Review: The Torment of Others

The Torment of Others (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, Bk 4)
by Val McDermid
ISBN No. 0-312-33919-4
book was personally purchased by me

THE STORY
In a small grim room, the body of a woman is discovered, panic and pain etched in her face. The scene matches in every detail a series of murders two years ago-murders that ended when irrefutable forensic evidence secured the conviction of a deeply disturbed young man named Derek Tyler.

But there's no way Tyler could have killed the latest victim. He's been locked up in a mental institution since his trial, barely speaking a word. So is there a copycat?

All his years of experience tell top criminal psychologist Dr. Tony Hill that there isn't-but that would make the murders literally impossible. While Hill tries to crack Tyler, DCI Carol Jordan and her team must mount a desperate undercover operation to trap the murderer-a decision that will have terrible consequences.

As the tension mounts, a mixture of psychological insight and dogged detective work leads inexorably to a terrifying climax where Tony faces one of the most perverse killers he has ever encountered.

MY THOUGHTS

Interesting read. I have not read any other books in this series so I do not know much of the back story of Carol and Tony.

Carol Jordan having survived an undercover operation gone wrong is now in charge of her own team and needs to solve two cases. One is a serial killer and the other is a pedophile case. This is her first step in overcoming her insecurities. Dr. Tony Hill is brought in to help with the profile on the serial killer case. Unfortunately to catch the serial killer, Carol will have to put one of her officers undercover. Carol's worst fears come to life when her undercover agent is taken by the serial killer and she will stop at nothing to get her back. Tony's profile points to the killer being someone who is very influential (possible in law enforcement) and is able to convince people to commit the murders for him/her and since he knows that no one will believe him, he investigates on his own. The pedophile case takes a backseat to the serial killer case and I think it does not play a huge part in the whole book.

I loved Carol's character. Before her rape she was a very strong cop and now she is striving to get back to some normalcy. Throughout the book you see her determination to overcome these doubts and Tony plays a big part. Lots of layers to these characters. McDermid's descriptions of the sexual abuse might be a little gruesome for some but necessary to the story. This book has many twists and turns and kept me guessing till the end.