Published in the U. S. for the first time
The residents of Bradfield are devastated when their star midfielder dies, the victim of a bizarre,... read full description
reviews
Feb 28, 2008
Mel
rated it: 
I wasn't sure what to expect, given Val McDermid's comments re: the Tony/Carol relationship but when a novel opens with a madman with an axe, what's not to like? (But does Tony have to be in peril so early on? Does he have to be in peril at all? Hasn't he been in danger in all of the other novels as well?) And there's poisoning, and nefarious plotting, and a wicked mother. I'm really impressed with Ms. McDermid's ability to keep track of all these storylines.
And the fangirl in me lea More...
And the fangirl in me lea More...
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May 06, 2011
Karmen
rated it: 
Love Val McDermid and the Tony & Carol series.
Poisonings and bombings.
A very popular local football (US - soccer) player is admitted to the hospital for respiratory illness. Final diagnosis - ricin poisoning.
Meanwhile, Tony Hill is in the hospital recuperating from having a hospital inmate take an ax to his knee. He reasons that the poisoning is not isolated and has been effected before - execution too neat.
The first poison victim was a lottery w More...
Poisonings and bombings.
A very popular local football (US - soccer) player is admitted to the hospital for respiratory illness. Final diagnosis - ricin poisoning.
Meanwhile, Tony Hill is in the hospital recuperating from having a hospital inmate take an ax to his knee. He reasons that the poisoning is not isolated and has been effected before - execution too neat.
The first poison victim was a lottery w More...
Apr 03, 2010
Beneath the Bleeding, by Val McDermid, A. narrated by Gerard Doyle, produced by Recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.
This is a Dr. Tony Hill and Inspector Carol Jordan novel. Tony, working late one night at the psychiatric hospital, becomes involved in trying to calm down a dangerous patient who is trying to escape. His injuries land him in the hospital where he remains for most of the book, but he still through his research and profiling helps Carol solve two crimes. The More...
This is a Dr. Tony Hill and Inspector Carol Jordan novel. Tony, working late one night at the psychiatric hospital, becomes involved in trying to calm down a dangerous patient who is trying to escape. His injuries land him in the hospital where he remains for most of the book, but he still through his research and profiling helps Carol solve two crimes. The More...
Mar 20, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Another fantastic entry into the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books. Intricately plotted, I had no hope of guessing the who or why, but there is enough information dangled in front of the reader to still keep you engaged and getting enough forward momentum to keep on reading. About 5/6 of the way through, I realized I should have paid attention to the lists the author provided! REALLY important information. Of course, this is right before the 3rd and final list is revealed. The two main crimes co
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Feb 13, 2011
Melaszka
rated it:
Unputdownable. Pacy and complex, it apparently interweaves two unconnected plots about a religious extremist terrorist bomber and a serial killer whose weapon of choice is strange poisons, but pulls a blinder of an unexpected plot twist towards the end which, although in retrospect adequately clued, totally took me by surprise.
It also develops the characters of the detective team and the relationships between them nicely, made me care about them and their lives, and threw in a few mea More...
It also develops the characters of the detective team and the relationships between them nicely, made me care about them and their lives, and threw in a few mea More...
Jan 28, 2010
Wyma
rated it:
I've been reading Val McDermid for years, but hadn't run across a Tony Hill novel. A quick check online tells me of 4 previous Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books. I don't know if I'll look for them because this one is formulaic, and often the reader is ahead of the cops. Still, the plot itself is what McDermid pins a love story to, dressing it out in real thoughts, actions and emotions. Even if you can guess the ending, you want to read it as McDermid's characters experience it. Can't put it down
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Apr 04, 2011
Bill
rated it: 
Beneath the Bleeding is a slightly weaker entry to the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series.
Having said that, though, there's no sign of weakening where McDermid's talent for managing a tight plotline is concerned. She's one of the best.
But this novel is missing something that was prevelant in The Mermaids Singing and The Torment of Others. And that is the ever present intensity and suspense. You could put those two novels up against any horror novel and challenge it for chills.
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Having said that, though, there's no sign of weakening where McDermid's talent for managing a tight plotline is concerned. She's one of the best.
But this novel is missing something that was prevelant in The Mermaids Singing and The Torment of Others. And that is the ever present intensity and suspense. You could put those two novels up against any horror novel and challenge it for chills.
More...
Aug 12, 2011
Alison
rated it:
Great. It's a dilemma when you have a series - you enjoy reading them, but you worry that the author will get tired, less challenging or less sharp, or something. And yet there were places that it felt like this was going to happen, eg (no spoiler, it's ok) in the flat of someone who's been poisoned, one of the cops takes one of his cigarettes & lights it, & you're thinking - he's going to be poisoned! But he's not. So well done, kind of sets up expectations & then doesn't fulfil them - in the n
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Feb 07, 2011
D. Eric
rated it:
This is the 5th Tony Hill novel and it lives up to its predecessors. In this story, a popular footballer is murdered but that is not all. Tony is in hospital after surviving a madman's axe blow to the knee and must work from there. If this isn't enough, an act of terrorism leaves dozens dead and DCI Carol Jordan at odds with the national terrorism unit in trying to solve the crime.
Of course Val McDermid does her usual outstanding job of character and story development to keep the More...
Of course Val McDermid does her usual outstanding job of character and story development to keep the More...
Jul 29, 2011
Ian
rated it:
Although I'm a fan of the "Wire in the Blood" TV series, this is the first of Val McDermid's Tony Hill novels that I've read.This is enjoyable, if not totally gripping, and without giving too much away, the ending is satisfying in that it is neither obvious nor implausible (which some of the written for TV stories have been..). The main characters of Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan are much more flawed than their television counterparts and others in the police team are characterised
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Aug 09, 2010
Mary Kay
rated it:
Alumni of a local high school are being murdered by exotic poisons. Tony Hill, a psychologist who is in hospital after being attacked with an ax by a patient, & Carol Jordan, the detective in charge of the case, have a strange past together, both professionally & personally. Meanwhile, the town's football (soccer, as this takes place in England) stadium is bombed & local law enforcement is being superceded by the elite terrorist unit. Are the cases related? Hill & Jordan believe so & have to
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Aug 17, 2009
Richard
rated it:
Once again Val McDermid gives me a glimpse into a part of the world I am not very familiar with. There are several mysteries going on at one time here, from the strange poisonings to the explosion that killed and maimed many people.
Can Dr. Tony Hill, in the hospital recuperating from an axe attack, working with DCI Carol Jordan and her team stop the serial killer (s) before they strike again?
It's an exciting read, but has too many sexual references for my comfort level. M More...
Can Dr. Tony Hill, in the hospital recuperating from an axe attack, working with DCI Carol Jordan and her team stop the serial killer (s) before they strike again?
It's an exciting read, but has too many sexual references for my comfort level. M More...
Mar 12, 2009
as much as I love reading the North American crime writers, I enjoy so much reading MdDermid, mainy because she takes me to a world I love but could not have lot of time to visit more: the North of England.
I had read other crime novels by her, with female characters on the lead, and had heard about Tony Hill because of the Wire in the Blood series on TV, now after reading this (with Tony Hill in the lead) I m determined to get the Wire in the Blood books.....
this book is thoroughly enj More...
I had read other crime novels by her, with female characters on the lead, and had heard about Tony Hill because of the Wire in the Blood series on TV, now after reading this (with Tony Hill in the lead) I m determined to get the Wire in the Blood books.....
this book is thoroughly enj More...
May 09, 2011
Tony Hill cannot have a quiet life. If he did, we wouldn't be reading about him … the unquiet, however, doesn't usually extend to an encounter with an ax wielding maniac, not that Dr. Hill's unquiet life is short on maniacs. But this opening encounter amounts to a mere aside in the adventures of the consulting forensic psychologist to the Bradfield Police.
Bradfield is meant to be a typical industrial town in Northern England. It's only typical, though if serial murder is common to i More...
Bradfield is meant to be a typical industrial town in Northern England. It's only typical, though if serial murder is common to i More...
Aug 12, 2008
Eeeee, Tony, aw, oh no ... etc. etc. yeah, still utterly besotted. Once that wore off a little, I was stunned how much the TV show seems to (finally?) have imprinted onto the author. The characters speak more like the actors, esp. with the modifiers of how they say something. With Tony there is mention of Lara and clumsiness, otherwise it's not a problem; Carol swears more and has more fake sweetness and bitterness, Paula and Kevin are more couply. (Stacey is even more like Tosh from TW). I cave
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Aug 27, 2010
Karen
rated it:
BENEATH THE BLEEDING is the fifth book in the Tony Hill / Carol Jordan series from Scottish writer Val McDermid. Which fans of this writer will already know. Fans will also know that anybody as daft as me, who would leave this book on the review pile for as long as I have, is really missing out on a very good thing.
Now there are plenty of serial or multiple killer books floating around out there, and many readers are well over the whole idea, but you do have to give a moment's thou More...
Now there are plenty of serial or multiple killer books floating around out there, and many readers are well over the whole idea, but you do have to give a moment's thou More...
Apr 20, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Val mcDermid is one of my favorite "thriller" authors, because she has created a couple of deeply flawed characters who are very good at what they do, and terrible at everything else. This latest venture into the complicated lives of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan reveals even more about these two complex people, as they struggle to learn how to trust each other and develop a relationship that more fully acknowledges their feelings for each other. The crimes that demand solving are, as a
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Feb 02, 2012
Jan-Jaap
rated it: 
An interesting story marred by insistent political correctness. Plods more interested in making the right pc gestures and Guardianista social commentary than solve interesting crimes. Somehow, in between drafting pages full of neo-marxist commentary, the plod team consistently beats the Evol CounterTerrorism Unit to all the clues. Also few interesting crooks. This will probably be the last Val MacDermid I've bothered to read. Shame, they were such fun.
Apr 02, 2009
Trisha
rated it:
Very topical crime story - murder by poisining (ricin as used on the Russian diplomat a few years ago - ricin has castor oil as its base);
a bombing in a football stadium by an Islamic person - but not for the reasons as expected.(he fell in love with the wife of a business partner, and wanted him out of the way - spurred on by the wife).
I have watched the TV series "Wire in the Blood" which is based on the author's books.
Good read.
a bombing in a football stadium by an Islamic person - but not for the reasons as expected.(he fell in love with the wife of a business partner, and wanted him out of the way - spurred on by the wife).
I have watched the TV series "Wire in the Blood" which is based on the author's books.
Good read.
Mar 02, 2009
Susanna
rated it:
Another jolly outing for Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. This time they're tracking down a serial poisoner and a terrorist bomber. Hill spends much of the time jumping in and out of his hospital bed as he's had his knee destroyed by a mad axeman but can't just lie back and get better. And we get to meet his appalling mother, who is almost too bad to be true - but entertaining. A good read.
May 09, 2011
Steve
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 21, 2009
Jacqui
rated it:
Not her best but still enjoyable. This book has two tales running together and needing the skills of Carol Jordan and Tony Hill who is laid up in hospital. One storyline centres on the mysterious death of a favourite local footballer and the other on the bombing of the local football ground. And to make life harder for Tony, his less-than-maternal mother has reappeared in his life.
Oct 21, 2009
Suevw
rated it:
wow - I've missed reading her. So complex and develops her characters so well. Want to get this again and make note of the music artists she gives thanks to in her acknowledgments page - also there was a part where she described something so right on I want to revisit that! As it was from the K library and only 1 week ckout...
Apr 25, 2010
Jen
rated it:
Pre-LASIK I asked my Mom to pick up a book for me at the library. This is what she brought home, off of the "new books" shelves. It was an interesting read, but apparently not the first McDermid book to feature these characters (it's #5). A solid mystery read with a plot that keeps the action moving throughout.
Feb 23, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 20, 2011
Emily
rated it:
According to this web site I all ready read this book but I just don't remember it. So anyhow I am re-reading this copy. I have started some time ago and I am still reading it. It is very good so far but its a long book. I have finished this book, it was very good but there where some parts that where a little hard to understand but for the most part it was a very good book. If anyone loves an English crime novel this is a good choice.
Jan 29, 2012
Karmologyclinic
rated it:
Really loved the plot and everything in this one, but unfortunately this abridged audiobook release was all I could find to listen. It seemed strange that it was 5-cds when other McDermid's books are 12-13. So even though it was an exciting police procedural plot, I'm sure I missed half the book in this abridged version. Anyway, I'll keep the 4 stars in the review, even though the abridged release is not worth them, the book does.
I was happy to find McDermid changed her "protoco More...
I was happy to find McDermid changed her "protoco More...
Aug 05, 2009
Julia
rated it:
I was introduced to this author by a sister memeber of the Shelburne Library Book Club. Hooray for book clubs!
I found this to be an interesting read, although some of the characters' actions did not always ring true to me.
Nevertheless, if you like a British police procedural, this was an interesting one.
I found this to be an interesting read, although some of the characters' actions did not always ring true to me.
Nevertheless, if you like a British police procedural, this was an interesting one.
May 21, 2010
Gina
rated it:
Another engrossing book from the Tony Hill mystery series. In this book what appears to be an Islamic terrorist attack is something quite different. Then there is another series of murders by poison that might or might not be connected. Tony Hill makes an interesting, but flawed, hero.
Sep 26, 2011
Stuart
rated it:
I loved this. It was like reading a very good, and long version of a CSI episode. A famous footballer falls dead in the hospital and it turns out to be poison. This leads the detectives and the profiler of the local UK police force on a merry chase as more dead bodies show up. I'll have to read more of these now.
