her way back to some sense of normalcy. When a second young boy disappears in Bradfield, the chief constable is given license to create a special crime unit and reaches out to Carol to head it. Profiler Tony Hill was instrumental in recommending her and convincing her to take it on.
I'm so glad to be back in this series. Carol's journey back to her career and emotional stability was handled skillfully and completely in concert with the character. Her relationship with Tony finds its rhythm and when they teamed up, things got so very interesting.
The second case involving the murder of a prostitute that had the signature of the person locked up for the previous crimes brought some serious tension and nail biting. The procedural aspect was also done very well. I couldn't stop listening as the situation escalated. The narrator was excellent, adding wonderful character distinctions and appropriate inflections and pacing.
This is one of my favorite series and this story lived up to those preceding it. It's not for the faint of heart, though, but that's just fine with me.
I'm so glad to be back in this series. Carol's journey back to her career and emotional stability was handled skillfully and completely in concert with the character. Her relationship with Tony finds its rhythm and when they teamed up, things got so very interesting.
The second case involving the murder of a prostitute that had the signature of the person locked up for the previous crimes brought some serious tension and nail biting. The procedural aspect was also done very well. I couldn't stop listening as the situation escalated. The narrator was excellent, adding wonderful character distinctions and appropriate inflections and pacing.
This is one of my favorite series and this story lived up to those preceding it. It's not for the faint of heart, though, but that's just fine with me.
June 9, 2022
I stayed up all night reading THE TORMENT OF OTHERS; it was definitely a five-star novel.
As I continue my expedition through the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, I was happy to discover that Book 4 returned to the high-quality plotting of the first two novels after a slight dip in Book 3. Again the spotlight is slightly more on Carol; the first two books focused more on Tony, the third more on Carol.
Both Tony and Carol have returned to Bradfield (the setting of Book 1) — Carol to head a special crime unit and Tony to private practice combined with a part-time position in a hospital for the criminally insane. Carol is dealing with the aftermath of her rape, which occurred in Book 3, trying to regain her emotional stability as well as successfully manage the task force under her control. While she is looking into a cold case involving two missing (and presumed dead) young boys, a brutal torture/murder of a young prostitute occurs.
Much of THE TORMENT OF OTHERS is centred around DCI Jordan’s activities to catch the person responsible for murdering two prostitutes. We know from the beginning who the actual killer is and that he is a low-intelligent “puppet” controlled by The Voice — a person controlling the puppet’s actions. Tony begins to suspect that there is someone manipulating the killer but he has no proof and when he finally pulls together a profile on the type of manipulation that he suspects is occurring, Carol, for once, rejects his reasoning.
The identity of The Voice was a surprise to me, and I think to most readers. It was the unmasking of this criminal that kept me reading until 6 a.m. Then there were a few details to tie up, mostly involving members of Carol’s team. Also, the murder of the two missing young boys was solved, although not without some additional heartbreak for the team.
The only thing that disturbed me while I was reading was that the chapters were extra long, shifting from one scene to another without warning. I would have appreciated more section breaks.
As I was reading this one, I decided that Tony and Carol are McDermid’s version of the star-crossed lovers — destined to work together, love each other, but never connect sexually.
Onto the next book in the series after a little break. These books are so intense that one needs a break between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mermaids Singing
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #1)
The Wire in the Blood
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #2)
The Last Temptation
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I continue my expedition through the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, I was happy to discover that Book 4 returned to the high-quality plotting of the first two novels after a slight dip in Book 3. Again the spotlight is slightly more on Carol; the first two books focused more on Tony, the third more on Carol.
Both Tony and Carol have returned to Bradfield (the setting of Book 1) — Carol to head a special crime unit and Tony to private practice combined with a part-time position in a hospital for the criminally insane. Carol is dealing with the aftermath of her rape, which occurred in Book 3, trying to regain her emotional stability as well as successfully manage the task force under her control. While she is looking into a cold case involving two missing (and presumed dead) young boys, a brutal torture/murder of a young prostitute occurs.
Much of THE TORMENT OF OTHERS is centred around DCI Jordan’s activities to catch the person responsible for murdering two prostitutes. We know from the beginning who the actual killer is and that he is a low-intelligent “puppet” controlled by The Voice — a person controlling the puppet’s actions. Tony begins to suspect that there is someone manipulating the killer but he has no proof and when he finally pulls together a profile on the type of manipulation that he suspects is occurring, Carol, for once, rejects his reasoning.
The identity of The Voice was a surprise to me, and I think to most readers. It was the unmasking of this criminal that kept me reading until 6 a.m. Then there were a few details to tie up, mostly involving members of Carol’s team. Also, the murder of the two missing young boys was solved, although not without some additional heartbreak for the team.
The only thing that disturbed me while I was reading was that the chapters were extra long, shifting from one scene to another without warning. I would have appreciated more section breaks.
As I was reading this one, I decided that Tony and Carol are McDermid’s version of the star-crossed lovers — destined to work together, love each other, but never connect sexually.
Onto the next book in the series after a little break. These books are so intense that one needs a break between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mermaids Singing
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #1)
The Wire in the Blood
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #2)
The Last Temptation
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 4, 2019
Number 4 in the Hill & Jordan series.
Another highly intense thriller from Val McDermid.
This time around the impossible seems to be happening. Women, all prostitutes, are being savagely cut and left to bleed to death. Why it’s so impossible is because this is the exact M.O. of a killer who is now in detention in a high security hospital for the criminally insane.
The police are at a complete loss for answers.
Carol Jordan now back at work after her harrowing experience on her last case in Europe a case that left her feeling very insecure and fragile. To add to Carol’s fragility she is now the head of the task force trying to find this brutal killer. Carol and her team are getting no where so Carol decides to bring Tony Hill, profiler extraordinaire, on board.
So with Carol’s expertise in criminal investigation and Tony’s unbelievable ability to get inside the heads of the weird and the troubled the hunt’s afoot. Things go really pear shaped when Carol puts one of her young female officer on the street, under cover as a prostitute, to be used as a lure only to have her officer get taken right under the noses of the task force. The pace and tension is now cranked up several notches.
The killings are gruesome, to say the least. The tension in nail biting and the pace is frantic.
I have to add that this is one series that you have to read in chronological order to have a full understanding of what drives both of the main characters, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. These are complex characters that come with a lot of baggage.
A great read that warrants the 4/5 stars that I gave it.
Another highly intense thriller from Val McDermid.
This time around the impossible seems to be happening. Women, all prostitutes, are being savagely cut and left to bleed to death. Why it’s so impossible is because this is the exact M.O. of a killer who is now in detention in a high security hospital for the criminally insane.
The police are at a complete loss for answers.
Carol Jordan now back at work after her harrowing experience on her last case in Europe a case that left her feeling very insecure and fragile. To add to Carol’s fragility she is now the head of the task force trying to find this brutal killer. Carol and her team are getting no where so Carol decides to bring Tony Hill, profiler extraordinaire, on board.
So with Carol’s expertise in criminal investigation and Tony’s unbelievable ability to get inside the heads of the weird and the troubled the hunt’s afoot. Things go really pear shaped when Carol puts one of her young female officer on the street, under cover as a prostitute, to be used as a lure only to have her officer get taken right under the noses of the task force. The pace and tension is now cranked up several notches.
The killings are gruesome, to say the least. The tension in nail biting and the pace is frantic.
I have to add that this is one series that you have to read in chronological order to have a full understanding of what drives both of the main characters, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. These are complex characters that come with a lot of baggage.
A great read that warrants the 4/5 stars that I gave it.
May 29, 2020
Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, book No. 4: The fourth case in 'Wire In The Blood' series is, on the face it, about a serial prostitute killer and a paedophile killer, but Val McDermid weaves a driven and well crafted thriller focussed on Carol's return to work post-serious trauma from the last book; some superb office dynamics with a new team; and a humdinger series of believable yet brilliant twists to reach the conclusion of both cases. One of the best cop thrillers I have ever read... recommended series to those new to crime fiction. 9 out of 12! One of the highest ever ratings for a non-Scandinavian piece of crime fiction from me!
May 11, 2019
Another fine entry in the series. This time, Carol is drawn back into the police action by her former boss after she's taken a sabbatical following a sting operation gone wrong. Her new job is supervising a special group that looks at high visibility crimes requiring intense sleuthing. Two cases end on her desk: missing boys, taken months apart, with no bodies or much new info, and grotesquely murdered prostitutes killed the same way as a previous trail. The problem - the killer is already confined to a mental institution.
Enjoyable writing, with characters drawn well enough to pull you into their world.
Enjoyable writing, with characters drawn well enough to pull you into their world.
March 18, 2018
Another in the the Jordan/Hill series and one of the best. It is a strange story that almost borders on the supernatural. Prostitutes are horribly murdered and the killer is caught with no doubt that he is indeed the killer. He is determined to be insane and is imprisoned in a mental facility where he remains. Two years later, the murders begin again and mirror exactly the previous ones, even to some of the facts that were not released to the public. How can that be?
DCI Carol Jordan is back to work after a leave of absence.....she was tortured and raped in the line of duty and obviously is having problems getting her life back together. She is leading the team investigating these prostitute murders and decides to bring in her old friend, psychiatrist Tony Hill to profile the killer. Hill visits the original murderer to attempt to find a starting point for his work. The killer hasn't spoken for two years but Hill succeeds in getting him to say a few words and they are chilling......The Voice. At this point, The Voice, becomes one of the story's narrators and the reader begins to wonder if maybe the author is starting to wander into the supernatural. But that is not the case.
This is a cleverly plotted novel which will keep the reader guessing and is one of McDermid's finest efforts. Recommended.
DCI Carol Jordan is back to work after a leave of absence.....she was tortured and raped in the line of duty and obviously is having problems getting her life back together. She is leading the team investigating these prostitute murders and decides to bring in her old friend, psychiatrist Tony Hill to profile the killer. Hill visits the original murderer to attempt to find a starting point for his work. The killer hasn't spoken for two years but Hill succeeds in getting him to say a few words and they are chilling......The Voice. At this point, The Voice, becomes one of the story's narrators and the reader begins to wonder if maybe the author is starting to wander into the supernatural. But that is not the case.
This is a cleverly plotted novel which will keep the reader guessing and is one of McDermid's finest efforts. Recommended.
September 12, 2022
4.5 out of 5 stars The Psychology of Power
This review is from: The Torment of Others: A Novel (Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Mysteries)
This book was my first in Val McDermid's series.
The inner workings and more than camaraderie of the police dept. are the focus in this story. This holds especially true when one of their own is abducted. the author held my attention during the first third of this book and the last third. The middle made the story a bit too drawn out. Although the end result was stunning.
This is a story how desire for power can become an obsession in a most evil way.
Listened to on CD read by Gerald Doyle.
This review is from: The Torment of Others: A Novel (Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Mysteries)
This book was my first in Val McDermid's series.
The inner workings and more than camaraderie of the police dept. are the focus in this story. This holds especially true when one of their own is abducted. the author held my attention during the first third of this book and the last third. The middle made the story a bit too drawn out. Although the end result was stunning.
This is a story how desire for power can become an obsession in a most evil way.
Listened to on CD read by Gerald Doyle.
March 4, 2021
This is my 4th Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novel by Val McDermid. Her books are dark, creepy tales that feature twisted serial killers. This is a series best read in order as the relationship between Tony and Carol continues to develop as the series continues. In The Torment of Others, Carol is still recovering from the rape she suffered doing undercover work in the previous book. Carol is working on 2 major cases – 1 featuring a serial killer whose methods mirror a killer who has been locked away for 2 years and the other a case of two young boys missing and feared dead. McDermid doesn’t shy away from killing off the innocent – police officers and children are often victims. The mysteries are so well-crafted that I never can figure out who the killer is. Another big draw for me on these books is the relationship between Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. They are attracted to each other and would be perfect for each other if they could just get some of the issues in their lives squared away. Each book I keep hoping for some resolution in their relationship, but it looks like it may be several books before that happens. Until then, I’ll keep reading and hoping and enjoying every scary moment.
August 16, 2023
A good page turner. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan back with murders that replicate several others from a few years ago. The problem is the murderer is in prison. Coupled with this case Carol is investigating two missing young boys.
This story is all about mind control and manipulation. The reveal of who is behind the murders was a surprise. The only weakness was Merrick chasing the child killer without any back up which seems a bit improbable. Overall though a good addition to the Hill/Jordan series.
This story is all about mind control and manipulation. The reveal of who is behind the murders was a surprise. The only weakness was Merrick chasing the child killer without any back up which seems a bit improbable. Overall though a good addition to the Hill/Jordan series.
May 8, 2018
Good story and narration. Jordan is in occupational rehab mode after her undercover disaster in the previous book. The author creates believable chaos and mistakes which always happen in real action.
i.e. watch an American football play-- the ball is hiked an 22 players go in motion with who knows what results. mistake is a word created to name a common human behavior.. As said in the hard sciences "even Gauss used a pencil".
i.e. watch an American football play-- the ball is hiked an 22 players go in motion with who knows what results. mistake is a word created to name a common human behavior.. As said in the hard sciences "even Gauss used a pencil".
March 17, 2014
I get the feeling that this book tries to mask the silliness of its plot by showering the page with as much unpleasantness as possible. I don't really want to make the sadistic nature of the plot the issue here, as it then makes it sound as if the problem could be with my low gore tolerance and high falutin' moral values, but y'know, I have read and enjoyed the likes of American Psycho. It's just that the vivid, barbaric detail doesn't really seem to have a purpose. I know Tony Hill is supposed to be an expert in the pschology of sexual homicide, but in this case the violent methods deployed are nothing to do with the case or criminal. In the end, it's all about power and control, not about vicious sexual slaughtering.
Which is why I consider it something of a fig-leaf for the rather flimsy plot and poor caricatures inhabiting this novel. Really, I don't want to give the game away, but it's as ludicrous a set-up, undoubtedly worked backwards as a narrative from the author thinking "what's the way that a killer would least likely ever be caught". Sure, it probably was an interesting thought experiment for her, but when it's supposed to unravel believably and convincingly, it's a bit of an insult to even the most credulous of readers.
Then we come to the will-they-won't-they relationship of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. This is the first book I've read featuring the characters, but I was irritated by it before the novel is even half-way through. It feels tagged on, to try and give the characters some depth that is otherwise lacking via the natural course of the novel. But it's clumsy, annoying, and unnecessary.
Val McDermid can write well, I've no doubt about that. But this is a pastiche of a crime novel, and unworthy of someone with her command of prose.
Which is why I consider it something of a fig-leaf for the rather flimsy plot and poor caricatures inhabiting this novel. Really, I don't want to give the game away, but it's as ludicrous a set-up, undoubtedly worked backwards as a narrative from the author thinking "what's the way that a killer would least likely ever be caught". Sure, it probably was an interesting thought experiment for her, but when it's supposed to unravel believably and convincingly, it's a bit of an insult to even the most credulous of readers.
Then we come to the will-they-won't-they relationship of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. This is the first book I've read featuring the characters, but I was irritated by it before the novel is even half-way through. It feels tagged on, to try and give the characters some depth that is otherwise lacking via the natural course of the novel. But it's clumsy, annoying, and unnecessary.
Val McDermid can write well, I've no doubt about that. But this is a pastiche of a crime novel, and unworthy of someone with her command of prose.
January 7, 2018
More like 3.5 stars. A page turner. There were two stories happening throughout the book and I found myself just feeling distracted by the story of the missing boys. I wanted to get back to the main story. Also, I'm not sure that I like the writing style...
May 11, 2014
McDermid advances the Hill and Jordan series with this wonderfully crafted fourth book. When both Dr. Hill and DCI Jordan take new jobs back in their own stomping grounds, both end up with full plates before the week is out. Dr. Hill has taken a job at the local mental hospital, while DCI Jordan is tasked with creating a 'Major Case' squad to deal with some of the most heinous crimes in the region. Their first task is to tackle a cold case of two missing boys whose disappearance has plagued the force for over a year. Few clues mean little progress, but the team is not ready to give up just yet. When prostitutes begin showing up dead in seedy hotels, precisely as they did two years before, confusion and panic heightens, leading the team to their first fresh case. The prostitute killer, with irrefutable evidence, was convicted and is currently in prison, locked away in the aforementioned mental hospital. With Dr. Hill's assistance, Jordan must try to determine if this is a copycat or if the authorities got it wrong the first go round. When an undercover operation goes awry, Jordan must fight back the flashbacks of her own detainment in Berlin to get to the bottom of the case before another body turns up... perhaps the most important one yet. A pornographic photo of one of the missing boys injects new life into the missing boys' case and Jordan uses all she can to extract even a sliver of hope. Teaming up with the oddest of experts, Jordan tries to bring closure in a case whose end result is already all but certain. A page-turner filled with great development and interesting characters that draw the reader in from the preface onwards.
Thrilling from beginning to end, McDedrmid uses her formulaic style to enthral the reader. Best read by series regulars (as it furthers some of the already-known issues from earlier books), the story allows the characters to grow in ways that I enjoy. Shining light on the ever-present Hill/Jordan amorous undertone, McDermid treats readers to some wonderful advancement in that regard, in a roundabout way. In her signature style, the story uses snippets of the killer's first person narrative. It is a well constructed book, divided into four clear parts. However, the use of four MASSIVE chapters loses the flow that past books have included and make digesting the overall novel a little harder, in my view. While I somewhat understand the premise, it makes each chapter become a massive journey of reading. Still, a jam-packed piece of work with much to entice, even with its gory parts.
Kudos Madam McDermid for entertaining us with so many wonderful sub-plots, all of which come together nicely.
Thrilling from beginning to end, McDedrmid uses her formulaic style to enthral the reader. Best read by series regulars (as it furthers some of the already-known issues from earlier books), the story allows the characters to grow in ways that I enjoy. Shining light on the ever-present Hill/Jordan amorous undertone, McDermid treats readers to some wonderful advancement in that regard, in a roundabout way. In her signature style, the story uses snippets of the killer's first person narrative. It is a well constructed book, divided into four clear parts. However, the use of four MASSIVE chapters loses the flow that past books have included and make digesting the overall novel a little harder, in my view. While I somewhat understand the premise, it makes each chapter become a massive journey of reading. Still, a jam-packed piece of work with much to entice, even with its gory parts.
Kudos Madam McDermid for entertaining us with so many wonderful sub-plots, all of which come together nicely.
September 4, 2007
Val McDermid's novels featuring psychologist-profiler Tony Hill are always excruciatingly gory portrayals of serial killers, sadists, and tormentors of small children, and this one manages to include all three. Adding to the pain is the presence of McDermid's detective, Carol Jordan, who has survived an undercover operation gone terribly wrong, only to find herself subjecting another officer to the same risk.
Elevating this above the run-of-the-mill exploitation thriller, however, is McDermid's knack for giving victims and those struggling on the lowest rungs of the social ladder dignity and some justice, and Tony Hill is a strange and compelling character.
Elevating this above the run-of-the-mill exploitation thriller, however, is McDermid's knack for giving victims and those struggling on the lowest rungs of the social ladder dignity and some justice, and Tony Hill is a strange and compelling character.
December 5, 2024
Aside from some 🫠 moments, this was a solid read.
December 4, 2016
Brilliant book, I wasn't a fan of The Last Temptation, hope it was a blip. Will be reading the next in the series.
May 12, 2018
THE TORMENT OF OTHERS is the fourth book in the Tony Hill/Carol
Jordan series written by Val McDermid. The main characters are recovering from the harrowing events of Book 3 (THE LAST TEMPTATION).
In addition to dealing with those after effects, Carol and Tony have two (unrelated) major crimes to solve in this book.
DCI Jordan is brought in to run a new special squad in Bradfield and immediately has to deal with someone who is killing prostitutes in a most horrible way (it involves dildos, handcuff and razorblades!) which is an identical method to 4 murders that had occurred nearly two years before and whose perpetrator had been found, convicted and locked up in the looney bin. In addition, two little boys (under 10) have gone missing and a few weeks before the events at the beginning of the book and the police have no leads.
Dr. Tony Hill is in yet another professional setting, this time as a consulting psychologist at a local mental hospital in Bradfield. Of course, he is treating the 4-time convicted murderer and trying to discover his patient’s connection to the new crimes.
Tony and Carol work together to solve the crimes but their relationship is complicated by a handsome geologist(!!) who gets involved with Carol as well as a theory of the case that Toby develops that he feels he can’t reveal to her.
This entry into the series was as full of high-pitched suspense as the previous books but I think it also had more obvious flaws than previous books by McDermid. First, there’s a scenario given that ends up with a police officer (who is undercover) getting into extreme danger and I just didn’t believe that a trainer officer would behave that way in the situation (they let themselves be handcuffed because they think they are still under surveillance unaware the video/audio connection has been severed). Secondly, the reveal of the perpetrator of the prostitute murders and how they were able to copy the killing method is done somewhat suddenly (I thought) but maybe that’s because I didn’t figure out who it was before the police do. (In general I would say that is a strength of a mystery novel but for some reason it felt off to me but in hindsight a fair amount of clues that post facto appear obvious were given by the author.) Third, there really is no connection between the pedophile murder-kidnappings and the prostitute killers in the end so the reason they are both included is unclear, except maybe to put extra stress on Carol and Tony.
Overall, despite the flaws in this entry the core story involving Tony and Carol is very strong and definitely a reason to read this book as well as the later entries in this high-quality, suspenseful police-procedural crime thrillers.
FOUR STARS.
Jordan series written by Val McDermid. The main characters are recovering from the harrowing events of Book 3 (THE LAST TEMPTATION).
In addition to dealing with those after effects, Carol and Tony have two (unrelated) major crimes to solve in this book.
DCI Jordan is brought in to run a new special squad in Bradfield and immediately has to deal with someone who is killing prostitutes in a most horrible way (it involves dildos, handcuff and razorblades!) which is an identical method to 4 murders that had occurred nearly two years before and whose perpetrator had been found, convicted and locked up in the looney bin. In addition, two little boys (under 10) have gone missing and a few weeks before the events at the beginning of the book and the police have no leads.
Dr. Tony Hill is in yet another professional setting, this time as a consulting psychologist at a local mental hospital in Bradfield. Of course, he is treating the 4-time convicted murderer and trying to discover his patient’s connection to the new crimes.
Tony and Carol work together to solve the crimes but their relationship is complicated by a handsome geologist(!!) who gets involved with Carol as well as a theory of the case that Toby develops that he feels he can’t reveal to her.
This entry into the series was as full of high-pitched suspense as the previous books but I think it also had more obvious flaws than previous books by McDermid. First, there’s a scenario given that ends up with a police officer (who is undercover) getting into extreme danger and I just didn’t believe that a trainer officer would behave that way in the situation (they let themselves be handcuffed because they think they are still under surveillance unaware the video/audio connection has been severed). Secondly, the reveal of the perpetrator of the prostitute murders and how they were able to copy the killing method is done somewhat suddenly (I thought) but maybe that’s because I didn’t figure out who it was before the police do. (In general I would say that is a strength of a mystery novel but for some reason it felt off to me but in hindsight a fair amount of clues that post facto appear obvious were given by the author.) Third, there really is no connection between the pedophile murder-kidnappings and the prostitute killers in the end so the reason they are both included is unclear, except maybe to put extra stress on Carol and Tony.
Overall, despite the flaws in this entry the core story involving Tony and Carol is very strong and definitely a reason to read this book as well as the later entries in this high-quality, suspenseful police-procedural crime thrillers.
FOUR STARS.
March 5, 2020
I'm really enjoying Val McDermid as an author. How did it take me so long to find her?
June 28, 2024
Enjoyable book, lots of twists as well as a bit of a sad ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2018
This series get better and better (almost a 5 star book).
Great character development, the case was intriguing (and gruesome), and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Great character development, the case was intriguing (and gruesome), and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
October 9, 2023
McDermid’s Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series tends to be on the dark and rather gruesome side of crime. Even well-written crime series that go on for more than a few books start to become a bit Midsomer Murders-esque. How many seriously damaged serial killers can one British city really contain? But then again, this is fiction and McDermid is a skilled and very successful writer. There must be enough people who can suspend belief and cope with the violence.
I skip the more violent and gruesome scenes; I’m more interested in the inner lives of the two protagonists and their complex relationship. I don’t see Tony and Carol ever getting together, despite the tension that McDermid cultivates between them; in a way I’d now be disappointed if they did!
I skip the more violent and gruesome scenes; I’m more interested in the inner lives of the two protagonists and their complex relationship. I don’t see Tony and Carol ever getting together, despite the tension that McDermid cultivates between them; in a way I’d now be disappointed if they did!
July 2, 2017
Dipped into some crime and wasn't disappointed. Gritty, loved that there was two investigations running at the same time. Clever twists and turns, a dive into the complexities of the mind. Loved it.
July 19, 2012
Verdict: 1.5/5 stars
Due to the rave review of "The Wire in the Blood" mini series and countless acclaims on McDermid's works among some of my favorite authors, I finally get the chance to give this book a try. aybe my expectations are too high after all as this book turns out to be one of the most flat and mediocre fictions I have read recently.
The major problem of this novel is that it is not dramatic enough to grab readers' attention and stimulates their emotional reactions. There is nothing really stood out considering its lack of climax, no plot twists until the very end and poor-developed characters. It seems to me that the writer tries to tell this whole story in a realistic approach instead of sexing it up with lots of gory details and contrived twists and turns. However. this manner does not do any good to this book because a predictable plot and wordy descriptions cannot really make the book gripping and unputdownable.
Worse still, the characterization is surely shallow, only scratching the surface of many characters' issues. In the early chapters, the author introduces some interesting and complex problems faced by Dr Hill and Detective Carol. That being said, this is not a really satisfactory conclusion of these issues coming up as the story goes on. The introduction of an unnecessarily huge number of Carol's teammates also further reveal the writer's weakness in handling of detailing multiple characters. Most of them just become a very two-dimensional and flat characters given the limited time readers spent on them.
Despite the lousy characterization, a thriller can definitely redeem itself by having a rolling and twisting plot. To my surprise, it's not the case in this book. The dual plot lines strangely not intertwine in the end and the case about the missing child is just nothing more than a boring filler lasted for nearly half of the book. Another half concerning the serial hooker killer is comparatively more compelling considering there are more actions and development, but its pace oddly slows down in the middle of the book and given the distraction of the excruciating other half, its satisfactory ending just comes too little too late.
What saves this book from an one-star rating is its fluent and easy-to-follow prose. Sometimes it may not be emotional enough, but it is nonetheless a very effective narrative driving the story forward smoothly.
Due to the rave review of "The Wire in the Blood" mini series and countless acclaims on McDermid's works among some of my favorite authors, I finally get the chance to give this book a try. aybe my expectations are too high after all as this book turns out to be one of the most flat and mediocre fictions I have read recently.
The major problem of this novel is that it is not dramatic enough to grab readers' attention and stimulates their emotional reactions. There is nothing really stood out considering its lack of climax, no plot twists until the very end and poor-developed characters. It seems to me that the writer tries to tell this whole story in a realistic approach instead of sexing it up with lots of gory details and contrived twists and turns. However. this manner does not do any good to this book because a predictable plot and wordy descriptions cannot really make the book gripping and unputdownable.
Worse still, the characterization is surely shallow, only scratching the surface of many characters' issues. In the early chapters, the author introduces some interesting and complex problems faced by Dr Hill and Detective Carol. That being said, this is not a really satisfactory conclusion of these issues coming up as the story goes on. The introduction of an unnecessarily huge number of Carol's teammates also further reveal the writer's weakness in handling of detailing multiple characters. Most of them just become a very two-dimensional and flat characters given the limited time readers spent on them.
Despite the lousy characterization, a thriller can definitely redeem itself by having a rolling and twisting plot. To my surprise, it's not the case in this book. The dual plot lines strangely not intertwine in the end and the case about the missing child is just nothing more than a boring filler lasted for nearly half of the book. Another half concerning the serial hooker killer is comparatively more compelling considering there are more actions and development, but its pace oddly slows down in the middle of the book and given the distraction of the excruciating other half, its satisfactory ending just comes too little too late.
What saves this book from an one-star rating is its fluent and easy-to-follow prose. Sometimes it may not be emotional enough, but it is nonetheless a very effective narrative driving the story forward smoothly.
May 20, 2015
"Just because you hear voices, it doesn't mean you're mad. You don't have to be well smart to know that. And even though you did all that stuff that made the jury look sick to their stomachs, at least you're clever enough to know that doesn't make you a nutter." -Derek Tyler, currently an inmate of Bradfield Moor Secure Hospital after his conviction for multiple murders and a diagnosis of insanity.
Carol Jordon, Bradford Detective Chief Inspector, needs to prove she is up to the job after being raped in the previous book. Never fear, gentle reader, the author plans to prove Carol's mettle, or 'bottle', as McDermid prefers to say, by throwing a serial killer at her that likes to rape Bradford prostitutes with a razor-implanted dildo. The police aren't happy, not only because they want to get this sadistic monster off the streets, but because they ALREADY got him off the streets, or so they thought. Derek Tyler was convicted of similar crimes two years previously and he is safely locked up. Then how are they to explain the new prostitute murders, each killed exactly in the same way? Is it a copycat? Time to call in Dr. Tony Hill, profiler. Maybe he can help find those two missing local boys, as well, although it's 100% certain they are dead, victims of a pedophile, as nude computer pictures of one of the children, obviously being sexually assaulted, showed up.
The streets of Bradford, whether blood-Red Light or pastel friendly, never looked darker.
Hill is easy to find, because he is now working part-time at Bradfield Moor. His new life as a professor at a university does not quite have the interesting moments he has become used to, such as treating Tom Storey, a hospital inmate that because of a brain tumor smothered his children. Storey didn't realize he might have a tumor, but instead blamed his left hand that was out of his control. Hill's diagnosis is Alien Hand Syndrome, a problem caused when the two halves of the brain do not communicate when the delicate corpus callosum is damaged. However, Jordan and Hill are soon to discover returning to Bradford means all kinds of uncontrolled alien and alienated hands are disturbing the peace of Bradford citizens.
I have a feeling the hospital will soon have more inmates - or more graves dug in the hospital cemetery.
Carol Jordon, Bradford Detective Chief Inspector, needs to prove she is up to the job after being raped in the previous book. Never fear, gentle reader, the author plans to prove Carol's mettle, or 'bottle', as McDermid prefers to say, by throwing a serial killer at her that likes to rape Bradford prostitutes with a razor-implanted dildo. The police aren't happy, not only because they want to get this sadistic monster off the streets, but because they ALREADY got him off the streets, or so they thought. Derek Tyler was convicted of similar crimes two years previously and he is safely locked up. Then how are they to explain the new prostitute murders, each killed exactly in the same way? Is it a copycat? Time to call in Dr. Tony Hill, profiler. Maybe he can help find those two missing local boys, as well, although it's 100% certain they are dead, victims of a pedophile, as nude computer pictures of one of the children, obviously being sexually assaulted, showed up.
The streets of Bradford, whether blood-Red Light or pastel friendly, never looked darker.
Hill is easy to find, because he is now working part-time at Bradfield Moor. His new life as a professor at a university does not quite have the interesting moments he has become used to, such as treating Tom Storey, a hospital inmate that because of a brain tumor smothered his children. Storey didn't realize he might have a tumor, but instead blamed his left hand that was out of his control. Hill's diagnosis is Alien Hand Syndrome, a problem caused when the two halves of the brain do not communicate when the delicate corpus callosum is damaged. However, Jordan and Hill are soon to discover returning to Bradford means all kinds of uncontrolled alien and alienated hands are disturbing the peace of Bradford citizens.
I have a feeling the hospital will soon have more inmates - or more graves dug in the hospital cemetery.
December 3, 2007
This story was very well crafted and I couldn't put it down...
But it is, by its very nature, extremely freaky. The descriptions of the crimes that take place are far too graphic for most I suspect. And the nature of the crimes (sexual homicide) are far outside what most folks would want to read about.
However, I fell in love with McDermid's writing style with The Grave Tattoo so it was a foregone conclusion that I would read another. I'm not exactly sorry that I picked this one up but I am glad it is over at the same time. Very few books have been so painful to read and yet so well written that I couldn't put it down.
The main characters are compelling and believable. They are complex and McDermid makes them and the environment of the story come to life with careful attention to details.
The ending was not at all what I expected. Not even a little and it takes a lot for me to be totally surprised by a crime novel.
Bottom line: I learned a lot about crafting a _good_ crime novel with 3-dimensional characters from this book but I would not recommend this book. Not to just anyone that is.
But it is, by its very nature, extremely freaky. The descriptions of the crimes that take place are far too graphic for most I suspect. And the nature of the crimes (sexual homicide) are far outside what most folks would want to read about.
However, I fell in love with McDermid's writing style with The Grave Tattoo so it was a foregone conclusion that I would read another. I'm not exactly sorry that I picked this one up but I am glad it is over at the same time. Very few books have been so painful to read and yet so well written that I couldn't put it down.
The main characters are compelling and believable. They are complex and McDermid makes them and the environment of the story come to life with careful attention to details.
The ending was not at all what I expected. Not even a little and it takes a lot for me to be totally surprised by a crime novel.
Bottom line: I learned a lot about crafting a _good_ crime novel with 3-dimensional characters from this book but I would not recommend this book. Not to just anyone that is.
April 27, 2020
Series that keeps improving as Tony helps Carol, newly returned as a detective after the horror of Berlin, track two killers. One is killing young boys and the other brutally slaying prostitutes in a particularly sadistic manner. Utterly compelling and just a bit disturbing.
June 18, 2024
Oooh, this was very much a return to form for me after finding the last book somewhat hit and miss!
Again, I find the vast gaps in contact between Tony and Carol only to fast-forward their dynamic back to the previous closeness within a few chapters somewhat irksome, but the psychology and playout of this investigation was really engrossing.
With Carol back in charge of two investigations that were very much in the public eye, seeing her attempt to navigate the change in perception of herself in the aftermath of her attack in the last book was one of the strongest aspects of this book. Her doubts were at the forefront, doubts about herself and doubts about the esteem she was held in by her colleagues. I've enjoyed Brandon's role in the books previously, but his handling of a detective who'd experience such trauma and betrayal of her trust was incredibly unprofessional and undermined her authority within a new team. Carol gradually rediscovering her strength both professionally and personally against that backdrop was all the more satisfying for it.
The case? Whew. Probably the most ambitious setup that McDermid has presented yet in this series. It *just* remained within the realm of plausibility, "The Voice" and the psychology of the preying nature of it and the mind behind it really cleverly woven into the book. I was kicking myself for being wrongfooted on the perpetrator for so much of the book.
There was a second case in this book and it didn't feel half as tacked-on as the previous book. Instead, it utilised the increasing presence of the internet and technology in investigations and the trail that is left behind regardless of attempts to cover tracks, headed up by the very intriguing Stacey. I really hope this team stays together rather than parachuting Carol into a completely fresh setup again as the dynamics of this team were fresh with just an edge of darkness and competitiveness about them.
Again, I find the vast gaps in contact between Tony and Carol only to fast-forward their dynamic back to the previous closeness within a few chapters somewhat irksome, but the psychology and playout of this investigation was really engrossing.
With Carol back in charge of two investigations that were very much in the public eye, seeing her attempt to navigate the change in perception of herself in the aftermath of her attack in the last book was one of the strongest aspects of this book. Her doubts were at the forefront, doubts about herself and doubts about the esteem she was held in by her colleagues. I've enjoyed Brandon's role in the books previously, but his handling of a detective who'd experience such trauma and betrayal of her trust was incredibly unprofessional and undermined her authority within a new team. Carol gradually rediscovering her strength both professionally and personally against that backdrop was all the more satisfying for it.
The case? Whew. Probably the most ambitious setup that McDermid has presented yet in this series. It *just* remained within the realm of plausibility, "The Voice" and the psychology of the preying nature of it and the mind behind it really cleverly woven into the book. I was kicking myself for being wrongfooted on the perpetrator for so much of the book.
There was a second case in this book and it didn't feel half as tacked-on as the previous book. Instead, it utilised the increasing presence of the internet and technology in investigations and the trail that is left behind regardless of attempts to cover tracks, headed up by the very intriguing Stacey. I really hope this team stays together rather than parachuting Carol into a completely fresh setup again as the dynamics of this team were fresh with just an edge of darkness and competitiveness about them.
March 4, 2020
Wow – probably the most suspenseful crime thriller we’ve read in quite a while, and first to earn for 2020 our rarely accorded 5-stars. “Torment” is the fourth in Scot Val McDermid’s Tony Hill & Carol Jordan now 11-book series, this being an earlier one from 2004. DCI Carol has finally returned to work after a brutal rape in a previous undercover assignment obviously gone way wrong; and Tony has decided to return to working at a mental institute part-time. Carol has a new job heading a Major Incident Team, and while they pursue a couple of child abductions never solved, a vicious killer starts duplicating some horrid murders against prostitutes for which there was already a captured and confessed killer incarcerated at the institute where Tony works. For a while that confuses the whole police force but a second murder gets Tony to wondering if a third-person “puppeteer” might be pulling the strings. Finally Carol’s team very reluctantly agrees to a police higher-up demand to have one of her females try to run an undercover sting, and all again goes haywire.
The work on both the cold case and the new crimes was both interesting and featured such sustained suspense we could hardly stop turning pages. Tony and Carol’s confused romantic relationship adds some spice, especially when a motorbike guy starts hanging around! Tony wound up being brilliant, as was much of Carol’s staff – yet all the outcomes weren’t necessarily tied up with Hollywood-style ribbons. Excellent outing, certainly sharpening our anticipation for, and faster partake of, the rest of the set!
The work on both the cold case and the new crimes was both interesting and featured such sustained suspense we could hardly stop turning pages. Tony and Carol’s confused romantic relationship adds some spice, especially when a motorbike guy starts hanging around! Tony wound up being brilliant, as was much of Carol’s staff – yet all the outcomes weren’t necessarily tied up with Hollywood-style ribbons. Excellent outing, certainly sharpening our anticipation for, and faster partake of, the rest of the set!
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