From the Publisher:
Clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Carol
Jordan face the toughest challenge of their careers when they are
confronted with an 'impossible' series of murders.
Back in Bradfield after her traumatic experiences in Berlin, Carol
is surprised to find Tony has followed her there to take up a post
in the local secure mental hospital. When a prostitute is murdered
in a particularly grotesque and stomach-churning way, she turns to
him for help. Bizarrely, this killing matches in every detail a series
of murders that took place a couple of years previously. A series
of murders for which Derek Tyler was tried, convicted and sentenced.
There has never been any doubt about his guilt. But now the ghost
of his crimes has risen again.
A second prostitute murder soon follows and the team are struggling.
While Tony tries to crack Tyler, the police decide to mount an undercover
operation that goes horribly wrong. The decoy is taken, presumably
by the killer. As the tension mounts, a mixture of psychological insight
and dogged detective work leads inexorably to a terrifying climax
where Tony faces one of the most perverse killers he has ever encountered.
Reviews:
Guardian
'Stunning new psychological thriller featuring Tony Hill,
hero of The Wire in the Blood, from one of Britain’s bestselling
novelists: ‘Val McDermid has become our leading pathologist
of everyday evil… The subtle orchestration of terror is masterful’
From a review that ran in the Globe and Mail
(Canada) written by Margaret Cannon - October 2nd 2004
'The Torment of Others is the best book yet by one of the
best authors writing crime novels.
The plot in this superb novel is as complicated as any McDermid
has ever constructed.
There are twists in the plot that lead right to the end, but
it's the complex characters and wonderful attention to detail that
make this novel great.'
'This is one series where you wait eagerly for the next instalment.'
From a review that ran in the Globe and Mail
(Canada) written by Margaret Cannon - October 2nd 2004
Read an extract of The Torment
of Others
