I'm loving this series. As other reviewers have written, the thing that elevates McDermid above other gritty procedurals is her empathy and respect for those on the bottom rungs of society's ladder. This is mirrored in Tony Hill's empathetic treatment of the "nutters" [McDermid's word, not mine] he deals with. Looking forward to the next! ( )

Another good addition to Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series. The suspense builds throughout the story as the case progresses. By the end of the book you don't trust anyone because he or she could be the villain. I could not put the book down. ( )

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13216856

Tony Hill back in action - still the sexual tension, inconvenient-yet-reciprocated attraction between him and DCI Jordon (who is beginning to re-find herself after the traumas from book #4). I had trouble putting this down, losing sleep, staying up far too late to see how Tony & Carol would pull this off yet again.... one of the most enjoyable series, I think.
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This is the kind of mystery that is my absolute favourite. It's a police procedural with a psychological underpinning. Carol Jordan has been brought back to Bradfield to head up a major crimes unit in the police. The last job she had involved an undercover assignment that went bad and she was raped which has affected her confidence and judgment. Tony Hill, a psychologist and profiler, has also returned to Bradfield. The two are close but have never had a sexual relationship but now they are sharing a house and working together. The story involves two major crimes. One is a cold case in which two young boys were abducted and never found. The other is a series of gruesome murders for which someone was charged two years ago but the exact same method has now been used to murder two prostitutes. Against her better judgment Carol puts one of her officers on the street to try to lure the killer and trap him. But the undercover operation goes terribly wrong and the officer is abducted. At the same time, the cold case has caught a break and the bodies of the two boys have been found. The perpetrator is one of a few people but, although he was in police custody, he is mistakenly released. The suspense builds until the very end.

Carol and Tony and all of the major characters are well-developed with human frailties. The writing is crisp and the conclusion is believable.

Do Carol and Tony finally get together? Read the book to find out. ( )