Beneath the Bleeding

International Praise for Beneath the Bleeding

“McDermid’s previous novels have set the bar vertiginously high, but the latest outing for criminal profiler Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan has all the craft, panache, and pace that we have come to expect from this outstanding writer…. Vintage stuff: unplug the phone, lock the door, and prepare to read in a sitting.”

—The Guardian (London)

“If Rankin is the king of British crime, Val McDermid is undoubtedly the queen…. Hill and Jordan are compelling creations and their encounters in Beneath the Bleeding fairly crackle. McDermid is a consummate plotter, so there are pleasing twists and turns in this first-rate story.”

—The Observer (London)

“This classy police procedural—[the] latest in a series featuring the criminal profiler Tony Hill—compels from start to finish…. A narrative of nerve-stretching immediacy…. Sharply written, suspenseful, and full of insight into the world of the criminal psychologist.”

—The Times (London)

“Tackled cleverly, with a well-concealed plot twist making a political point…. An accomplished performance…. This is Britain’s most successful series featuring a woman police detective.”

—The Sunday Times (London)

“[McDermid is] the queen of serial killers…. As a former journalist, few can scoop Val on throat-clutching narrative, but at the same time she is marvelous on the subplot details.”

—Daily Mail (London)

“Edgy and dark as always…. I love it.”

—The Express (London)

“This is a book that works on more than one level. It fulfills the criteria of a very good contemporary crime thriller in terms of excitement, topicality, and its sense of authenticity. But it delivers more than this: the complex and unpredictable relationship between Hill and Jordan lies at the heart of the series and is one of its greatest strengths. McDermid’s writing gets better and better.”

—The Spectator (London)

“Val McDermid again proves herself one of Britain’s top crime authors in Beneath the Bleeding, a sophisticated, complex, and gripping story…. It’s a joy to follow along with Hill and Jordan…. Leave yourself lots of time for this one. I finished it at 3 a.m.”

—The Globe and Mail (Toronto)