Customer Reviews

Beneath the Bleeding: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For readers of dark, character~driven British crime fiction, Val McDermid's Tony Hill novels have few peers. This latest book in the series does not disappoint. The story opens with a shocking attack on Tony Hill and moves on to the ricin poisoning of a football star that is frightening in its topicality. The characters are complex and beautifully developed, the prose literate and allusive, the plot marked by unpredictable twists. The book also fills in more of Tony Hill's charcter with the appearance of his mother for the first time, in scenes that help to explain his troubled psyche. The relationship of Tony and DCI Carole Jordan also moves to a deeper level as her loneliness and battles with alcohol begin to make her face her inner life as well as the complexities of her work. This is mystery writing at its best.

When Dr.Tony Hill is attacked by an axe wielding madman at the mental hospital where he works, he is forced to recover from the ensuing operation in hospital, grumpy at being unable to walk and unable to help DCI Carol Jordan in several cases in which she is involved. A local football hero has died from poison and shortly afterwards, a bomb is exploded at the football stadium, killing over 30 people. The bomber is identified as a member of a local Muslim family and both the police and the press are convinced that this is a terrorist act. Tony isn't so sure about this and continues to try to convince Carol that the profile of this man doesn't fit the role of a terrorist. Carol is in one of her dark moods and resists Tony's theories, which places another barrier between them. It's a very good read with an ending which doesn't become obvious until the end.

This book may appear on the U.S. market under a different title, and I'm never sure why Val McDermid's books are available in the U.K. nearly a year before they show up in the States. Under any title, McDermid's works are worth seeking out by the fans of Scottish/British crime procedurals, and this book is a worthy entry on her bibliography. Some of her most satisfying work has involved the teamwork of psychologist Tony Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan. In Beneath the Bleeding, Tony is crippled for most of the book from an attack by an ax-wielding patient at the mental hospital where he consults. Thus, he is the literary equivalent of so many great detectives who must ponder crimes from within their minds instead of being able to beat the streets (think Tey's "Daughter of Time" and Dexter's "The Wench is Dead"). Lucky for Tony, we do live in a world where incapacity does not necessarily mean isolation.

Carol has her own handicap: after an apparent terrorist explosion, her team is shoved to the side by the national intelligence services, who jump on the local Muslim connection with a ferocious lust. But Tony, with his careful insight, thinks that this is not a terrorist plot and yet again, Carol ignores Tony's reasoning. This is where McDermid needs to be careful. In many of her Hill/Jordan books, the action is driven and expanded by Carol's refusal to heed Tony's insights and advice. This mechanism is getting a little old. Surely by now, Tony has been correct often enough to merit Carol's faith in him. The sidetrack caused by Carol's lack of belief in this book isn't grievous, but it is getting a little old.

Still, this is a great and timely story and a caution against face value in our dealings with others. A secondary story line that is nearly as powerful as the main story threads throughout this book as a tale of unexpected and undeserved revenge on the successful graduates of a local school and directly involves a member of Carol's team. McDermid does keep things ticking!

A final note: the unusual titles for Val McDermid's Hill/Jordan books are taken from T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets".

McDermid captures the essence of literary crime fiction in Beneath the Bleeding. The mysterious, lingering demise of a healthy sports figure is but the beginning of a drama that includes a series of suspicious deaths, a possible terrorist act, the inner workings of Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan's Major Incidents Team and the profiling of Dr. Tony Hill, a psychologist. That there is a certain personal tension between Jordan and Hill only adds to the sophistication of the plot. In any case, the English love their football; when Robbie Bishop is felled and succumbs days later, scrutiny turns immediately to an early resolution in the face of heightened public interest.

Meanwhile, at Bradfield Moor Secure Hospital, a crafty inmate avoids his meds, veering into a religious-inspired rampage, chasing Dr. Hill with an axe. The result is a sidelined profiler who spends the majority of the Bishop case in serious pain, his work ethic driving Dr. Hill from a morphine fugue to active participation in a very unusual investigation. McDermid combines an outrageous series of crimes in a contemporary environment- a poisoning, suspicious activities and a random act of violence- the combination causing the now-predictable outcry of terrorism. As the Counter Terrorism Command rolls into action, taking over DCI Jordan's department, the nuances of the cases are lost in the fury.

Navigating just below the chaos is Tony Hill, who manages to fill his hours in the hospital with an amazing amount of pertinent research, profiling the possible culprit. Working closely with Jordan, quite a different scenario is explored, one that requires considerable footwork and imagination form Jordan's capable and eccentric detectives, even when their department is under siege by the "Imperial storm troopers". And there are more subplots at work, particularly the sudden appearance of Dr. Hill's domineering mother, a woman with a personal agenda who will brook no interference.

As Tony and Carol continue sparring in an as yet undefined relationship, the tension between them crackling, they overcome personal issues to solve an extraordinary case. Equally disturbing are the storm troopers that have begun to exemplify the government's reaction to anything that smacks of terrorism, a heavy-handed, jack-booted approach that relies on fear and force in lieu of regular interrogation techniques. A little political, a little personal, McDermid strikes all the right notes, as Dr. Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan work furiously to resolve a multi-layered case of murder and mayhem with minimum damage. Luan Gaines/2009.

Badly wounded while saving co-workers from an ax-wielding maniac, Dr. Tony Hill is recuperating at the same hospital where a star footballer is dying from ricin poisoning. Widely beloved, 26-year-old Robbie Bishop doesn't seem to have an enemy in the world - at least not one DCI Carol Jordan or her team can find. Nor can they find any other traces of ricin.

Fans of the previous four books in the series (and the several PBS mini series based on them) will be familiar with the fraught relationship between Hill and Jordan - unspoken love and a deep, sometimes combative friendship between two damaged, ambitious people. As coworkers they often disagree, but respect each other's abilities. Jordan follows the evidence, Hill burrows into the psyche. "Where there was no obvious motive, it was his talent to tease out meaning."

As Jordan and her well-developed team dig out evidence, Hill pieces together a serial killer, which Jordan flatly refuses to believe or pursue. Meanwhile McDermid segues to the point of view of a young Muslim plotting a bombing, which will soon bring in the sharp-elbowed, jack-booted anti-terrorism squad.

As usual, the workings of Hill's mind are intricate and logical, in a skewed sort of way, and the plot is intriguingly baffling. The political aspect adds a noisy dimension, particularly in the rivalry and one-upmanship between departments.

Jordan, however, is a bit tiresome. Sure, she rescues Hill from his horrible mother, but her obstinacy regarding his theories is illogical while her territoriality adds unconvincing tension. Then there's the inevitable alcohol. The tormented, driven, alcoholic cop - once a complicated character - has become a bit of a cliché.

But, warts and all, McDermid delivers an atmospheric, convoluted, cinematic tale worth telling.

This book is a great read that kept my interest through the book. The only complaint I had is that Jordan became tiresome at times. For a cop who has more than a passing interest in solving some touchy cases, she doesn't like to look outside the box. Having said that, perhaps that's exactly how the author wants us to see her. Some of the story dragged a bit for me, which is why I only gave it 4 stars. But I liked the plot and the intricacies involved in determining the solutions to the two sets of stories, and the characters trying to determine if and how they were connected.

"Beneath the bleeding hands, we feel the sharp compassion of the healer's art..."

--- T.S. Eliot

Val McDermid, the author of the popular Tony Hill novels, feels that violence in her books must have a role in the plot and storytelling. Her latest work, BENEATH THE BLEEDING, is no exception.

Dr. Tony Hill's day starts off normally enough, but soon it takes a near-fatal turn when he races from his counseling office in Bradfield Moor, a psychiatric facility housing violent, unstable mental patients, at the sound of a blaring alarm. Understaffed, the facility erupts in carnage and murder when a dangerous inmate goes on the attack. The man swings a fire axe with aplomb, reaping blood and destruction with each swath. Hill attempts an intervention when he confronts the frantic man but becomes a toppled victim, his leg exploding in pain and blood. He wakes up --- still alive, albeit badly injured --- in a Bradfield hospital bed.

Coincidence places star midfield footballer Robbie Bishop at the same hospital with Hill. Bishop has been complaining of flu-like symptoms, and the athlete deteriorates with headlong decline into a comatose state and, eventually, death. Body fluid analyses bring a startling diagnosis: ricin poisoning. Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan and her team, along with the wounded Hill, investigate the bizarre poisoning, racing against time to hunt for a murderer.

Jordan and Hill have worked as a team in the past; Jordan is adept as a profiler, and Hill has earned a stellar reputation as a homicide sleuth. But contrary to their partnership in previous Tony Hill books, they act independently in this case. Despite all their skills, they find themselves facing new challenges as Hill drifts in and out of drug-induced pain relief, and Jordan's team is undermined by the sensational nature of the case. The intelligence service threatens to replace Jordan, but Hill manages to escape from his sickbed for brief periods in order to probe for clues on his own, uncovering new information and twists that keep the reader coming back for more.

Intertwined with the plot of the mysterious poisoning, BENEATH THE BLEEDING challenges the political scene with inclusion of a terrorist activity. Yousef Aziz, son of an immigrant textile merchant, contrives a bomb plot in secret. His target: Bradfield Downs, the site of the anticipated Bradfield Victoria-Ratliff soccer match. When a blast of billowing gray smoke and mayhem shroud the field, carnage and disaster fill it, with bodies piling up all around.

What's the connection between the poisoning and the bombing? Why was this athlete murdered along with dozens of innocent people? And will Hill and Jordan be able to find the people responsible before any other lives are lost? One must read to find out the shocking answers to these questions. Although I have read only one other McDermid novel, she has truly secured me as a fan with her latest book. BENEATH THE BLEEDING satisfies one's thirst for complicated plots, personal struggles and rapidly advancing action.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

In "Beneath the Bleeding," Val McDermid brings back the formidable pair, Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan and Dr. Tony Hill, psychologist and profiler. Jordan and Hill have a lengthy history, and if circumstances had been right, they might have married and had a family. As it stands, they are close friends, and Hill is Carol's landlord. When Tony is attacked by an axe-wielding madman, he is laid up with a severe leg wound, but he still has the mental acuity to assist Jordan with some tricky cases. They include the mysterious poisoning of popular footballer Robbie Bishop and a possible terrorist attack. Jordan does not always agree with Tony's far-fetched theories, however, and the two have a way of butting heads when they do not see eye-to-eye.

DCI Jordan runs the Major Incident Team and she is something of a workaholic who pushes herself to excel. Occasionally, hours of fruitless labor with nothing to show for it makes her so frustrated that she drinks more than she should. Still, she is respected at the Bradfield Police headquarters, and the members of her team are generally eager to please her. McDermid individualizes each detective, including the brilliant computer wizard, Detective Constable Stacy Chen; the ambitious maverick, DC Sam Evans; the emotionally fragile DC Paula McIntyre; the personable and hard-working Detective Sergeant Kevin Matthews; and the briskly competent DS Chris Devine. Each has an important role to play in what will prove to be extremely challenging investigations. Other characters of note are Vanessa Hill, Tony's horrifyingly selfish and overbearing mother and Yousef Aziz, a young man with a deadly secret.

This is a wonderfully entertaining and fast-paced police procedural. McDermid is an intelligent and highly skilled writer who makes the art of balancing a large cast and a complicated story appear effortless. She is an expert at leading the reader in one direction, and then surprising us with shocking developments that we could never have anticipated. The chemistry between Hill and Jordan remains strong, although with the baggage that these two carry, one wonders if they will ever be able to sort out their lives, much less their relationship. With its realistic dialogue, carefully constructed plot, intriguing psychological undercurrents, and lively prose style, "Beneath the Bleeding" is McDermid at her best, which is very good indeed.

Warning: Those who are offended by frank conversation and a liberal use of profanity may want to skip this one.

When one reads a Val McDermid novel, the expectation is that it will involve a serial killer. This book is no exception, although the author intertwines a couple of twists. To begin with, her protagonists--Dr. Tony Hill, psychologist and profiler, and DCI Carol Jordan--are continually at odds in attempting to solve their personal problems, as well as the crimes they are involved with. Tony's insights seem far out to Carol, which she sometimes attributes to the fact that he's in the hospital with a smashed knee, courtesy of a patient in that hospital, where he practices.

Be that as it may, the challenge, at first, is to solve the poisoning of a popular footballer on the eve of a bog game. Then during the game, an explosion under the stands kills 35 persons. Are the events related? Is the bombing a terrorist act? Carol and her team's efforts are complicated by the invasion of a specialized terrorist force which takes over with strong-arm tactics. Two more poison murders gives Tony and Carol a few leads, and Tony continues to have free-thinking thoughts about all the crimes.

The intricate lot is surpassed only by the smoothness of the writing. Tony and Carol are two marvelous creations, and they continue to enchant this reader. The book works on several levels--as a mystery, in delving into the relationships and personalities of the characters, and the contemporary nature of the "terrorist explosion," which was set off by a Muslim male.

Great reading, and highly recommended.

I love Val McDermid and this book was no different. However this Kindle edition lacks correct formatting when conversations are taking place. Time after time the initial quotation marks of someone's response are missing entirely and it takes you sometimes several words to realize the person is speaking again. This is incredibly distracting and, I think, ridiculous if Amazon wants Kindle eds to be taken seriously. There has to be some more careful quality control of the texts. Most of my Kindle eds are fine but this is something which, even if there are just mistakes once every 10-15 books, can be a huge deal depending on what the actual problem is. Unfortunately the very nature of the product makes it a much larger issue to have even occasional quality problems. Please Amazon be more careful!!