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Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #2
La fureur dans le sang
Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they're runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It's the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They've spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find...
He's handsome and talented, rich and famous--a notorious charmer with the power to seduce...and the will to destroy. No one can believe what he's capable of. No one can imagine what he's already done. And no one can fathom what he's about to do next. Until one of Hill's students is murdered--the first move in a sick and violent game for three players. Now, of all the killers Hill and Jordan have hunted, none has been so ruthless, so terrifyingly clever, and so brilliantly elusive as the killer who's hunting them...
He's handsome and talented, rich and famous--a notorious charmer with the power to seduce...and the will to destroy. No one can believe what he's capable of. No one can imagine what he's already done. And no one can fathom what he's about to do next. Until one of Hill's students is murdered--the first move in a sick and violent game for three players. Now, of all the killers Hill and Jordan have hunted, none has been so ruthless, so terrifyingly clever, and so brilliantly elusive as the killer who's hunting them...
524 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 1997
801 people are currently reading
5519 people want to read
About the author
Val McDermid
308 books5,369 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 873 reviews
May 27, 2018
I am so happy to have finally given Val McDermid’s stellar Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series a go. What a terrific writer Ms. McDermid is!
I think what I like most is how much I learn from her, especially about profiling, even though these earlier books were written in the mid to later 1990s. Forensic psychology is a fascinating topic, and it is clear the author has deep knowledge of the subject. It is almost incomprehensible to me that she has no practical (that I am aware of) experience in the field, yet writes about it as if she were a world expert.
In this outing, Tony and Carol, along with a group of young cops working to become profilers, team up without the blessing of any police force in an effort to bring down a serial killer. Carol is also involved in trying to break a string of fires by arson. I love the way Ms. McDermid has these two characters working together so that readers get emphasis on both policing and profiling, two of my favorite things to read about. We continue to learn about both Tony and Carol in this installment, and I am liking them more and more. I thought the author did a great job in introducing us to six other cops, bringing out the individuality of each. I never once used the search button to remind me who was who.
The plot deals with two major threads and is fabulous. The story is chock full of suspense and intrigue and there are plenty of downright nail-biting moments. And let me say that Ms. McDermid is not shy about tossing in some major shockwaves. I hated putting this book down.
I am delighted that there are at least 8 more books (and counting) in this series for me. I have discovered some great old gems this year (including books by Tana French, Stuart MacBride, and Elizabeth George) and am eager to find even more, especially as I observe the current generation of writers trending too much toward me-too territory.
I highly recommend the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series to every crime fiction/thriller fan with one warning. Her books can be quite dark, so you may want to tread lightly if you prefer to avoid heavy doses of pure evil.
I’m loving you, Val!
I think what I like most is how much I learn from her, especially about profiling, even though these earlier books were written in the mid to later 1990s. Forensic psychology is a fascinating topic, and it is clear the author has deep knowledge of the subject. It is almost incomprehensible to me that she has no practical (that I am aware of) experience in the field, yet writes about it as if she were a world expert.
In this outing, Tony and Carol, along with a group of young cops working to become profilers, team up without the blessing of any police force in an effort to bring down a serial killer. Carol is also involved in trying to break a string of fires by arson. I love the way Ms. McDermid has these two characters working together so that readers get emphasis on both policing and profiling, two of my favorite things to read about. We continue to learn about both Tony and Carol in this installment, and I am liking them more and more. I thought the author did a great job in introducing us to six other cops, bringing out the individuality of each. I never once used the search button to remind me who was who.
The plot deals with two major threads and is fabulous. The story is chock full of suspense and intrigue and there are plenty of downright nail-biting moments. And let me say that Ms. McDermid is not shy about tossing in some major shockwaves. I hated putting this book down.
I am delighted that there are at least 8 more books (and counting) in this series for me. I have discovered some great old gems this year (including books by Tana French, Stuart MacBride, and Elizabeth George) and am eager to find even more, especially as I observe the current generation of writers trending too much toward me-too territory.
I highly recommend the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series to every crime fiction/thriller fan with one warning. Her books can be quite dark, so you may want to tread lightly if you prefer to avoid heavy doses of pure evil.
I’m loving you, Val!
April 17, 2023
Carol Jordan & Tony Hill book No. 2 'The Wire In The Blood' is the title the series became known as on TV. Another gripping read from McDermid, as Hill sets up a profiling unit that starts by digging into cold cases. Jordan meanwhile heading a new team investigates a suspected arsonist. The Hill case, the main one of the book takes a look at what would happen if a well known, rich, powerful and highly popular celebrity was also a psychotic serial killer. Captivating! 8 out of 12 Four Stars for both times I've read this.
2013 and 2011 read
2013 and 2011 read
February 3, 2018
Two separate crimes are showcased in this book. One shows how profiling can eliminate the psychological aspect of a crime spree, and the other shows the benefit profiling can be to identifying and capturing a serial killer.
Tony Hill has set up his task force and is training four junior officers with practice cases when seven victims are found to have several things in common. The local police forces are skeptical that profiling is an advantage, and this is the wall that Tony Hill must break through to have his task force accepted.
The book is well written, but has a slow methodical pace to developing the storylines. The details of the crimes are not grisly described. Mistakes are made along the way to solving the crimes, but the book doesn’t follow up on the consequences Carol Jordan must face for her divided loyalty or the repercussions for the local police ignoring the task force.
I will definitely be reading the third book of the series soon.
Tony Hill has set up his task force and is training four junior officers with practice cases when seven victims are found to have several things in common. The local police forces are skeptical that profiling is an advantage, and this is the wall that Tony Hill must break through to have his task force accepted.
The book is well written, but has a slow methodical pace to developing the storylines. The details of the crimes are not grisly described. Mistakes are made along the way to solving the crimes, but the book doesn’t follow up on the consequences Carol Jordan must face for her divided loyalty or the repercussions for the local police ignoring the task force.
I will definitely be reading the third book of the series soon.
June 3, 2023
I thought the second novel in McDermid’s Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series was better than the first. Although Tony still has his psychological hang-ups, they are not emphasized as strongly in WIRE IN THE BLOOD, and consequently, Tony becomes a more appealing main protagonist.
Tony is now training several junior police officers to become profilers. As a practice case, he asks them to look at missing teenage girls and one young profiler, Shaz, identifies a group of seven missing girls who seem very similar in looks and the way they disappeared; furthermore, she proposes that they have been killed by a famous TV presenter and charity worker named Jacko Vance. Readers are aware, almost from the beginning of the book, that Vance is indeed a serial killer who loves to rape 14-year-old girls while he tortures them. So this story is not about who did it; it is about how to collect the evidence to prove that he did it.
Carol Jordan is brought into the case in a roundabout way. She needs help in identifying a serial arsonist and visits the group while Shaz is making her presentation.
Tony and some of his students collect evidence to prove that Vance is a killer while being ignored by the local police force, who completely dismiss their evidence regarding Vance. One officer, Wharton, is particularly dense.
Carol adds police support where she can, given that Tony is getting no help from the regular police. Another officer, DS Chris Devine, also becomes involved in the attempts to capture Vance.
As with the first book in the series, “The Mermaids Singing”, WIRE IN THE BLOOD is quite dark and there are scenes of torture. There a fewer horrendous torture scenes, but there are some. There is considerably less deviant sexuality in this second book.
While reading the story, I thought that McDermid had based the character of Jacko Vance on Jimmy Savile. Like Savile, Vance frequently visited hospitals, and Vance toured towns for a TV show called Vance’s Visits, much the same as Savile’s Travels radio show. But Savile’s sex offences were not uncovered until after his death in 2011 and WIRE IN THE BLOOD was published in 1997. In 2012, McDermid stated that she indeed had based the Jocko Vance character on Jimmy Savile ( https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc... ). There were allegations about Savile’s predatory sexual activities during his lifetime but these were ignored by authorities. Similarly, in McDermid’s novel, the two local police officers dumbly ignore all Tony’s evidence that suggests that Vance is a serial killer. Perhaps this is the reason for the rather ambiguous ending that suggests that Vance might not be convicted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for:
The Mermaids Singing
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #1)
The Last Temptation
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #3)
The Torment of Others
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony is now training several junior police officers to become profilers. As a practice case, he asks them to look at missing teenage girls and one young profiler, Shaz, identifies a group of seven missing girls who seem very similar in looks and the way they disappeared; furthermore, she proposes that they have been killed by a famous TV presenter and charity worker named Jacko Vance. Readers are aware, almost from the beginning of the book, that Vance is indeed a serial killer who loves to rape 14-year-old girls while he tortures them. So this story is not about who did it; it is about how to collect the evidence to prove that he did it.
Carol Jordan is brought into the case in a roundabout way. She needs help in identifying a serial arsonist and visits the group while Shaz is making her presentation.
Tony and some of his students collect evidence to prove that Vance is a killer while being ignored by the local police force, who completely dismiss their evidence regarding Vance. One officer, Wharton, is particularly dense.
Carol adds police support where she can, given that Tony is getting no help from the regular police. Another officer, DS Chris Devine, also becomes involved in the attempts to capture Vance.
As with the first book in the series, “The Mermaids Singing”, WIRE IN THE BLOOD is quite dark and there are scenes of torture. There a fewer horrendous torture scenes, but there are some. There is considerably less deviant sexuality in this second book.
While reading the story, I thought that McDermid had based the character of Jacko Vance on Jimmy Savile. Like Savile, Vance frequently visited hospitals, and Vance toured towns for a TV show called Vance’s Visits, much the same as Savile’s Travels radio show. But Savile’s sex offences were not uncovered until after his death in 2011 and WIRE IN THE BLOOD was published in 1997. In 2012, McDermid stated that she indeed had based the Jocko Vance character on Jimmy Savile ( https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc... ). There were allegations about Savile’s predatory sexual activities during his lifetime but these were ignored by authorities. Similarly, in McDermid’s novel, the two local police officers dumbly ignore all Tony’s evidence that suggests that Vance is a serial killer. Perhaps this is the reason for the rather ambiguous ending that suggests that Vance might not be convicted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for:
The Mermaids Singing
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #1)
The Last Temptation
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #3)
The Torment of Others
(Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 6, 2016
1.5 stars Uninspired writing, loose plotting, unconvincing leaps in "intuitive" investigative work, reliance on coincidences to further hero's success, cliche interdepartmental strife, insulting portrayals of most of the police force in order to prop up the savant psychological profiler, half-hearted characters, thoroughly uninteresting romantic relationships, mildly annoying sexist and anti-LGBT comments (without payoff/nuance ), and violence that's somewhat graphic/meant to be shocking, but fails to punch you in the emotional gut.
I admit fully that this book suffers the unfortunate timing of being read a day after I reread the first two books in the Jack Caffery series, which are incredibly violent and sadistic, but also contain well-plotted, well-written mysteries, expertly detailed police and medical examiner work, layered but restrained character development, and some of the most genuinely sad and haunting story arcs I've ever read.
That series is also filled with crazy tension, unlike this limp thing. No surprises here at all.
I also don't really care about anyone in this book, except the one victim POV, but only in the most abstract sense because she's relegated to a teen character that seems written by marking off checkboxes. Also, portraying all the cartoonish sicko's victims as virgins ripe for sex and fame leaves a bad taste in my mouth, since they don't get any more developed than that. They--and we--deserved better.
Second book I've tried from this author, I don't even remember the first from several years back. That's it for me.
I admit fully that this book suffers the unfortunate timing of being read a day after I reread the first two books in the Jack Caffery series, which are incredibly violent and sadistic, but also contain well-plotted, well-written mysteries, expertly detailed police and medical examiner work, layered but restrained character development, and some of the most genuinely sad and haunting story arcs I've ever read.
That series is also filled with crazy tension, unlike this limp thing. No surprises here at all.
I also don't really care about anyone in this book, except the one victim POV, but only in the most abstract sense because she's relegated to a teen character that seems written by marking off checkboxes. Also, portraying all the cartoonish sicko's victims as virgins ripe for sex and fame leaves a bad taste in my mouth, since they don't get any more developed than that. They--and we--deserved better.
Second book I've tried from this author, I don't even remember the first from several years back. That's it for me.
February 21, 2019
Number 2 in the Hill and Jordan series.
The interesting thing about this book is that almost from the start we know who the sicko is. Normally you have to wait until the end before the killer is revealed but not here.
Tony Hill, profiler extraordinaire, has been given a small team of four detectives to train as profilers. As a training exercise Hill give his new team a case load of old file where young women have gone missing never to be seen again. Their job is to see if they can see any connections between the different cases, which happened over a number of years and are geographically diverse. One of the team, a girl on a mission, comes up with the astonishing conclusion that one of Britain’s highest profile TV personalities could be a serial killer. Initially when the team hear her theory they bust out laughing, as if that could be true. But a few days later the young officer is discovered dead, not just dead but brutally mutilated, in her own home. Shocked at the violence dished out to their new colleague and forced into the realisation that she was onto something much bigger and nastier than any of them realised the team embark on a hunt for evidence to prove that the TV star is not what he appears to be.
For Tony Hill, with the help of Carol Jordan, and his now team of three this has become a highly personal search for the truth.
This is, once again, a very gruesome read form Val McDermid but have to say that I couldn’t put the book down.
There are characters of every shape and size, some to warm to and others to despise. The plot might be a bit implausible in places but hey it’s a novel not real life.
I for one couldn’t get enough.
A great read deserving of my 4 stars rating.
The interesting thing about this book is that almost from the start we know who the sicko is. Normally you have to wait until the end before the killer is revealed but not here.
Tony Hill, profiler extraordinaire, has been given a small team of four detectives to train as profilers. As a training exercise Hill give his new team a case load of old file where young women have gone missing never to be seen again. Their job is to see if they can see any connections between the different cases, which happened over a number of years and are geographically diverse. One of the team, a girl on a mission, comes up with the astonishing conclusion that one of Britain’s highest profile TV personalities could be a serial killer. Initially when the team hear her theory they bust out laughing, as if that could be true. But a few days later the young officer is discovered dead, not just dead but brutally mutilated, in her own home. Shocked at the violence dished out to their new colleague and forced into the realisation that she was onto something much bigger and nastier than any of them realised the team embark on a hunt for evidence to prove that the TV star is not what he appears to be.
For Tony Hill, with the help of Carol Jordan, and his now team of three this has become a highly personal search for the truth.
This is, once again, a very gruesome read form Val McDermid but have to say that I couldn’t put the book down.
There are characters of every shape and size, some to warm to and others to despise. The plot might be a bit implausible in places but hey it’s a novel not real life.
I for one couldn’t get enough.
A great read deserving of my 4 stars rating.
June 27, 2020
Val McDermid’s Tony Hill and Carol Jordan mysteries should come with a warning that you are about to read a dark and twisty tale where characters you have grown to care about will be killed in terrible ways. I was shocked by several deaths in The Wire in the Blood. Don’t get too attached to any character in The Wire in the Blood. A lot of good, innocent people die.
You know from the beginning that Jacko Vance, television celebrity and hero, is the serial killer. Tony Hill is still fighting local police prejudice that profiling is a waste of time. He is training a group of young officers in profiling. Unfortunately, Carol Jordan did not elect to become part of this force. Instead, she is pursuing a serial arsonist and her supervisor asked her to work with Tony to develop a profile on him.
My only (very slight) criticism was about the end of the book. It was left a little open and now I can’t wait to get the third book to see what happens.
You know from the beginning that Jacko Vance, television celebrity and hero, is the serial killer. Tony Hill is still fighting local police prejudice that profiling is a waste of time. He is training a group of young officers in profiling. Unfortunately, Carol Jordan did not elect to become part of this force. Instead, she is pursuing a serial arsonist and her supervisor asked her to work with Tony to develop a profile on him.
My only (very slight) criticism was about the end of the book. It was left a little open and now I can’t wait to get the third book to see what happens.
December 26, 2015
Meh. I'm really not getting any warm fuzzies for this series. Nor any reaction really.
I was hoping that the second book in the series would be more interesting and getting away from the scene setting that took up so much of The Mermaids Singing, but no...a large part of the book is still about workplace politics and Tony Hill's struggle to find acceptance of his profiling task force within the police.
Blah, blah, policing, blah, blah...
And I have literally no interest in the relationship between Tony and Carol. Shaz was an interesting character but there was not that much interaction between her and the rest of the characters.
The fact that we know from the start who the killer is, does not help the situation. Instead of reading on to guess who may have done it is practically spoilt and for me there isn't that much fun in following the profilers trying to balance their professional aspirations with their personal entanglements.
So, whilst I seem to enjoy Val's standalone novels, I just can't find anything in this series that resonates with me. At all.
DNF @ 55%.
I was hoping that the second book in the series would be more interesting and getting away from the scene setting that took up so much of The Mermaids Singing, but no...a large part of the book is still about workplace politics and Tony Hill's struggle to find acceptance of his profiling task force within the police.
Blah, blah, policing, blah, blah...
And I have literally no interest in the relationship between Tony and Carol. Shaz was an interesting character but there was not that much interaction between her and the rest of the characters.
The fact that we know from the start who the killer is, does not help the situation. Instead of reading on to guess who may have done it is practically spoilt and for me there isn't that much fun in following the profilers trying to balance their professional aspirations with their personal entanglements.
So, whilst I seem to enjoy Val's standalone novels, I just can't find anything in this series that resonates with me. At all.
DNF @ 55%.
October 17, 2025
Кримка, която не е нищо особено.
Доста разтеглена и с не много добра романтична линия между главните герои в сюжета.
Става да се прочете - но за съжаление нищо повече, губи време е и не остава спомен от нея.
Моята оценка - 1,5*.
Доста разтеглена и с не много добра романтична линия между главните герои в сюжета.
Става да се прочете - но за съжаление нищо повече, губи време е и не остава спомен от нея.
Моята оценка - 1,5*.
November 25, 2018
Fantastic almost to the last sentence, but...
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the book epilogue. Maybe it’s up to me but I didn’t quite get it... 🙁
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the book epilogue. Maybe it’s up to me but I didn’t quite get it... 🙁
August 21, 2011
‘The best profilers have probably got more in common with serial killers than with the rest of the human race. Because killers have to be good profilers, too. A killer profiles his victims. He has to learn how to look at a shopping precinct full of people and pick out the one person who will work as a victim for him. He picks the wrong person and it’s good night, Vienna. So he can’t afford to make mistakes any more than we can…’
Top profiler and clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill is now heading up the newly formed National Profiling Task Force, and he sets his team the challenge of looking into the real life cases of dozens of missing girls. Are they teenage runaways, or victims of a killer or killers? One officer in the group comes up with a solid but shocking theory the others can’t accept.
But what if it’s true?
The Wire in the Blood - named from a T.S. Eliot quote – is the second novel featuring Scottish crime writer Val McDermid’s now famous characters Detective Inspector Carol Jordan and Dr. Tony Hill, stars of the hit British television series of the same name. Dr. Hill and D.I. Jordan are both students of human nature’s darkest depths, and their complicated professional and personal relationship adds a necessary and compelling human factor to this series.
The Wire in the Blood opens with a chilling glimpse into the mind of a serial killer and never once eases off from the intensity of those first few pages, demonstrating why McDermid is so often mentioned in the same breath as Thomas Harris – author of The Silence of the Lambs. Her ability to convincingly enter the mind of a sadistic killer is chilling. It’s an unsettling ability she shares with Dr. Hill.
Watch my interview with Val McDermid for 13th Street: http://www.13thstreetuniversal.com.au...
Top profiler and clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill is now heading up the newly formed National Profiling Task Force, and he sets his team the challenge of looking into the real life cases of dozens of missing girls. Are they teenage runaways, or victims of a killer or killers? One officer in the group comes up with a solid but shocking theory the others can’t accept.
But what if it’s true?
The Wire in the Blood - named from a T.S. Eliot quote – is the second novel featuring Scottish crime writer Val McDermid’s now famous characters Detective Inspector Carol Jordan and Dr. Tony Hill, stars of the hit British television series of the same name. Dr. Hill and D.I. Jordan are both students of human nature’s darkest depths, and their complicated professional and personal relationship adds a necessary and compelling human factor to this series.
The Wire in the Blood opens with a chilling glimpse into the mind of a serial killer and never once eases off from the intensity of those first few pages, demonstrating why McDermid is so often mentioned in the same breath as Thomas Harris – author of The Silence of the Lambs. Her ability to convincingly enter the mind of a sadistic killer is chilling. It’s an unsettling ability she shares with Dr. Hill.
Watch my interview with Val McDermid for 13th Street: http://www.13thstreetuniversal.com.au...
November 11, 2017
Between 4 & 4.5 stars
July 28, 2019
I read this a long time ago and enjoyed it. Gruesome and clever. Must get back into this series
May 16, 2015
The title of Val McDermid’s The Wire in the Blood is taken from TS Eliot’s “East Coker” section of his collection of poems, “Four Quartets: “The trilling wire in the blood/sings below inveterate scars/ appeasing long-forgotten wars.” The poem, written during World War II, reflects Eliot’s religious faith and his belief that hope would overcome despair and darkness. Val McDermid considered the phrase to be a metaphor for the thrill of adrenaline surging through the bloodstream. (https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...)
Buzz! Yes, I felt it! In this second Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novel, that hormonal rush captivates a number of characters. Dr. Tony Hill, who heads up the National Profiling Task Force, pilots a team of young detectives through a series of exercises as he trains them to be profilers. Carol Jordan, recently promoted to DCI, struggles to lead a squadron as she investigates a series of fires. Carol has a difficult time lighting a fire under her gang; Tony has the opposite problem, at least with one protégé. DC Shaz – don’t call me Sharon – Bowman is particularly gung-ho. When the group is assigned to study for a batch of cases of teenage girls who’ve gone missing over the span of more than a decade, Shaz not only links them, but she also puts herself in mortal danger.
The introduction is slow and steady, as characters are introduced and the scene is framed; having read McDermid’s The Mermaids Singing, I knew that she was setting me up for an addicting undertaking. Once I got into the corpus delecti of the dual plots, I was hooked.
The coppers and profilers weren’t the only ones affected by McDermid’s “wire in the blood.”
From the onset, the reader is given an insider’s view of the killer’s world, and I felt no sympathy for this chap. He is a sadistic egomaniac, but because he is a charming public figure, he is considered to be beyond reproach. The arsonist is a different animal, and Carol turns to Tony for help with his profile. When he and his crew come up with suggestions, well, things don’t turn out quite as planned.
Because this book builds on the first, I would recommend reading The Mermaids Singing before starting this one. McDermid doesn’t give away any secrets, but she does not provide much background information about Hill and Jordan either, so I was thankful that I had read her previous work. The only criticism I have is quite minor: there were, surprisingly, a number of typos in the Kindle edition that I read. This did not affect my enjoyment of the story, however. To American readers: You might want to keep your British terminology dictionary handy for this one! I am aware that there was a British television series based on this book; somehow, I cannot imagine it holding a candle to McDermid’s writing!
5 stars
Buzz! Yes, I felt it! In this second Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novel, that hormonal rush captivates a number of characters. Dr. Tony Hill, who heads up the National Profiling Task Force, pilots a team of young detectives through a series of exercises as he trains them to be profilers. Carol Jordan, recently promoted to DCI, struggles to lead a squadron as she investigates a series of fires. Carol has a difficult time lighting a fire under her gang; Tony has the opposite problem, at least with one protégé. DC Shaz – don’t call me Sharon – Bowman is particularly gung-ho. When the group is assigned to study for a batch of cases of teenage girls who’ve gone missing over the span of more than a decade, Shaz not only links them, but she also puts herself in mortal danger.
The introduction is slow and steady, as characters are introduced and the scene is framed; having read McDermid’s The Mermaids Singing, I knew that she was setting me up for an addicting undertaking. Once I got into the corpus delecti of the dual plots, I was hooked.
The coppers and profilers weren’t the only ones affected by McDermid’s “wire in the blood.”
From the onset, the reader is given an insider’s view of the killer’s world, and I felt no sympathy for this chap. He is a sadistic egomaniac, but because he is a charming public figure, he is considered to be beyond reproach. The arsonist is a different animal, and Carol turns to Tony for help with his profile. When he and his crew come up with suggestions, well, things don’t turn out quite as planned.
Because this book builds on the first, I would recommend reading The Mermaids Singing before starting this one. McDermid doesn’t give away any secrets, but she does not provide much background information about Hill and Jordan either, so I was thankful that I had read her previous work. The only criticism I have is quite minor: there were, surprisingly, a number of typos in the Kindle edition that I read. This did not affect my enjoyment of the story, however. To American readers: You might want to keep your British terminology dictionary handy for this one! I am aware that there was a British television series based on this book; somehow, I cannot imagine it holding a candle to McDermid’s writing!
5 stars
September 6, 2016
The Wire in the Blood by Val McDermid Overlong Pursuit of a Serial Killer
Psychologist Tony Hill leader of a newly formed profiling task force, sets an exercise for his team of ambitious new coppers: to look for connections between the mysterious disappearances of young girls across Britain. One officer, Shaz comes up with a seemingly far-fetched theory that a high profile celebrity, Jacko Vance is the serial killer. Of course, she is laughed out of the building. Only when she starts digging deeper do things start to happen.
McDermid conveys the feel of Britain and the characters of various communities vividly, and I love some of her turns of phrases and character descriptions, which brought clear imagery of who was who regarding the many characters in the story.
I did feel the plot get tediously hampered by various things, for instance the 2 dullard coppers who decide to put under suspicion the entire profiling force for the murder of one of their own, simply because the team knew each other. Such a flimsy basis surely couldn’t give them the powers to dismantle a whole subdivision within the police force? One of the coppers, Waldron had the imagination of a fence post.
I also couldn’t see the relevance of a subplot involving the mysterious arson attacks within an industrial estate. I kept thinking the two stories would come together at the end, but they didn’t.
There were no great surprises or plot twists in the story, more a long chain of conversations between officers in stations or on crime scenes. Some of the events were recapped by various characters which got a little long-winded at times and I wanted the story to move on.
Vance, the serial killer was chilling, but I was confused at the end when a question mark was left as to whether Tony could get a cut and dried conviction against him. I was under the impression Vance had sexually abused his victim – if not, he had spat at her. This would have left DNA traces on her body. As the story was first published in 1997, I believe DNA science could have brought a conviction.
Believable characters and with some compelling scenes, but I felt the story could have been lopped here and there.
June 18, 2017
The second in the Tony/Carol series finds Tony's newly-formed profilers traveling upcountry to refine their skills in a training environment. Shazz is an overachiever, and particularly intuitive, and finds an otherwise unknown serial offender that has been disappearing 14-15 year old females for several years. She shares her profile with the others, and is poo-poohed. Her alternative - confront the baddie herself.
Engaging storylines, with a serial arsonist confounding Carol's police group. What I didn't like was being made to like one of our protagonists, and then having to grieve afterward.
Engaging storylines, with a serial arsonist confounding Carol's police group. What I didn't like was being made to like one of our protagonists, and then having to grieve afterward.
April 28, 2014
McDermid returns with another explosive thriller, returning with more horrific details and another sadistic killer bent on complete control. As DCI Jordan accepts a promotion in a new part of the country, she is faced with a new team with whom she must prove her worth, all while a slew of arsons haunt the township. Filling shoes in a predominantly male circle, Jordan struggles while trying to see if these fires are part of a larger serial arsonist's plan. When fires begin to claim more than property, Jordan seeks the assistance of Dr. Tony Hill, busy with his own new project. Hill is working on his Home Office project and launching the National Profiling Initiative, working with police applicants from around the UK. This team, some of the best and brightest, seeks to learn the art of profiling. When one of the team members takes an express interest in their 'practice case', where teenage girls have gone missing around the country over the last dozen years, Hill is eager to see her results. A monumental clue, missed by the local police department, opens eyes and drops jaws as a national television celebrity ends up in the crosshairs, at least in this 'mock report'. The report makes sense and the clues leave the possibility wide open, but it is when the report is presented to Jacko Vance, former Olympic hopeful and philanthropist, that things take a turn. McDermid has chapters running parallel to the main story about the plight of the serial killer's most recent victim, giving the reader gets a first-hand look into the stages of victimhood and how bad things could get. Explosive throughout with a great twist in the middle has McDermid fans lapping up all they can in this stunning thriller. Not your usual serial killer versus cops thriller, which makes it all the more interesting.
Still new to the McDermid style, I am quite drawn to the work she's done. The gore and explicit detail reminds me of Chris Carter novels and its thrill is a match as well. McDermid has a way with words and dialogue that keeps the reader flipping pages well into the night. Perhaps my only critique in this novel is the unusually long chapters found throughout, easily breakable into smaller and more digestible portions. While surely a weak criticism, the 'just one more chapter' technique does not always work, as much as I would like it to. With a story more akin to Criminal Minds, where one knows the killer and hopes only that the authorities do not leave loopholes to let them go free, McDermid has done well in laying out the foundation for a great series. Good chemistry from our two main characters as well, with that emotionally connection present, though not as strong as in the opening novel.
Kudos, Madam McDermid on another great novel. I am hooked and am prepared to delve into the next instalment.
Still new to the McDermid style, I am quite drawn to the work she's done. The gore and explicit detail reminds me of Chris Carter novels and its thrill is a match as well. McDermid has a way with words and dialogue that keeps the reader flipping pages well into the night. Perhaps my only critique in this novel is the unusually long chapters found throughout, easily breakable into smaller and more digestible portions. While surely a weak criticism, the 'just one more chapter' technique does not always work, as much as I would like it to. With a story more akin to Criminal Minds, where one knows the killer and hopes only that the authorities do not leave loopholes to let them go free, McDermid has done well in laying out the foundation for a great series. Good chemistry from our two main characters as well, with that emotionally connection present, though not as strong as in the opening novel.
Kudos, Madam McDermid on another great novel. I am hooked and am prepared to delve into the next instalment.
January 27, 2016
This is a fascinating book. I started reading because of the British tv series, which was also so very good. Tense, nicely written, great character development. Highly recommended. Also I recommend the tv series.
November 20, 2012
Este livro é bom... mas nada que se pareça com "O Canto das Sereias"!
Saber quem era o assassino desde o início do livro não ajudou! Contudo, recomendo aos amantes dos policiais que, se não considerarem este aspecto relevante, irão com certeza adorar! :)
Saber quem era o assassino desde o início do livro não ajudou! Contudo, recomendo aos amantes dos policiais que, se não considerarem este aspecto relevante, irão com certeza adorar! :)
August 9, 2022
The Wire in the Blood (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #2) by Val McDermid.
I picked this book up on CD thinking I would give this series another try. Apparently I read another and decided that this was not a series I wanted to follow. I'm so glad I did give it another chance. So well written with characters and situations running smoothly but not overlapping. Once I was past half way through I could not stop. Now I'm looking forward to the next in this series-The Last Temptation.
Tony & Carol have spent years delving into the psyche of serial killers to form profiles/patterns. Young girls have been vanishing across the country with no apparent reason. Each appeared to be well adjusted in a happy home with their parents. Where to look first and who to question? Spending time with the parents of the missing girls may lead them to interests held in people, places and possible future careers.
The intensity grows with each possible lead. Is there a serial murderer at large or is this someone hiding in plain sight as sane as you or me?
Highly recommended for it's spellbinding depth.
I picked this book up on CD thinking I would give this series another try. Apparently I read another and decided that this was not a series I wanted to follow. I'm so glad I did give it another chance. So well written with characters and situations running smoothly but not overlapping. Once I was past half way through I could not stop. Now I'm looking forward to the next in this series-The Last Temptation.
Tony & Carol have spent years delving into the psyche of serial killers to form profiles/patterns. Young girls have been vanishing across the country with no apparent reason. Each appeared to be well adjusted in a happy home with their parents. Where to look first and who to question? Spending time with the parents of the missing girls may lead them to interests held in people, places and possible future careers.
The intensity grows with each possible lead. Is there a serial murderer at large or is this someone hiding in plain sight as sane as you or me?
Highly recommended for it's spellbinding depth.
April 12, 2021
Μπορεί η Γοργόνα της να με κούρασε,τούτο δω όμως ήταν άξιο πεντάστερο.Ενδιαφέρουσες και οι δύο υποθέσεις-και η βασική,με τον διάσημο αστέρα που είναι ύποπτος απαγωγών και κατά συρροή δολοφονιών εφήβων κοριτσιών,αλλά και η άλλη με τους εμπρησμούς που τρέχει σε δεύτερο χρόνο,ωραία δουλεμένες και με πληθώρα χαρακτήρων,κυρίως από αυτούς που θες να κλωτσήσεις στο καλάμι και να τους ρίξεις μια μπουνιά στα μούτρα!
Για την τελευταία και πολλά υποσχόμενη σκηνή δεν θα πω κουβέντα,παρά μόνο θα ελπίσω να συνεχίζεται στο τρίτο βιβλίο.
5⭐
Για την τελευταία και πολλά υποσχόμενη σκηνή δεν θα πω κουβέντα,παρά μόνο θα ελπίσω να συνεχίζεται στο τρίτο βιβλίο.
5⭐
October 22, 2016
I came across this book mentioned in a television programme and decided to read it even though it is the second book in a series and I haven't read the first one. It was published long before the revelations in recent years about such celebrities as Jimmy Saville and has an alarmingly prophetic quality about it. Dr Tony Hill is gradually recovering from his experiences in a traumatic case described in 'The Mermaids Singing' and is involved in setting up a new task force to provide offender profiling services to the police.
DCI Carol Jordan - who worked closely with Hill on that case - has also started a new job but it seems she is destined to be thrown together with Hill whether she wants to see him or not. Hill's students are given a paper exercise to do to try and find patterns in a series of apparently random killings. When one of his best students is murdered in a particularly gruesome way, the task to find a ruthless killer becomes personal and a race against time for everyone involved.
I found some of the descriptions in this book rather too graphic for my taste though I was totally gripped by the story and thought it was very well written. The characters of Hill and Jordan are well drawn and definitely three dimensional. I would recognise them if I met them. I think the author captures the infighting which goes on in any big organisation extremely well and I was forcibly reminded of my own experiences when involved in new projects within a totally different large organisation.
This book could be read as standalone novel or as part of a series. I haven't read the first book in the series yet though I shall definitely go on to read the next book.
DCI Carol Jordan - who worked closely with Hill on that case - has also started a new job but it seems she is destined to be thrown together with Hill whether she wants to see him or not. Hill's students are given a paper exercise to do to try and find patterns in a series of apparently random killings. When one of his best students is murdered in a particularly gruesome way, the task to find a ruthless killer becomes personal and a race against time for everyone involved.
I found some of the descriptions in this book rather too graphic for my taste though I was totally gripped by the story and thought it was very well written. The characters of Hill and Jordan are well drawn and definitely three dimensional. I would recognise them if I met them. I think the author captures the infighting which goes on in any big organisation extremely well and I was forcibly reminded of my own experiences when involved in new projects within a totally different large organisation.
This book could be read as standalone novel or as part of a series. I haven't read the first book in the series yet though I shall definitely go on to read the next book.
May 28, 2018
PROTAGONISTS: Psychologist Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan
SERIES: #2
RATING: 3.75
WHY: A new profiling unit has just been set up and is headed by psychologist Tony Hill who proved his mettle in a previous harrowing case. His team is green; he needs to make profilers out of them in a short period of time while sorting out their ability to do the job. As an exercise, he has them look at the case of a possible serial killer who abducts teenaged girls. One of the squad, Shaz Bowman, goes all out for the assignment. She names a well-known TV entertainer as the perp, which everyone finds ludicrous. But after she is brutally murdered, their opinions change. Aided at times by his previous partner, DCI Carol Jordan, Hill and 3 team members chase the clues. They find an extremely intelligent, manipulative villain who pushes all of them to the limit. The psychological impact on each of the characters is immense. At times, the graphic details threatened to overwhelm, but they were never exploitive.
SERIES: #2
RATING: 3.75
WHY: A new profiling unit has just been set up and is headed by psychologist Tony Hill who proved his mettle in a previous harrowing case. His team is green; he needs to make profilers out of them in a short period of time while sorting out their ability to do the job. As an exercise, he has them look at the case of a possible serial killer who abducts teenaged girls. One of the squad, Shaz Bowman, goes all out for the assignment. She names a well-known TV entertainer as the perp, which everyone finds ludicrous. But after she is brutally murdered, their opinions change. Aided at times by his previous partner, DCI Carol Jordan, Hill and 3 team members chase the clues. They find an extremely intelligent, manipulative villain who pushes all of them to the limit. The psychological impact on each of the characters is immense. At times, the graphic details threatened to overwhelm, but they were never exploitive.
August 17, 2016
Wow what an incredible read !!!! Realized at 200 pages in this was a book number two of a three part story. It didn't matter once I got through some of the awkwardness of back story. Yes, this one really cooks !!!! The series has nine books total. I'm going back to first and read several. Author Val McDermid is one of my favorite story tellers. A super enjoyable read that fully deserves five stars !!!! Jump into this series !
February 5, 2017
Really enjoyed this book. This is an international author and some of the English lingo is hard to follow. Other than that, I have no complaints. I thoroughly enjoyed Tony Hill and Carol Jordan and I'm always on edge and interested to see how they navigate through their respective careers. This is a series I hope to finish by the end of this year.
June 7, 2020
spectacular! plus i realised I very well know these characters.. from a tv series I loved years and years ago, I was smitten with them then and not at all chuffed when the show was cancelled. how awesome to have all these books to read thru and then rewatch it *starry eyes*
May 17, 2021
A strong sequel
Even though we know the killer by the 1st 100 pages
But we are seeing the chase between him and the police
Even though we know the killer by the 1st 100 pages
But we are seeing the chase between him and the police
February 26, 2018
Another very strong mystery-thriller police procedural from Val McDermid.
I am very psyched to have finally started reading her books featuring psychologist Tony Hill and homicide detective Carol Jordan. I’m not a big PBS watcher so i was unaware it had been adapted into a popular television series. (I didn’t know that another of my favorites, the DCI Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson has also previously appeared on TV, presumably imported from the BBC.)
WIRE IN THE BLOOD is only the second book in the Hill/Jordan series and already the author has distinguished herself by the level of insight she provides on her protagonists’ thinking, inclusion of first-person accounts of the motivation and actions of the perpetrators and ruthlessness of placing her characters in mortal danger.
The first book (THE MERMAIDS SINGING) I found was needlessly gory and excessively violent in some places so I’m glad to see that in the second book McDermid leaves more to the imagination instead of including gut-churning details of bodily defilement.
The presence of Jacko Vance, one of the nation’s most popular television personalities, as a primary character (and suspect) demonstrates the author’s confidence in her craft and raises the stakes of this book to an extremely satisfying level.
I look forward to seeing how the relationship between Tony Hill and Carol Jordan will develop as well as seeing how and whether British policing will change as a result of the establishment and evolution of Hill’s national criminal profiling center.
Overall, this is a very impressive series. I find that most mystery thriller series usually improve as they develop so with the first two books easily being five-star reads I hope McDermid is able to maintain the quality for a long, long time! Surely EVERY book in the series can’t be worthy of five stars?
I am very psyched to have finally started reading her books featuring psychologist Tony Hill and homicide detective Carol Jordan. I’m not a big PBS watcher so i was unaware it had been adapted into a popular television series. (I didn’t know that another of my favorites, the DCI Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson has also previously appeared on TV, presumably imported from the BBC.)
WIRE IN THE BLOOD is only the second book in the Hill/Jordan series and already the author has distinguished herself by the level of insight she provides on her protagonists’ thinking, inclusion of first-person accounts of the motivation and actions of the perpetrators and ruthlessness of placing her characters in mortal danger.
The first book (THE MERMAIDS SINGING) I found was needlessly gory and excessively violent in some places so I’m glad to see that in the second book McDermid leaves more to the imagination instead of including gut-churning details of bodily defilement.
The presence of Jacko Vance, one of the nation’s most popular television personalities, as a primary character (and suspect) demonstrates the author’s confidence in her craft and raises the stakes of this book to an extremely satisfying level.
I look forward to seeing how the relationship between Tony Hill and Carol Jordan will develop as well as seeing how and whether British policing will change as a result of the establishment and evolution of Hill’s national criminal profiling center.
Overall, this is a very impressive series. I find that most mystery thriller series usually improve as they develop so with the first two books easily being five-star reads I hope McDermid is able to maintain the quality for a long, long time! Surely EVERY book in the series can’t be worthy of five stars?
March 24, 2018
Odličan triler, uživala sam u svakoj stranici. Drži pažnju od početka do kraja. Meni prva knjiga od ove autorice i sigurno ne zadnja.
June 14, 2023
I liked a lot about this book and I definitely think it's better than the first book in the series, but I really didn't care for the lack of mystery. Almost from the very beginning we know who is murdering people and the only mystery is whether the cops will catch them. Nothing very exciting at all. As much as it was an interesting read, there was nothing that pushed me to read more, nothing that made me want to pick up the book and find out how it would end. I hope the books continue to improve and maybe the next one won't give away the ending in the very beginning.
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