Beneath the Bleeding

It seems hard to believe now, but there was a day when Val McDermid was just another crime writer. True, her Kate Brannigan novels were highly accomplished and well-honed pieces of work, and if McDermid had written nothing else, they would have assured her a solid place in the history of the genre. But Beneath the Bleeding (as with most of the other work the author has done more recently) is a much more ambitious and considerable novel, written on a grander scale, tackling pertinent social issues and (most importantly) developing two highly memorable characters: forensic profiler Tony Hill and his police ally DCI Carol Jordan.

The new book, as disturbing as it is compulsively readable, continues to add new levels to the psychological thriller -- something that McDermid seems able to do in every new book. A star footballer has been murdered in the city of Bradfield. Shortly after, an explosion rocks the town's football stadium, wreaking mass carnage. In the current climate of fear regarding home-grown terrorism, it is inevitable that suspicion falls in this direction - but is money -- or something else -- involved here? Such as a bloody working out of some kind of revenge scenario against the football team? Needless to say, this is quite a different case from those that Tony Hill and Carol Jordan have previously been involved with, and the customary relationship (swinging between confrontation and admiration) is worked out with all the rigour that we expect from McDermid. Of course, this is an author who always has more fish to fry than the simple exigencies of the crime novel, and astringent commentaries on many aspects of British society are provocatively incorporated here (always, though, inter alia -- never at the expense of a forward-moving narrative). If you're a fan of the Wire in the Blood TV series, you should do yourself a favour and investigate the original novels - such as Beneath the Bleeding. They offer a considerably more involving experience. --Barry Forshaw

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Not Quite A Page Turner - Rated
Beneath The Bleeding is the fifth book in the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. In this one, they have to investigate the mysterious death of top Premiership football player, Robbie Bishop, who plays for the local Bradfield Vics. team, who has been poisoned. As if they are not already under enough pressure, there is what seems like a terrorist attack at the Bradfield Vics. stadium a few days later.

The characters of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan are always engaging as are there work colleagues, each with their own personalities, and different methods of dealing with their work.

This novel, though, did not grab my attention, as much as the other ones, that I have read in this series. It was quite an interesting read, but I felt the ending was too rushed. Everything seemed to fall nicely into place, very quickly, after quite a lot of 'tail chasing', beforehand. I'm not so sure the introduction of Tony Hill's manipulative mother was such a good thing, also. Although, that storyline might become more interesting in novels to come.

Good but not the best - Rated
This latest installment from Val McDermid was eagerly anticipated. However, I found that unlike all her other books, I didn't race through it as I usually do. There simply wasn't that anticipation and suspense of whodunnit? for me.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, and I liked certain aspects of it, such as the look at Tony Hill's past and how Val used topical crimes. She's still a darn good storyteller though so I'm not too disappointed.
However I felt that there we didn't get to 'know' the serial killer very well. There was no insight into his mind at all and all felt a bit rushed at the end.
Perhaps what I'm missing is the blood and gore?! There was none here, and none of Val's usual intricately woven plot.
I won't be reading it again, but Val left lots of loose ends so will defiantely be looking forward to the next one!

Good old page-turner - Rated
After slamming the last book I read shut in disgust, I picked this next Val McDermid eagerly off the shelf and hurried home. I needed to read something I knew would grip me and that I would look forward to picking up. I was not wrong.

This is the 5th book in the Carol Jordan / Tony Hill series (for those unfamiliar with this series, Jordan is a feisty DCI who runs the Major Incident Team and Hill is a Criminal Profiler who helps the police). In this latest installment (there is no need to read in order by the way - I started with the 4th and then went back), there are 2 cases running parallel - one is the death of a premier club footballer and the other is the bombing of the football stadium. As ever, there are twists and turns and surprises gallore, and while I did find this book as unputdownable as her others, I felt that there was something lacking in this story. We never really got a sense of the killer and his motives (infact I found the end abit of a cop out in this respect).

I have given this 4 stars, as it did what I wanted and kept me hooked and you can't beat a Mcdermid for a good old page-turner. I have held a star back though as I came away feeling a little short changed by the ending.

topical and interesting but a little below par - Rated
As usual pacy and well written by McDermid. The development of Tony's character has been a long time coming and adds substance to the novels. It also moves them away from being books of TV programme, as most viewers think TV programme came first!!

The footballer theme was well developed, interesting and gripping . It also gave ithoughtful insight into that elitist lifestyle for a non football fan.

However the "terrorist" angle didn't really work in parts, with the exception of the effect on bombers family and how community was affected by the carnage glossed over.

The hospital scenes were not terribly accurate but could be ignored as content added to plotting. Also felt finale a little tenuous involving the "bombers" identity and motives.

Mind you, was a great read despite these faults, I eagarly await next Tony Hill novel, and hopefully with a return to form

Val always keeps you reading - Rated
If you're a fan of Val McDermid you will love this one too! A real page turner.