What: Val McDermid's award-winning novel marks the beginning of the partnership between forensic psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and DI Carol Jordan that has thus far spawned seven books and a British television series. McDermid's prodigious literary talent elevates this above the quotidian police procedural that one might expect, while her complete lack of squeamishness means that descriptions of the book contain phrases like "sadistic, twisted yet intriguingly ingenious" and "graphic, psychologically terrifying."
Comparable to: Frankly, I am shocked (shocked!) that Showtime does not appear to be adapting this into a new series even as we speak (er, type/read). It fits perfectly with the channel's current aesthetic, without any need for the terrible, terrible, terrible Dexter voiceovers. (Sorry, Dexter fans! But those voiceovers are pretty terrible.)
Representative quote: "On the other side of the city, John Brandon stooped over the washbasin and stared glumly into the bathroom mirror. Not even the shaving soap covering his face like a Santa Claus beard could give him an air of benevolence."
You might not like it if: You have a weak stomach, but you read the more graphic parts anyway. I am not ashamed to admit I just skipped over some passages. Torture scenes? What torture scenes?
How to get it: The book is easily available (and Kindle-able). The television adaptation is called Wire in the Blood, which is the title of the second book in the series. Don't get confused and read that first.
(Incidentally, the television show is amazingly well cast --- Robson Green ftw! --- but later seasons do diverge very sharply from the books.)
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