Throwback Thursday: The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

Author: Val McDermid
First published in 1995 by HarperCollins

This was the summer he discovered what he wanted—at a gruesome museum of criminology far off the beaten track of more timid tourists. Visions of torture inspired his fantasies like a muse. It would prove so terribly fulfilling.

The bodies of four men have been discovered in the town of Bradfield. Enlisted to investigate is criminal psychologist Tony Hill. Even for a seasoned professional, the series of mutilation sex murders is unlike anything he's encountered before. But profiling the psychopath is not beyond him. Hill's own past has made him the perfect man to comprehend the killer's motives. It's also made him the perfect victim.

A game has begun for the hunter and the hunted. But as Hill confronts his own hidden demons, he must also come face-to-face with an evil so profound he may not have the courage—or the power—to stop it...

I have watched Wire in the Blood, the BBC series based on this series of books. But, I had never given the books a chance.  I'm glad I did.  I enjoyed The Mermaids Singing.  I have always been a firm believer that the book is always better than the movie/tv show.  While I liked the tv show, I have to say the book was better.  

Reading the book gave me better insight into Tony Hill's character.  He is a brilliant psychologist, but he has some major flaws. He has a unique way of trying to get into the mind of the killer.  The "interview" was a little creepy.    I really liked the parts that involved the profile of the killer.  It was kind of cool how he put it together.  Sprinkled throughout the book are excerpts from the killers journals. Those were even creepier.  If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it!