Fever of the Bone: A Novel (Tony Hill / Carol Jordan Book 6)

'FEVER OF THE BONE' is the sixth in Val McDermid's series about DCI Carol Jordan and criminal psychologist Tony Hill. At the same time as I as reading this novel, I was viewing 'Wire In The Blood', a British series covering Val McDermid's books. McDermid's novels can be very realistic and gory, but the DVD is even more so. This was a story that will not be forgotten easily.The main plot concerns the deaths of young teenagers in the town of Bradfield in northern England. DCI Jordan and her team are looking for people who stalked them by befriending them on a social networking website, RigMarole. Someone lures the young person to a meeting, and then kills them. The children's parents are bereft, and their love is palpable. We can put ourselves in their place very easily. DCI Jordan's cold case team discovers clues, and also follows the internet trail. DCI Jordan's new boss, James Burke, will not allow Tony Hill, who profiles the criminals, on the case. Instead, Burke tells Jordan to make do with one of the police force's own profilers. This profiler is not in the same league as Tony Hill is, and the clues run out very quickly. DCI Jordan finds she is on her own.Meanwhile Tony is sorting out his father's estate in Worcester. He did not know his father, and his death came as a shock. At the same time, Tony is contacted by the Worcester police to assist with the case of a killing of a young teenager. Tony takes on the case and spends the night in his father's old house. He discovers unexpected things about his own past. Many things that his mother, from whom he is estranged, has kept from him.DCI Jordan and Tony are involved with each other but can't admit their feelings openly. This aversion to discussion of feelings has been an on-going issue for the two of them. Tony discovers his profile case in Worcester is likely to be a crime committed by the same person who killed the two teenagers in Bradfield. DCI Jordan insists that Tony Hill be allowed back on this case. DCI Jordan and her team narrow down the list of suspects, and come to some amazing discoveries.Val McDermid keeps the story interesting with her use of high tech options in combination with the new social media. She seems to be way ahead of other authors in this area. The police procedurals are explicit and so well written. The story of Tony's discovery of his father is moving, and this may open the door to a more satisfying relationship with DCI Carol Jordan. Recommended. prisrob 09-16-10 The Mermaids Singing Beneath the Bleeding: A Novel

VAL MCDERMID IS A BRIT MYSTERY WRITER NEW TO ME. I'VE NOW READ 3 OF HER "TONY HILL & CAROL JORDAN NOVELS; THEY ARE INTERESTING AND WELL-WRITTEN BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE HEART OF PETER MAY OR PETER ROBINSON, OTHER UK MYSTERY WRITERS. AND TO USE AN AMERICAN WRITER AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHAT SHE IS MISSING - MICHAEL CONNELLY; THEY HAVE HEART; EMPATHY. TO UE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF ANOTHER WRITER I'VE ONLY RECENTLY BEGAN READING - KARIN SLAUGHTER, WHO IS BURSTING WITH HEART, EMPATHY - AND SHE DEMONSTRATES AMAZING INSIGHTS INTO THE HUMAN CONDITION, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE SO YOUNG.CONNELLY, IN ONE OF HIS LAST FEW NOVELS, "DARK SACRED NIGHT", MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT FEMALE MURDER AND RAPE VICTIMS. HE USES WORDS & MAKES OBSERVATIONS THAT I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER HEARD A MAN EXPRESS. HE MAKES THIS 'STATEMENT' THROUGH ONE OF HIS NEWLY INTRODUCED CHARACTERS, "RENEE BALLARD", A DETECTIVE ON THE NIGHT SHIFT. CONNELLY, THROUGH 'RENEE', IS THINKING DEEP THOUGHTS ABOUT HOMICIDE CASES.WHILE SHE REALIZES THAT 'MURDER IS MURDER', REGARDLESS OF AGE, SEX, OR CIRCUMSTANCES, SHE FEELS THERE IS 'SOMETHING ABOUT' THE MURDER OF A WOMAN THAT GOES BEYOND THE GENERAL UNFAIRNESS OF DEATH AT THE HANDS OF ANOTHER. SHE WONDERS HOW M E N WOULD LIVE IF THEY KNEW THAT IN ANY & EVERY MOMENT OF THEIR LIVES, THEIR SIZE, THEIR NATURE - THEIR SEX - MADE THEM VULNERABLE (TO SEXUAL ASSAULT) BY THE OPPOSITE SEX."I USED TO NEVER GET MYSTERY NOVELS WRITTEN BY WOMEN; AS A FAN OF THE 'HARD-BOILED' DETECTIVE SCHOOL, I HAD NOT RUN ACROSS ANY FEMALE MYSTERY NOVELISTS THAT FIT THE "MEAN STREETS" CATEGORY. UNTIL I READ "IN A LONELY PLACE" - I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT A W O M A N WROTE SUCH A TRULY HARD-BOILED NOVEL; AND WROTE IT IN THE 1940s!! WHEN I FIRST SAW THE 'MOVIE VERSION' OF THIS GREAT NOVEL - THE BOGART FILM - I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED AND SO ANGRY THAT HOLLYWOOD HAD - ONCE AGAIN, MADE A MOCKERY OF A GREAT BOOK. A MAN WHO IN THE NOVEL WAS A TRUE SERIAL KILLER IN THE PATHETIC FILM IS MERELY A MAN WITH A BAD TEMPER THAT HE CAN'T CONTROL. THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF MYSTERY WRITERS WHO WRITE REALLY ENTERTAINING MYSTERY NOVELS - EVEN INTELLECTUALLY STIMULATING MYSTERIES - BUT VERY FEW HAVE ALL OF THAT PLUS TRUE 'HEART'. THANK GOODNESS FOR DOROTHY B. HUGHES, KARIN SLAUGHTER, PETER ROBINSON, PETER MAY, AND MIKE CONNELLY. - M. GIPE

This was a rather upsetting serial murder setting and solve because the cases do involve innocent teens that are surrogate children through fertility clinics , therefore the devastation and horror for the parents and all concerned in solving this DCI Jordan case is extra heart wrenching. The team is stretched to the limits when Blake says no money for Dr. Tony Hill any longer! How will they solve this terrible case without any leads and no theories . Meanwhile, Tony Hill is occupied in Worcester , the home of his recently passed father he has known in name only. He is working a case there and sniffing around the estate that was left to him by a man he never knew and a man who never tried to know him . This is definitely one of my favorite Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novels from Val McDermid ! It is intellectually intriguing and emotionally heart wrenching until the very last word .

Title: Fever of the BoneSeries: Tony Hill & Carol Jordan (#6)Author: Val McDermidFrom: AmazonGenre: Crime, ThrillerRelease Date: 2009Challenges: 2016 Prequel & Sequel Challenge (2 points)Links: Goodreads - AmazonSynopsis (from Goodreads): Meet Tony Hill's most twisted adversary - a killer with a shopping list of victims, a killer unmoved by youth and innocence, a killer driven by the most perverted desires ...When teenager Jennifer Maidment's murdered and mutilated body is discovered, it is clear that there is a dangerous psychopath on the loose. But it's not long before Tony and DCI Carol Jordan realise it's just the start of a brutal and ruthless campaign targeting an apparently unconnected group of young people. Their chameleon-like killer is chatting with them online, pretending to share their interests and beliefs - and then luring them to their deaths. But just when Tony should be at the heart of the hunt, he's pushed to the margins by Carol's cost-cutting boss and replaced by a dangerously inexperienced profiler. Struggling with the newly awakened ghosts of his own past and desperate for distraction in his work, Tony battles to find the answers that will give him personal and professional satisfaction in his most nerve-shattering investigation yet.Fever of the Bone is the sixth in the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series. The crime and the solving of it are completely standalone, however the previous books (I've read all 5) help to create the background for the various characters and their relationships. This goes for characters other than Tony & Carol themselves too. I would suggest reading the previous books, not only are they good, but it gives a sense of whatever it is that is going on between Tony and Carol too (even they don't know what it is!)I first want to say that this book has really bitten me with the bug for reading the series. Despite being in the middle of a book that I'm really enjoying, by one of my favourite authors, I just want too dive back into Tony and Carol's world (and I may have lined up The Retribution on my kindle for when I've finished Concealed!) The pace, the plot and the characters all have that slightly addictive quality (plus I peeked ahead at the synopsis for The Retribution and Jacko Vance is back...that is going to be good! Well for the reader at least!)What I like about this series is that even without the interesting crimes and the fast paced solving of them, the characters in these books really give the reader something to enjoy. I found myself cheering for Paula going on a good date, and warming to Sam when he started being less selfminded, I liked some of the new characters, and that's without even touching on Tony and Carol!The main crime itself was intrigueing, though I had figured out the connection between the victims quite early on (there were some hints dropped) and I may have had a fist pump moment when it turned out that I was actually right! However it wasn't quite so easy to figure out who was behind it, and that all unravelled in a highly satisfying way.I really enjoyed Fever of the Bone, its up there with The Mermaids Singing as my favourite in the series I think!

This is the latest in the series of crime thrillers involving the psychologist and criminal profiler Tony Hill. In the first few chapters much of the back history of the characters is summarised as this story starts to develop, making this a book which can be read stand alone without having read any previous books in the series.Quickly you are given a visual image of all the characters in the story which lets you then get on with the plot.The plot is very straightforward and whips along at a good pace which makes it perfect for a quick read. There is nothing that needs too much thought and it is a thoroughly enjoyable book to read.My only criticism is the ending which seems rushed and the final few pages were a bit twee but it does serve a purpose of moving on the relationship between Tony and Carol so setting up the next book. I just felt it might have been better to do this at the beginning of the next book rather than the end of this one.

At least with Val McD you get what you pay for - a cracking good thriller which keeps you gripped from page one, even after you've guessed the ending which normally happens about halfway through the book. This is not the best Tony Hill/Carol Jordan book, but still well worth a read. Maybe it really is time she put the whole saga to bed - as others have said the Tony/Carol thing has dragged on for too long now and I thought the storyline about Tony's father was a bit of a bore. It all feels a bit cosy and doesn't have the edge that earlier stories - such as 'Wire in the Blood' had. Still I don't think many of her fans would be disappointed with this installment of the series.I thought the Kindle price was a bit too high at 4.99.

I've only just become a Val McDermid convert and I've flown through the previous five books so I knew roughly what to expect from Fever of the Bone. The story line is chilling, having teenagers of my own it really made me think. Do we really know who our kids are talking to?I love the way characters from previous books are drawn into the story, giving you more favourites to add to your collection. And of course, you never know if one of your favourites is about to be bumped off.....I only wish Val could write the books as fast as I can read them. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I catch up!

I Am in the process of reading them all starting from number 1 and I am now up to no.8. So far none of them have disappointed. What a brilliant series, they just keep you in suspense. Anybody not yet read them need to start from the beginning to be able to follow the story. Hope Tony and Carol never retire.