April/May 2017 Group read: The Mermaids Singing, by Val McDermid

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Please join in on the discussion of Val McDermid's The Mermaids Singing. Paul will be the discussion leader. Have fun!

[M.]

hi all! I'm looking foward to my first mystery by Val! Any other new readers?

[Gisela]

Read this series a few years ago and it gripped me immediately. The Mermaids Singing is a brilliant and fast-paced introduction into the world of Tony Hill. I've read them before the excellent TV series "Wire in the Blood", but since then Robson Green will always personify Tony Hill for me. For once, for me the film makers got their casting 100% right.

The world of Tony Hill is VERY frightening, but very fascinating. The Mermaids Singing is based in Bradford and as always you feel right there. Val McDermid does her research very thoroughly.

It will be interesting to see what others think.

[Lisa]

Another new reader here, new to the group as well 😊 Looking forward to it!

[Josen]

I'm really looking forward to this one too

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

This is a really good police detective series, and I loved Robson Green, too.

[Portia]

I watched the series al well, but long enough ago that I forgot who done it. My copy of the book is on the way;)

[Elaine]

Enticing title. I'll give it a try.

[M.]

*blinking* oh my... definitely not an Audible book for listening to outside a neighbor's window while doing spring garden clean up chores.

i knew a Golden Dagger Award winner from the British Crime Writers would be intense, but this is far beyond tense. An interesting early police profiling case, i can see where author may have developed her disturbing villain from an actual profiler case.

Outstanding skill level, twisted, taut plotting, intriguing characters make this an excellent choice but it isn't for everyone.

One of my favorite scenes is the straight cop in the gay bar thus far, and as I said, this is not for everyone!

Yep. *blinking* in the heartland... I have not seen the series or movie, and probably won't. I doubt many authors could craft such a contraversal topic with such detail today. How the world has changed. Yet it is done with such great skill.

[Sara89]

Can't wait to start reading this pick. I will hopefully finish my other book fast so I can start.

[Josen]

I started this book and so far there have been some cringe-worthy (at least for me anyway, lol!) torture descriptions. But it's good so far!

[Paul]

Hi everyone


Glad to see we have quite a few folks checking in already. Sorry I'm a little late to the party; I've been away for a few days, but got home yesterday, dug out my copy and started reading last night.


As M. sez above, it does lean toward the intense, very different from the other McDermid books I've read, to be honest, but I'm about 70 pages in and utterly gripped.


Please share your initial thoughts but please do mark anything that might be considered a spoiler.



Gisela wrote: "Robson Green will always personify Tony Hill for me"

I confess, I'm reading Tony Hill in Robson Green's voice (so it was a little jarring when he was described as having a "vaguely Northern accent", but she didn't know when she wrote it!).

The setting is the fictional town of 'Bradfield'. Much as I'd like to think that this is a melding of Bradford and my hometown of Sheffield (especially as there are the villages of Low and High Bradfield about 7 km West of where I live) I'd say it feels more like Bradford & Leeds.

[Josen]

Hmm.......I'm going to have to look up this series.

[Gisela]

One of the great things about Val McDermid's writing is that she really does her homework, both when it comes to the crime but also about characters and environment. I enjoyed the whole series and most of her other books. Always waiting for the next one.

[Icewineanne]

Gisela wrote: "One of the great things about Val McDermid's writing is that she really does her homework, both when it comes to the crime but also about characters and environment. I enjoyed the whole series and ..."

She's one of my favorites as well. Read this a long time ago & loved it. I'd enjoy reading it again with all of you if only i could find my copy :(

[Ann]

This will be my first VM book - I've had my eye on her for a while - so I'm looking forward to starting soon - hopefully this weekend.

[VickiLee]

Val McDermid is a fearless writer and confronts difficult topics head-on. I look forward to reading this novel once I get it from the library.

[Ann]

I started this at the weekend. It's a great read so far. I'm enjoying Carol Jordan - she's a rebel and a good officer. Tony Hill is a bit more complicated - a specialist with a strange telephone habit (don't want to give too much away). I'm curious to see how this turns out.

[Josen]

I've never read McDermid before so I think I was surprised at how graphic she writes. I'm also enjoying Jordan & Hill and the way the story is written. So far I think I'd like to continue these two characters.

[Gisela]

Josen wrote: "I've never read McDermid before so I think I was surprised at how graphic she writes. I'm also enjoying Jordan & Hill and the way the story is written. So far I think I'd like to continue these two..."

Her writing and the descriptions of the crime can be very brutal. What she also brings across really well is the psychological terror which the perpetrators inflict on their victims.

[Lisa]

I'm at about page 160, really enjoying it so far. As it was published some time ago, I'm finding the description of criminal profiling as a newer science interesting. Kind of a different perspective.

[Paul]

I finished this last night, and have plenty of discussion questions for the group, although as many involve spoilers I shall leave them for the moment...

[Josen]

Lisa wrote: "I'm at about page 160, really enjoying it so far. As it was published some time ago, I'm finding the description of criminal profiling as a newer science interesting. Kind of a different perspective."

I'm just slightly farther than you and I also like it. And it is kind of fun and interesting to see the beginnings of this science. It's so weird because I don't think of it as that long ago but yet this was in the 90's. I guess I'm older than I thought. Lol!

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I thought I would chime in and agree the early tech was very interesting to me.

When I first read this years ago, the open descriptions of crime brutality 'validated' me (I was involved in a crime of brutality which I discovered could never be discussed in polite company for an amazing variety of reasons), so I loved what seemed the 'honesty' of the author's writings. Now, that I am older, I warn people, especially 'sensitives', that this book could actually cause PTSD in some. However, for myself, I found this book very interesting.

[Ann]

I'm starting to find Tony a bit disturbing. I'm about half way through and he's revealing more about himself. Anyone else feel a bit odd about him?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Ann wrote: "I'm starting to find Tony a bit disturbing. I'm about half way through and he's revealing more about himself. Anyone else feel a bit odd about him?"

I have known people like Tony, but, yes, he is haunted (view spoiler)[by an awful childhood. (hide spoiler)] I have read a few more books in the series, but I don't want to reveal more than I have done in my spoiler.

[Lisa]

Ann wrote: "I'm starting to find Tony a bit disturbing. I'm about half way through and he's revealing more about himself. Anyone else feel a bit odd about him?"

I agree that he has something going on under the surface that either makes him good at his craft or is a result of it. It's my feeling that he has been hurt in some way, a victim of something, rather than the person that has done the hurting. I also feel like I just got a big hint as to the identity of the killer, hoping I'm wrong, as it would be incongruously heavy-handed, compared to the rest of the writing.

[Gisela]

Lisa wrote: "Ann wrote: "I'm starting to find Tony a bit disturbing. I'm about half way through and he's revealing more about himself. Anyone else feel a bit odd about him?"

I agree that he has something going..."

Read on everyone. All this we'll be revealed throughout the series. Tony is a damaged character trying to heal, whilst Jordan... can't tell you, you need to read it. I found the relationship between the two really interesting. Changes at various stages in the series.

[Josen]

I finished the book last night and I thought it was really good. I actually like Tony's character, it makes him interesting and gives him more dimension. I like Jordan too. I would like to learn more about her and how they work together. I'll probably continue on with the series.

[Kara]

I will be starting this book today. I have owned it for awhile and just never found an excuse to read it. All of your comments have convinced me!

[Lisa]

General question, here - do folks typically wait until the finish date to really begin discussions? I have questions and comments as I read, but don't want to introduce possible spoilers into the thread...

[Ann]

I'm looking forward to reading more weekend. I've got some gardening to do as well, but hope to fit a big chunk of reading in too...

[Ann]

hello Lisa,
I think it's okay to ask questions as we go along. As long as we hide 'spoilers' using the (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] tags.
It makes for a more lively discussion if we can bounce ideas around as we go - at least, that's my take...

[Theona]

this one will pull you in, the series have evolved as Tony and DCI Jordan work together. I love Val's work so if you haven't started this yet, please do.

[Linda]

I'm joining your book club for the first time, and I'm excited to start this book. Reading your comments really inspired me to buy it. What is the time frame for reading it?

[Lisa]

Linda wrote: "I'm joining your book club for the first time, and I'm excited to start this book. Reading your comments really inspired me to buy it. What is the time frame for reading it?"

The posted "end date" is May 14, 2017 :)

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Linda wrote: "I'm joining your book club for the first time, and I'm excited to start this book. Reading your comments really inspired me to buy it. What is the time frame for reading it?"

Not to worry - these threads never close, so time isn't that important.

Welcome, by the way!!

[Lisa]

Just finished last night - good stuff, I really liked the book. I liked the way the characters were developed, and the way the author illustrated Tony's methods for analyzing and getting into the mind of the killer. The twists were solid and unfolded well. This is picky of me, but, (view spoiler)[I did find it odd that the police and media continued to refer to the murderer as "The Queer Killer", considering that none of the men killed were actually homosexual. A more prominent thing that I had trouble with was the fact that Carol was able to theorize that the killer was using high-end software as a means to fulfill his needs and space the murders out farther. It seems like quite a stretch to learn about this technology from her brother, used for innocuous purposes, and make the leap that, hey, I'll bet the killer is using this too! Particularly considering that this was not widely used at this point. (hide spoiler)]

[Emma]

Just finished this one and I liked it a lot more than I expected I would. I agree that some of Val's descriptions gave me the creeps but I think it only added to how brilliant the writing was. I'm curious, for those of you who have read them, as to how the rest of the books in the series are?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I enjoyed this series very much -BUT.

I liked this first novel in the series best, but it is bleak book after book. It can become wearisome, or dependable, depending on your reason for committing to a series.

[Ann]

I finished the book last night.
4 stars. I dropped the final star due to the graphic sexual violence description of the second killing. Luckily the author doesn't give such graphic details for the other murders.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ann]

Anyone like to share their favourite Val McDermid book/s - I see she's written some stand alones ?

[Gisela]

I have to say I didn't like some of her stand alone books at all, although I am a huge Val McDermid fan. I loved both this serious and her Inspector Karie Pirie books. I did enjoy Trick of the Dark, but not as much as her series books.

[Gisela]

Ann wrote: "I finished the book last night.
4 stars. I dropped the final star due to the graphic sexual violence description of the second killing. Luckily the author doesn't give such graphic details for the..."
I know what you mean the descriptions are shocking. That's the same in the other books. Whilst I am not a blood and gore person, it does bring the brutality and horribleness of these crimes into clear focus. Sometimes this can be casualed over with other writers.

[Helen]

I read this some years ago and really enjoyed it. Went on to read many of the other Tony Hill books. But her best books by far for me are The Distant Echo, the first Karen Pirie and A place of Execution a standalone and perhaps her best book.

[Ann]

hi Gisela and Helen and thanks for the pointers on McD's other books.

Going back to Lisa's comment in message 39 - (view spoiler)[ yes, I agree it was a bit odd that Carol made that connection.

Actually, it was a bit odd/ too convenient that her brother was a computer specialist because he helped too with the patterning of the icing cutter.
Carol also had unexplained 'insights' like how she wondered about the killer being a transvestite - it seems these ideas get her into Tony's unit in the subsequent books. It would have been good if the author had told us a bit more about her reasoning for these ideas. (hide spoiler)]

[Lisa]

Ann wrote: "hi Gisela and Helen and thanks for the pointers on McD's other books.

Going back to Lisa's comment in message 39 - yes, I agree it was a bit odd that Carol made that connection.

Actually, it w..."

My thoughts exactly - if we would have gotten some info on what caused her to make that leap, it would have added a lot of credibility to that plotline.

[Wend]

Helen wrote: "I read this some years ago and really enjoyed it. Went on to read many of the other Tony Hill books. But her best books by far for me are The Distant Echo, the first Karen Pirie and A place of Exec..."

Thanks for recommending. Have just completed the last Tony & Carol book, absolutely loved them and the relationship between the two main characters. Will take a look at look at the Karen Pirie series. Is Val writing any more Tony & Carol?

[MissLemon]

I've just finished this ( in 3 days). Really enjoyed it but I was already fan of Val McDermid Can't believe I haven't got round to reading any of these, I will be reading more.
I recommend A Place of Execution to anyone who enjoyed this and wants to read a stand alone

[Melissa]

Carolyn,
I second your recommendation of . One of the best books I ever read! It's what got me hooked on her as a writer!