Book Review – Insidious Intent – Val McDermid

(5 / 5)

Val McDermids tenth outing for Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Insidious Intent has a shocking denouement and a letter from Ms Mcdermid not to spoil it for other fans and readers, so I’m not going to.

Needless to say it is a story with a complex interaction between Hill & Jordan, who is coming to terms with her alcoholism and a dubious escape from a drink drive charge.   Being chased by a malicious journalist intent on bringing Jordan down does not help her situation.

The setting up of a new Regional Major Incident Team run by Jordan, needs to find its feet but is dogged by a series of sick murders from a clever and unemotional killer with a warped sense of motivation. Dubbed ‘The Wedding Killer’ by the press, Jordan and Hill and their not so happy team of sidekicks meet many dead ends and investigational misdirection. This brings the team under more pressure from Jordan’s senior officers, who threaten to shut the unit down if she doesn’t get results.

Having finally identified the killer the only way Jordan can get the evidence she needs is to put herself in danger. I’ll stop there – spoilers!

As with all McDermid’s novels, this one takes you to places you don’t want to go. It is well plotted, and deeply emotional in some parts. The murders are well defined and the murderer is, within crime fiction, the type of psychopathic unhinged individual readers have come to love.

You don’t have to have read all of Hill and Jordans’ tales to get involved in Insidious Intent. It’ll drag you into the pages and you’ll have difficulty putting in down. I certainly did.

Recommended read for all crime fiction fans.

Insidious Intent on Amazon