The Mermaids Singing | 
bailedHad to bail on this one. Not what I expected at all and very boring. 🙁😴
“The bodies of four men have been discovered in the town of Bradfield. Enlisted to investigate is criminal psychologist Tony Hill. Even for a seasoned professional, the series of mutilation sex murders is unlike anything he's encountered before. But profiling the psychopath is not beyond him. Hill's own past has made him the perfect man to comprehend the killer's motives. It's also made him the perfect victim.”
Working on a scarf while trying to read and be covered in cats is as complicated as it is cozy. This book, on the other hand, is a dark one. I‘d watched the show, Wire in the Blood, but still wasn‘t prepared for everything going on here. #lennox #huey #catsoflitsy #readharder2022
pickAbsolutely loved the story and the creepiness of this crime thriller, however, some things in this book haven‘t aged well along with the attitudes of some of the characters
Caution also if you don‘t like graphic details of torture and murder as this is very detailed
Overall it‘s a pick from me as I‘m obsessed with crime and forensics but I can understand this isn‘t for everyone
pickI don't think it's a book I could say I enjoyed reading, as it is obviously dated now (pub. 1995) & both attitudes & technology have thankfully moved on. I think it is important to remember that portraying certain views does not indicate approval of or agreement with them. It is a very dark book with graphic torture/death & there is also the killing of a dog. Read with caution.
Bonus points though for having a pub named A Wunch of Bankers. 4🌟
Three series I haven‘t started yet, but will start in the next some weeks. Heard so many good things! 😍
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The book was a good start to the series, but there were some aspects that just didn‘t age well. Will continue to read the series though.
#virtualMountTBR
#read2020
34/36
After reading the 7th in this series for the Tartan Noir prompt of #booked2020 I had to go back and start from the beginning!!
Just read an article in Waitrose magazine featuring an interview with Val McDermid.
56pts +1 participation +5 task completed = 62pts #NFNov @rsteve388 @Clwojick
Looking through the #booked2020 prompts having to google some things. Didn't know what tartan noir was, but found this interesting article about it with some suggestions:
https://crimereads.com/val-mcdermid-on-the-remarkable-rise-of-tartan-noir/
Have you read any Scottish crime fiction you'd wanna suggest?
pickIf you like grisly, psychological thrillers this one‘s for you. Must be okay with details, and also plenty of 1990s style prejudices. The main characters aren‘t shiny, pretty people which works in their favor for me. Sadly, I guessed the killer about 69% through but missed some key details. Solid 3.5 stars for the genre.
Full review www.thebibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2019
so-soFinished my first #audioembroidery project (a grain filled heating cushion for a friend) with Val McDermid‘s first #tonyhill novel. It‘s a bit antiquated but a well plotted psycho story and well rounded characters. I just get a bit bored with the whole genre at times, so it‘ll probably be a while before i‘ll dip back into my mum‘s crime story stash...
pickTerminado libro #21
#elcantodelassirenas #valmcdermid
Reseña: Las únicas dos cosas que le puedo criticar es que, no está se explota mucho en la vida pasada de los personajes y lo otro, me esperaba que el asesino fuera más sanguinario ya que usa réplicas de instrumentos de tortura de la inquisición. Lo demas me encantó, ni siquiera se imaginan quién es el asesino.
#elcantodelassirenas #valmcdermid
#leeressexy #libros #libro #amoleer
Empezando
El canto de la sirenas de Val McDermid
Sinopsis: Un asesino en serie está sembrando el terror en la pequeña ciudad de Bradfield. Han aparecido los cadáveres de cuatro hombres brutalmente torturados y mutilados. La policía está desorientada a causa de la falta de pistas. Debido al depravado modo de actuar del asesino, decide recurrir a la colaboración de Tony Hill, un psicólogo experto en el estudio de mentes criminales....
🎶 Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy,
But here's my number,
So #callmemaybe 🎶
Probably need to have read the book to know why I chose this one - I won't reveal it as it is a spoiler!
@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB #HeatofJuly
pickVery dark tale of pyshological profiler with dark mental aspects himself and up and coming female police CID officer tracking down a warped serial killer with sadist tendencies. Nice plot and characters but its USP is the dark obsessive sexual sadism. Later made into TV show "wire in the blood"
panThis book has not aged at all well in the 23 years since its publication. Intensely problematic. I can explain why in the comments if requested. (Also Erin Purr says hello. #catsoflitsy)
bailed🙁Bailing at 45%. Partly because it's right at the gruesome limit of what I want to read, but mostly because I don't care enough to carry on.
Maybe it's the wrong series - too much in the serial killer's head; or my expectations were too high; maybe I should start the series at a random mid-way point when the characters have settled in; or maybe I should just listen to Val on panel & gardening shows & admit her books aren't for me. Not sure.
Is it weird that murder mystery paperbacks are my literary comfort food? Let‘s read a bit before bed...
That time when no one was in the break room so I turned off the communal tv so I could read. 👻👻👻
Woohoo! Just registered for audio and ebook loans from my local libraries! I see a lot more reading in my future!
Listening to older books in my library loving revisiting the beginning of the series
Val McDermid is one of my favourite crime authors. I really love her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.
pickI'm not going to lie, it was a but graphic for me in parts but I liked the structure of the story and the plot kept me engaged right to end. I didn't guess who the murderer was, not that I ever do 🤣 I'd read more McDermid books.
I had forgone lazy weekends reading in bed - i had forgotten how lovely and relaxing they are.
I made a good dent in this today. I'm liking it, the switching between the police and serial killer action is working for me.
Next up in my #bloodyscotland quest, a Val McDermid. I've heard her talk forensics and I've seen her drinking and singing, now it's time to read a book 📚
#mermaids Could only be The Mermaids Singing for me. This book by Val McDermid isn't about Mermaids and you have to think carefully about why it is called that when you finish the book. It is the first book in one of my top ten series of all time, Tony Hill / Carol Jordan Series. Great combination between a profiler and a detective, and they both have issues! This is a really good introduction to this series.
panThe book is over 20 years old now and it shows, in regards to attitudes to both gay & trans people. Characters are hugely homophobic, the trans element is not well managed & it falls into tired & predictable old patterns. But I rarely give up on a book & gritted my teeth to the end. Taking one for the team here....
I honestly can't recommend this but would consider reading some of her more recent work.
panWell that was just plain terrible. I was hoping to kick off a new series, but this was absolutely the worst written book I have read in years.
Truly awful prose, clunky dialog, laughable diary entries. Unnecessary adverbs reducing the impact of every sentence. The author's contempt for the reader's intelligence was overwhelming.
I cannot think of a book that I've read that was less sophisticated than this. Bloody awful.
