Three years have passed since the publication of the last volume (The Torment of Others) of the Tony Hill / Carol Jordan series. Never before has so eagerly awaited a book of mine. Expectations were therefore correspondingly high, which we all know is never good. And I was also disappointed. Although McDermid's style is still one of the best that I have ever encountered and I enjoyed the book very much. However, the subject was not my cup of tea. Poisoning and an attack on a football stadium have me at all enthusiastic. The author manages Although still build tension, but truly captivating I could not find the two cases this time. The resolution of the attack I found unconvincing. But most disappointing I found the lack of development of relationship between the two main characters. Much of the success of this book series goes back to the complex and absolutely credible relationship between Tony and Carol, who has been very sensitively built and developed by McDermid in the four previous books. In this regard, here nothing happens, their relationship seems to have even suffered a setback. But the end is true conciliatory. The ingenious idea in itself is not the same opinion to be both even, is not properly implemented. Also due to the fact that something unfortunate situation that there is little interaction between the two. Tony captivate at the very beginning to the bedside, it turns out for me as a mistake. The plot focuses on Carol and her team or the thoughts of the bomber. Tony may intervene only in the last quarter of the book into the action. But really good, I like the idea of Tony's mother to the stage to pick up. Finally, the reader learns more about Tony's past and understands better and better why it closes certain aspects of his life deep inside. I just wish this issue would have been dealt with a little extravagant. It is hoped that the next band again enters more on Tony & Carol's complicated relationship drama and they are again more confronted with the abyss of the human soul.
As a work of Val McDermid I give only 4 stars because the woman can be even better. However, it still moves at such a high level of narrative that I would have given any other book 5 stars. With deductions definitely highly recommended and for Tony / Carol fans of course a must. The end makes you hungry to continuing.
