(1995)1st in the series that the BBC series was based on. At times this story becomes very graphic in violence, torture and sex. However, it is well done and introduces Psychologist Tony Hill to Detective Inspector Carol Jordan. They become a very good team in trying to profile the serial killer that seems to have targeted the gay community in Bradfield.KIRKUS REVIEW Nothing in McDermid's wisecracking books about Manchester p.i. Kate Brannigan (Clean Break, 1995, etc.) could have prepared you for this taut study of Handy Andy, the name that psychological profiler Tony Hill has adopted to humanize the faceless S/M connoisseur the Bradfield coppers call the Queer Killer. Tony, who's treating his own sexual hangups by not hanging up on an importunate caller looking for phone sex, is hauled aboard the stalled investigation when bigoted Supt. Tom Cross won't admit the possibility that the three torture-murders are the work of a single hand. In short order Hill and Inspector Carol Jordan have a fourth crime to work with--the mutilated body of a local constable--but it doesn't help; Andy is too savvy, and now too practiced, to leave any traces at the scene. As Andy recounts the details of each murder to a celebratory tape recorder, Cross stumbles badly, planting evidence on a gym manager who bragged about knowing all four victims, beating and arresting him when he tries to flee the country, and abandoning him in his holding cell to a nightmare of justice gone wrong . Even with Cross on suspension, the case still has room for the mole who's leaking info to his lover on the Sentinel Times and for the copycat killer determined to piggyback on the notoriety of Handy Andy, who's planning a last coup against Hill himself. The grim details make this one not for everybody--but if serial killers are your meat, you'll see why McDermid won this year's Gold Dagger from Britain's Crime Writers Association.Pub Date: Dec. 1st, 1996ISBN: 0-06-101174-6Page count: 288ppPublisher: HarperCollinsReview Posted Online: May 20th, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15th, 1996The killer turns out to be Angelica, the woman who has been calling Tony and giving him sexual pleasure over the phone, when he seemed to need it most. Angelica is a trans-gender who used to be a man. She now wants someone to love her and kills those who reject her. Her ultimate goal is Tony who she kidnaps in the end and tortures him as is her M.O. Tony manages to escape by using psychology to fool her into believing that he wants her.

Great read demonstrates the rigors and personal riskd that police and staff have to put up with when investigating a case.
A case where 4 men are murdered after grime tourcher wiyh no evidence available.
A twist at the dramatic end. ( )

All the clichés of the genre are in here. It is like crime fiction bingo. Angry senior police officer that doesnt like the main character, the journalist that is nasty and hinders the process, the 'will they wont they' romance that will likely drag on for at least 10 books despite being spent and boring by the end of book one, being book one the crimes are of course linked to the main character, a kidnap of a main character, ............... I could go on but you get the idea.
That aside the book is badly written but the plot is actually quite good. I will read a few more and see if they improve. ( )

I can't say that I really liked the book but it held my attention pretty well. I would certainly try the second in the series.

I'm not particularly squeamish when it comes to graphic violence but there were several scenes and/or descriptions that put me off. If you're opposed to hardcore torture, you might want to skip it. ( )

I watched most of the UK "Wire in the Blood" TV series based on the Hill/Jordan books but abandoned it eventually because I tired of the dark intensity. Nevertheless, having since read other books written by Val McDermid that I thoroughly enjoyed, I decided to give this one a try when I was looking for an audio book I already owned but hadn't yet read .

In a nutshell, the descriptions of torture interfered with my enjoyment of the book. It was well plotted, certainly, but I think I may have had my fill of serial killers doing their work in grisly fashion for this year. Maybe I'd be up for a smotherer or a straightforward strangler...

My lack of enthusiasm for this book hasn't turned me off to Val McDermid; I look forward to reading more of her. But I'll avoid any more Hill/Jordan.

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