The Wire In the Blood by Val McDermid
The Wire in the Blood is the Val McDermid novel that was adapted into the 2002 British drama series of the same name. Not everyone might realise that of the nine novels in the Dr Tony Hill/ DCI Carol Jordan series, only four were made into episodes of the ITV series.
This reader thoroughly enjoyed the 24 episodes of the TV series and was delighted to find that the partnership of Hill and Jordan has continued in the written form.
Oftimes chilling and horrifying, this police procedural/psychological profiling series moves along at a steady clip, set in the northern England town of Bradfield and environs. The characters, major and minor, are well-drawn and very interesting. The murders (and there are never fewer than three per book) are appalling detailed and well-constructed.
This reader, who watched the TV series first before tackling the books, found that one’s pre-set visualisation of Robson Green and Hermione Norris playing Hill and Jordan did not detract in the slightest from the novels.
Recommended for readers who enjoy police procedural’s, profiling, serial killers or crimes set in Northern England.
The Wire in the Blood by Val McDermid in the SMSA Library
Belinda Coombs
SMSA Mystery and Crime Reading Group Member
