The Mermaids Singing

By: Val McDermid

Narrated by: Graham Roberts

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The bodies of four men have been discovered in the town of Bradfield. Enlisted to investigate is criminal psychologist Tony Hill. Even for a seasoned professional, the series of mutilation sex murders is unlike anything he's encountered before. But profiling the psychopath is not beyond him. Hill's own past has made him the perfect man to comprehend the killer's motives. It's also made him the perfect victim. A game has begun for the hunter and the hunted. But as Hill confronts his own hidden demons, he must also come face-to-face with an evil so profound he may not have the courage - or the power - to stop it....

©1995 Val McDermid (P)1996 ISIS Publishing Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Complex...powerful...psychologically terrifying...impossible to put down." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Exciting, rapid-fire...a satisfying descent into the territory of a twisted mind." ( Booklist )

"Compelling and shocking…." (Minette Walters)

Formula, few surprises, heavy on romantic angst

Val McDermid handles the language really well, a saving grace in what is otherwise a formulaic, somewhat tiresome story. To be fair, the serial killer genre has been so done to death that it takes almost spectacular inventiveness to give it a fresh face. But that is what we want, isn't it? In this case, if you make a list of the usual elements in the serial killer yarn, you will be able to check them off one by one as you go along without missing a turn or a beat. Even the big twist at the climactic moment is ho-hum-obvious and the denouement is downright banal.

If there is an aspect of this book which is above average as presented in audible form, it is the persona of the killer and the chilling, makes-your-skin-crawl manner in which Graham Roberts brings it to life vocally. It is, after all, only when we are presented with an evil we cannot tolerate that we can really appreciate the struggle necessary to excise it. If only the protagonist pair were equally fascinating, the book would have risen above its prosaic formula, but instead they skirt perilously close to romance novel material, unconvincing and sometimes nearly silly. The author tries to lift the story out of its pedestrian path in a five minute coda at the end, but it is so blatantly an authorial device that it falls flat.

This is the first book in a series. Perhaps it improves, but I was left too disappointed by this one to continue to the next.

A dark and ripping yarn!

Another outstanding mystery from McDermid. A perverse serial killer is on the loose, and the attacks seem to center on Bradfield's gay community. The two main characters, Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, are dedicated and likeable and reassuringly flawed (even if Tony's problem seems somewhat overblown: a major issue resulting from what was a minor critique). They move ever so slowly into mutual trust and honesty with authentic caution.

The author's conceit of introducing the victims to us inspires our sympathy and keeps us cheering on the investigators. While the detail can be quite gruesome, especially when you've become fond of the victim, it isn't gratuitous, and the author does turn our eyes away before it becomes unbearable.

As grizzly as the book can be, the narrator is steady and impassive. He reads with the reassurance of one who knows everything will turn out fine in the end. I'm off to unearth more of McDermid's older mysteries, and search out what Graham Roberts is reading as well.

The mermaid singing.

Would you listen to The Mermaids Singing again? Why?

This was such a freaky sick book for people who have a sick sense of what good horror writing is.the main character enjoys describing in detail each and every homosexual killing.I read this book in two days that's how much I enjoyed this book

What other book might you compare The Mermaids Singing to and why?

This book stands alone for me . I will definitely read ms Val again .I must confess I missed the reason for the title can anyone explain?

Which character – as performed by Graham Roberts – was your favorite?

I believe that Graham Roberts did an excellent job with the different dialects I was originally from the south of England and I did not perfect a ear for the northern lilts.Now I live in the USA so it all sounds a very strong accent.I believe he did the killers voice the best.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me feel sick at some of the extreme torture especially to the police officer.i just saw the series on Tv and it did not have the same impact as the book on tape.

Any additional comments?

firstlty I think Ms McDermids writing is so different to the other writers she has so much imagination and her use of the English language is unique and totally her own.She is able to describe a death scene and you feel you are part of the team able to give the next answer to the Inspectors questions.Can you tell I like this author?

The First of a Superior Series

I purchased The Mermaids Singing partially because of the reviews I read on Audible, but probably more because Val McDermid seemed to be the favorite mystery author of Mikael Blomqvist in The Millenium Trilogy (The Girl With .....). Now that I have read all of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books to date (a new one is due later this year), I felt it was time to write a review of the first book.

McDermid writes wonderful prose that makes her characters come alive -- all of them, not just the two major characters. I won't try to tell you about the plot, since many other reviews do that. But the development of the plot, along with the minutiae of each character's life and personality, make for excellent reading. McDermid creates a tight, incredibly tense story that keeps you reading, sometimes even when you don't want to.

If you are averse to graphic depictions of violence and perversion, you may want to skip this series. But if that's not a problem, I highly recommend these books. In Tony Hill, McDermid has created a flawed and damaged character who still manages to live in the world and work for the forces of good as a Profiler, expert at his work because of his scarred past. The relationship of Tony and Carol Jordan, police inspector, is so tentative and slow moving that you sometimes could scream, but you keep waiting for it to progress. The pair pursues serial killers in plots that will keep you on the edge of your seat with your jaw clenched.

It is important that you read the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books in the order in which they were published, since these are not stand alone novels. The characters and their relationships and pasts are developed over the course of the series, and reading out of order makes it more difficult to follow some developments.

Awesome!!!

This was a well written book, but I expect no less from Val McDermid, one of my favorite authors. The performance of the narrator was exceptional!

Better than other reviews

I like this book. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down. I did not find it overly gruesome or sexual. I will see what other books Val McDermid has written.

Great Book!

I was an avid viewer of Wire In the Blood which was the BBC television series based on these books but I had no idea at the time that there was a written series. This book was awesome! A bit violent but what a story, dark, devious, lots of sexual tension and as far as police procedurals go - top notch. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Graham Roberts does a great job of narrating. He brought all of the characters to life and you can tell which one is speaking just from his voice. I can't believe I missed this series from the start.

Creepy

Traffic slows at accidents. Slime fascinates children. Freak shows make money. Which is how, 'Mermaids Singing' seized my attention. Creepy… Tony Hill, like many of today's successful fictional detectives is disturbed… Both by terrors around him, and his own internal-disgustions. Hill trods through and morphsinto the aberrant part of the field: "Aberrant Psychology." It makes him an aberrant psychologist by profession and personality. Creepy.

The dialogues McDermid writes, and which Graham Roberts reads, are slimy. Frequently I wanted to turn them off. Creepy. But I slowed rather than sped away from the disturbing deviant muck. Creepy.

I'm a little embarrassed that I listened to the end of "Mermaids Singing." Creepy… My excuse is the exceptional writing, not, I hope, with a primal magnetic attraction to… to… things so slimy-dark and … creepy.

BTW, Graham Roberts struggles in this book with the nature of the voices that Val McDermid demands as well as the parts required. Perhaps another actor wouldn't? Or perhaps no one actor can really stretch quite as far as McDermid demands. I'll be interested to read how other reviewers describe their reactions.

So good even though you know what's coming

McDermid is terrific! The psychology doesn't get overbearing; it adds to the quality of the story. Characters are well defined. An all around good listen!

Love the characters

This was well-written. Being inside the killer's head was handled well and was interesting to read. Tony is a brilliant character who was portrayed really well in the TV series, but I love him even more in the book. I really didn't like the narrator.