Insidious Intent

By: Val McDermid

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Number one best seller Val McDermid returns with her suspenseful new novel featuring two of the most iconic characters in crime fiction: Tony Hill and Carol Jordan.

In the north of England, single women are beginning to disappear from weddings. A pattern soon becomes clear: someone is luring the women away, only to leave the victims' bodies in their own burned-out cars in remote locations. Tony and Carol are called upon to investigate, but this may be the toughest case they've ever had to face. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Paula McIntyre and her partner, Elinor, must deal with a cruel cyber blackmailer targeting their teenage ward, Torin.

Impeccably plotted and intensely gripping, Insidious Intent reaffirms Val McDermid's place as Britain's best loved crime writer. This is the anticipated tenth instalment in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.

©2017 Val McDermid (P)2017 W.F. Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"McDermid remains unrivalled." ( The Observer)

WTF?!?! Is all I can say...

Not really annoyed with the ending... crazy and needless as it sounds... but I’m disappointed with the way Carol’s story was told. She was unstable, neurotic, fearful and that’s fine but most of all she was so full of herself that she thought the ending was the only way to get the guy... she was sure noone else in the world would be able to catch him and if she was out of the force it would mean he would keep killing... that was not the Carol I’ve been reading about for years. What happened at the end was the natural reaction of Tony and more predictable than the writer intended it to be...

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

McDermid at her best

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Crime fiction at its best.

What did you like best about this story?

Brilliant return of great characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yep - time allowing would have :)

Any additional comments?

Possibly racist voice recording - polite request for better for Stacey Chen next time.

Disappointed by this

I am a huge fan of this series and am seriously wondering whether this was actually written by Val McDermid or if it is actually a huge joke. All I got from this story was woe and misery from Carol who does very little in this story except bemoan how she is responsible for SO MANY deaths and how she cannot let that happen again.
I must not forget the brief interlude with Torin and his own woes, that was also rather ludicrous in that we are shown rather crudely, just how easily Carol's 'crack' team will break the rules to further their own ends (not that I disapprove, far from it, I'm all for getting the job done, but it's far from believable) .
As for the ending, well, it was all very abrupt, rather stupid and definitely unnecessary (as Paula's presence could have totally changed the outcome) .
Overall I was dissatisfied and unhappy with this book.
I may be biased by my dislike of Saul Reichlin's narration but I would not recommend this book to anyone, it is not Val's best.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Not Up To The Usual McDermid Standard

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The ending - I feel it wasn't very believable.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narration was rather dull. The narrator made most people sound like they were in their 60's and his scouse accent was absolutely appalling.

Was Insidious Intent worth the listening time?

The first three quarters of the book definitely were, the last quarter not so.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not one of the best

What would have made Insidious Intent better?

A more intricate and faster paced plot as is more usual in this series. Less repetition of just how many deaths Carol feels responsible for and sharper dialogue between her and Tony. Less meaningless plot lines which felt as if they were there to make up the word count.

Has Insidious Intent put you off other books in this genre?

No.

How could the performance have been better?

I think it's a personal preference for or not for this narrator.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Insidious Intent?

Everything from the point at which Carol makes her terrible decision and out of character decision. I don't want to give it away to people who haven't listened to this yet.

Any additional comments?

I was left feeling dissatisfied and disappointed.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not impressed

This is the first book I have listened to in this series and it will be the last. Flat, predictable characters, far fetched plot and dreadful narration. Sorry but it's a real disappointment.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

McDermid Jumps the Shark

Sad to say this book is totally disappointing.
Carol Jordan’s constant angst and moral self flagellation is really tedious, all the ‘blood on my hands’ wailing, for crying out loud get a grip! It started to get irritating in previous books, but really peaks here leading to a totally amateurish climax. Thought better of McDermid to be honest.
In terms of the story, the premise is okay, and it starts well but gets more and more stupid as it progresses. So many areas you have to suspend disbelief, for the record, you can’t pick a mortice lock with a standard lock pick set, a bit of actual research would have told that to the author, she could have even used her own youtube reference to get that nugget, perhaps small detail but maybe an indication that the series and writer has perhaps gone as far she can.
Reichlin’s voices leave something to be desired, his teenagers sound like old men.
The side story with Paula could have had legs just stretched credibility to unbelievable proportions, but less so than the conclusion.
If you are a fan of the series, my advice is quit with ‘Splinter the Silence’.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Very Silly

Fairly run of the mill Val McDermid plot featuring the much vaunted detective Carol Jordan and the increasingly pathetic Tony Hill. Jordan is supposedly an ace detective but seems to spend most of the time wallowing in self pity while her crew do the brain work. Tony profiles the baddy but although most of what he comes up with turns out to be correct he actually contributes very little to solving the crime. The plot is standard serial killer stuff. The ending is ludicrous and may signal the end of the series. Maybe not.
As ever the book is read by the unbelievably bad Saul Reichlin who has serially murdered the earlier books and has excelled himself here. As ever me makes Tony sound like a frail ninety year old. He doesn’t do accents and all the characters sound like parodies of Alan Benett or escapees from a Hovis ad.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

bad end

good story not ended properly ended to soon and not told how it all ended

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Brilliant!

Val McDermid never disappoints. An excellent continuation of the Carol Jordan and Tony Hill series. I have read all the previous books and this is the first time I have listened to a Val McDermid. Very disappointing narration. Everyone sounded like an elderly person. All the accents were the same and very little distinction between characters. I was waiting for the narrator to say "Mr Kipling Makes Exceedingly Good Cakes"! It was that type of elderly gentlemans voice.
The story, however, was good with a great twist at the end. Fans of Carol and Tony books won't be disappointed, but perhaps it would be better to read rather than listen. I will not be listening to this narrator again.

6 of 9 people found this review helpful

Utter let down

I'll preface my tirade with the fact that I love Val McDermid's writing and these characters in particular. This book however was a complete let down. I'll start with the ending because it was ridiculous. Carol and Tony
did things that were completely bonkers and out of character. If I'd had a physical copy of the book I'd have given it a good shake to try to knock some sense back into the storyline.
Stacey's behaviour to get Torin out of trouble was another misstep and Carol's acceptance of it was mad.
I really don't enjoy Saul Reichlin's narration and would normally avoid anything that he's involved with. It's an indicator of how much I enjoy these books that I gave it a go. His pronunciation of Eleanor made my toes curl up.

.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

What a poor offering

Would you try another book written by Val McDermid or narrated by Saul Reichlin?

I generally enjoy this series of books but this one was very poor. The storyline was very unbelievable and the characters dour.

What could Val McDermid have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A more realistic story line would have improved the book andpolice officers who didn't break the law themselves. The ending was dreadful...very unnecessary and a bizarre way for the two main characters to behave.

What about Saul Reichlin’s performance did you like?

The narration was fine.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really

Any additional comments?

I would question whether mcDermid actually wrote the book herself as the ending was ridiculous

2 of 3 people found this review helpful