The Torment of Others (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan): Book 4

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This entry into the series was as full of high-pitched suspense as the previous books but I think it also had more obvious flaws than previous books by McDermid. First, there’s a scenario given that ends up with a police officer (who is undercover) getting into extreme danger and I just didn’t believe that a trainer officer would behave that way in the situation (they let themselves be handcuffed because they think they are still under surveillance unaware the video/audio connection has been severed). Secondly, the reveal of the perpetrator of the prostitute murders and how they were able to copy the killing method is done somewhat suddenly (I thought) but maybe that’s because I didn’t figure out who it was before the police do. (In general I would say that is a strength of a mystery novel but for some reason it felt off to me but in hindsight a fair amount of clues that post facto appear obvious were given by the author.) Third, there really is no connection between the pedophile murder-kidnappings and the prostitute killers in the end so the reason they are both included is unclear, except maybe to put extra stress on Carol and Tony.

The Torment of Others (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Book 4 The Torment of Others (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Book 4

As I continue my expedition through the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, I was happy to discover that Book 4 returned to the high-quality plotting of the first two novels after a slight dip in Book 3. Again the spotlight is slightly more on Carol; the first two books focused more on Tony, the third more on Carol.Both Tony and Carol have returned to Bradfield (the setting of Book 1) — Carol to head a special crime unit and Tony to private practice combined with a part-time position in a hospital for the criminally insane. Carol is dealing with the aftermath of her rape, which occurred in Book 3, trying to regain her emotional stability as well as successfully manage the task force under her control. While she is looking into a cold case involving two missing (and presumed dead) young boys, a brutal torture/murder of a young prostitute occurs. Dr. Tony Hill is in yet another professional setting, this time as a consulting psychologist at a local mental hospital in Bradfield. Of course, he is treating the 4-time convicted murderer and trying to discover his patient’s connection to the new crimes. The Kirkcaldy-born crime writer has delivered a powerful and disturbing novel about the very measure of evil… Val McDermid is an intelligent, supremely talented novelist and, with this latest tale, she is writing at the height of her power. It may not be comfortable, it may be neither pretty nor pleasant, but it is utterly compelling McDermid’s capacity to enter the warped mind of a deviant criminal is shiveringly convincing’ The Times

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Much of THE TORMENT OF OTHERS is centred around DCI Jordan’s activities to catch the person responsible for murdering two prostitutes. We know from the beginning who the actual killer is and that he is a low-intelligent “puppet” controlled by The Voice — a person controlling the puppet’s actions. Tony begins to suspect that there is someone manipulating the killer but he has no proof and when he finally pulls together a profile on the type of manipulation that he suspects is occurring, Carol, for once, rejects his reasoning. Carl rapes Paula, Carol and her team hunt for Paula, and Tony suspects that a police officer is controlling Derek and Carl as only someone involved with this sting could have sabotaged it. Tony confronts Sergeant Jan Shields, who has been using mind manipulation to make others kill because she's a control freak. And, of course, the telling. How often the action stops so we can be told things--things that aren't endearing, aren't flattering, aren't pleasant. And the constant explaining and info dumps destroy any tension that's building around the cases.But it is, by its very nature, extremely freaky. The descriptions of the crimes that take place are far too graphic for most I suspect. And the nature of the crimes (sexual homicide) are far outside what most folks would want to read about. Onto the next book in the series after a little break. These books are so intense that one needs a break between them. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read.