My favourite crime writer- still at the top of her game! I love Val McDermid and I really love the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan books. I was - like everyone else (trying to avoid spoilers), wondering how the series would continue after the last book and this was everything I hoped for. I loved that Paula played a bigger part in this book and somehow it all flowed beautifully. This was a few hours (because I couldn’t stop reading!) very well spent.

Thank you to NetGalley for and advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

WOW!! After I started this book I decided I needed a LITTLE background, so I went back a couple of books in the series just to get a handle on the characters and relationships, and I am very glad I did. I read Cross & Burn and it gave me enough background to really enjoy this read.

Tony and Carol are once again on the outs, with Tony again incarcerated, this time in prison, and refusing to see Carol until she seeks treatment for her PTSD. Carol is joining with an old adversary in a new venture, and working on her personal problems at the same time.

Paula McIntyre has landed in yet another squad, a partially resurrected REmit, but without Carol Jordan. Some of the crew is back, and some of the new ones work well, some not so much. So when 40+ graves are discovered on the grounds of a closed Catholic children's home, they are hard at work trying to find out who, what , when and why.

Lots of twists and turns, a few surprises, and a pretty good outcome. Ready for the next one........

Gritty and enjoyable read, really enjoyed the story building and the characters that developed as the story did.

Val McDermid is one of the best in the business. Her novels are not the skim-the-surface style of many more recent crime writers, but character driven plots with depth and multiple intertwining threads and themes.

How the Dead Speak is the 11th in the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series and an uncomfortable one in some ways, because after their last outing Tony Hill, psychiatrist and forensic profiler, is in jail for manslaughter and Carol has resigned from active police duty.

How is Tony managing life in prison? He is writing a book and we get to see snippets as epigraphs to chapters. Surviving in a prison population is crucial, and Tony does what he can to aid fellow prisoners and to protect himself at the same time.

Carol, who has been trying to keep busy, suddenly finds herself involved with a couple of situations that require her expertise. Tony's vile mother has asked for Carol's help and a request to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice for the Innocence Project give Carol an outlet for her skills.

The former ReMIT team has a case in which hundreds of bones have turned up when a new development on the grounds of a former convent/girls school. The bodies date from the time the nuns were running the school some 20-40 years ago, and if that isn't enough, more recent bodies of young men turn up as well. Paula McIntire and other familiar characters take the lead in this plot thread. I'm wondering if they will be mostly on their own in future books.

A lot going on in McDermid's latest Tony Hill/Carol Jordan installment!

Read in July; blog review scheduled for Nov. 11.

NetGalley/Grove Atlantic
Police Procedura/Crime. Dec. 3, 2019. Print length: 480 pages.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's a gripping and entertaining story that kept me guessing and hooked till the last page.
The style of writing is brilliant and the cast of flawed characters is fleshed out.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A police procedural that kept me reading through, though my favourite is whodunnit. This is my first book by this author. Though she is famous, the reviews for her previous books described them as gory. I thought I would try this one and I enjoyed it. Will definitely try some other works by her. I like authors who portray their lead characters with flaws. Makes it easy to connect with them and empathise with them.

This book continues the Tony and Carol series and I'd recommend reading the books in order as there will be a spoiler or two in this book if you are not up to date!

I really enjoyed this latest instalment which was very readable and was hard to put down. If I had a train or tube commute, I suspect I'd miss my stop!

The writing was sharp and each chapter had inviting titbits that keep you guessing.

My only criticism is that as the chapters diminished, I didn't know how it would all come together with so little pages left and whilst the ending isn't rushed, it didn't gel for me and didnt leave everything tied up in neat bows as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love everything Val McDermid writes. I have read her stand alone books and her Carol and Tony books for years as well as watched the series Wire In The Blood. She is one of my top 5 favourite thriller writers. So her new books have a high bar. So when I say I was a bit disappointed in How The Dead Speak, I'm thinking of that high bar.
How The Dead Speak is the latest in her Carol and Tony books and Tony is in jail. Carol is on a farm far away from the force she served as detective for so many years. Tony won't let Carol visit him until she gets help for her PTSD which surfaced in the last book. Enter Tony's crazy manipulative mother and the fun begins. The chapters go back and forth from Tony in his cell and Carol on her farm and then doing some investigating on her own.
They are both very, very damaged from years of working horrendous cases and being things no one should every have to see. And they miss each other.
So.... I just found some of this forced. As if Ms McDermid is not willing to let go of Carol and Tony yet and knows we her readers love them. Usually, for me, Ms DcDermid makes even the wildest craziest schemes seem possible and the solutions believable. But I wasn't as convinced with this book.
It is still Val McDermid and her writing is still superb. In my mind, it's just not one of her better books.

How the Dead Speak is another riveting read from Val McDermid, often called the Queen of Crime.

Things have changed for Tony and Carol, he is in prison and she has resigned from being a police officer.

The supporting cast of characters are there, Paula, Elinor, Stacey, Alvin.

Val McDermid is a master of having more than one story going at once and managing to keep all of them making you want to turn the pages to see what transpires.

Don't want to spoil the story so all I will say is get your copy and settle in for a great read. Can't wait for the book to be published in Canada so I can purchase my hard copy to sit beside my collection of Val McDermid books.

Thanks to Net Galley, Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press to enable me to spend more time in Carol and Tony's world. Loved it !!!

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Val McDermid, and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always a fan of Val McDermid’s work, I was pleased to be able to read this eleventh novel in the Tony Hill-Carol Jordan series, which packs a punch and keeps the reader on their toes. After the fallout of a previous case, Tony Hill finds himself behind bars for manslaughter. That may seem a hindrance, but Hill is doing all he can to work with his fellow inmates to help make their lives easier, while ensuring protection of his own. On the outside, Carol Hill has retired from active police duty as she pieces things together. When Carol is approached by a local Innocence Project and asked to help consult on a case, her curiosity is piqued. A number of male prostitutes have gone missing over a span of time, but their bodies have never turned up. Presumed murdered, the prosecution turned their eyes on one man as the killer. Convicted by a majority of his jury, he now sits in jail, though professes his innocence. Carol Jordan uses her long history as a cop to explore the case in hopes of finding a trail left to go cold. At the same time, Carol Jordan’s former Regional Major Incident Team (REMIT) has been called to investigate an odd crime of their own. While razing the land of a former convent and girls’ school, a number of children’s bodies are found buried in the garden. All eyes turn to those who run the school, which appears to have been anything but a lovely educational establishment when it was open. The REMIT begins their investigation and seeks to find something on which they can build a case. While the nuns, groundskeepers, and local priest are anything but forthcoming, there is something that does not add up. When a second set of bodies turns up, things take an interesting turn and the investigation gathers momentum. Who left these bodies and what is the gruesome story behind it all? Another winner in the Hill-Jordan series, which will appeal to those who have enjoyed the previous novels, particularly McDermid’s cliffhanger ending. Recommended to those who like a police procedural with a few twists tossed in.

While I know this series has divided fans over the years, I find myself in the group that loves them. There have been actions taken by Val McDermid hat may leave some scratching their heads, but the meatier parts of the story come out and keep the reader curious, if not completely enthralled. The Tony Hill/Carol Jordan storylines are secondary in this piece, though there is some great character development, however minor at times. It is the characters who normally serve a secondary role that come to the forefront here, weaving together an impactful mystery that needs solving. The premise is strong, though the cliché of the Catholic Church left me rolling my eyes just a bit. Still, there is quite the mystery and two cases soon find a common thread, which ties things together nicely. McDermid does well to write her parallel plots effectively and keeps the reader wondering when the other shoe may drop. I cannot say that it was the most stellar writing, but the narrative offered up strong themes and kept me wondering until the very end. With a mix of short and longer chapters, the reader can sometimes be enticed to read a little more, then locked into the investigation for more detailed aspects. I am eager to see where things go with this series, particularly with how things ended, a tantalizing cliffhanger of sorts.

Kudos, Madam McDermid, for another wonderful novel in the series. I can only hope you have more ideas brewing, as they always keep me guessing.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author, Val McDermott, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of How The Dead Speak in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I loved reading this book. Ms McDermid never fails to deliver a gripping read.
The storyline was well thought out and written with well defined characters. I was hooked from the start.
Certainly cannot wait for more in this series.
Well worth a read.

How the Dead Speak is the latest in the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. If you're a regular reader of Val McDermid then you will know that Tony is currently in prison for manslaughter. Carol is retired and the ReMit team have a new boss. In a lot of ways this is a book of three parts. Tony's life in prison, Carol trying to find purpose and ReMit's new case. While the quality of McDermid's writing is never in question I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have expected given that I've read all the previous books in the series. I think it was because it felt disjointed to me, three main characters working on three different things. Whereas in the past all three would be working together. Hopefully the next in the series will resolve these issues. Still very much worth a read. Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy.

Having read the previous books in the series I couldn't wait to get stuck in. I wasn't disappointed and this too was filled with the great writing and characters we have come to expect from the author.

I enjoyed this book as I have every mystery novel by Val McDermid. I love her characters—how they think, act and interact with one another. Yet, I was a little disappointed with the revelation and solving of the murders. I suppose I wanted more of an explanation. Exposure if not punishment of those responsible for horrific crimes. I will continue to read future novels about these characters I've grown to love.

My thanks to Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Press, the author Val McDermid and Netgalley.
I've always suspected I would like this author. Truth is that I've never read her books because she had so many books already published. Dang, I do hate starting from the beginning! Well, turns out that I liked these characters! So, I'm going to have to start from the get go anyhow. This was a good story. Not great, because it still felt unfinished. I want to see those nuns get the justice that I think they deserve. Prison. Hard time. I don't like nuns. I never have. I've known a few Catholic school student's, and they had some scary tales. Also, anyone who treats children like they are dirt and don't matter, have an automatic "go to hell." But, since I don't believe in hell, I'm all for hellish treatment in prison! Yes, imagine the worst, and I'll see that , and raise you!
What I now know from this book is that I need more. I have to start from the beginning. Thankfully, my library has most of these books. Yay, library! Anyhow, whether I'm buying them or getting them from the library, Ms. McDermid has found a new fan.
As an aside, can I just say that where this story takes place is something I've always wanted to see!

How The Dead Speak by Val McDermind is a Carol Jordan and Tony Hill novel. This sees a radical change for the ReMIT team which has been disbanded following Tony’s incarceration and Carol’s exit from the force. The book follows the course of an investigation with the new-look team headed by DCI Ian Rutherford (a bit of a tosser in my opinion) into the discovery of bodies of children buried at the site of a former Catholic convent. Secondary plots revolve around Tony and Carol and their individual attempts to turn their inner darkness’ into light.

Tony can be seen to be carefully, and not always skilfully navigating life behind bars. Carol is offered an opportunity to work on an Innocence Project-like matter as an investigator ie. working for the defence. Saul Neilson is said to be wrongfully convicted for murdering a young male prostitute but the body has never been recovered.

Suddenly, the investigation at the convent reveals more bodies that aren’t consistent with the findings in relation to the children’s bodies. The plots are then interwoven and the real investigations begin. There’s also a cameo from Tony’s toxic mother who uses Carol’s feelings for Tony to manipulate her into helping her, which wreaks havoc with Carol’s recouperation from PTSD. And if she doesn’t try to heal, there’s no future for Carol and Tony as far as Tony is concerned.

This is a good crime novel, just falling short of great. It moves between the plots and the old ReMIT characters are well developed and well loved. This book easily stands on its own though reading one of the nearly a dozen prior books will give you more insight into some of the characters and the Hill-Jordan relationship. You know them, you invest in them. The chinks in the armour for me are the outcome of the real crook in this matter and the sense of emptiness in relation to the church bodies. The resolution was a bit quick for me and it left me wanting more. But, in saying this this, matters like these are rarely able to be tied up neatly in a bow. Sometimes there is a sense of the unresolved and undone even when you know who done it! I can’t help feeling that’s the end for Carol and Tony and further books will focus on the other ReMIT characters.

Thank you to Val McDermid, Grove Atlantic, and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This post will also appear on my Instagram blog @aplace_inthesun.

Full disclosure -- my experience with Tony Hill and Carol Jordan is entirely based on the excellent BBC series of a few years back, and it wasn't until I read this, #11 in the series, that I encountered them or their team in Val McDermid's print. I have read others of her series, but this is my first Hill/Jordan. Val McDermid is one of those rarities -- a writer of thrillers who looks beyond the more sensational aspects of her characters' actions and/or motivations and delves deep. She also manages to have the ability of creating several divergent storylines, and effortlessly keeps all balls in the air. Her ability to seek out those experts in forensics, psychology (in this case, PTSD treatment in particular), scientific advances in criminology, and any other pieces she may require that render her finished work having the smack of realism and verisimilitude. She remarks late in the book that "policing wasn't a competitive sport," and neither is writing, truth be told. By harnessing the resources she has access to, she illuminates and educates even as she entertains. Well done. I intend to read much more of her works.

I always look forward to this authors books.I was really disappointed.I found the read very disjointed and fractured!!!

How the Dead Speak follows directly from the dramatic events at the end of Insidious Intent, the last book in the series, so if you want to avoid spoilers, look away now…

It’s an interesting thought experiment to consider what would happen if you tried to pitch How the Dead Speak as the beginning of a new series, or even a standalone. Here goes.

There’s this detective who’s in a team that’s been rebuilt from another team and hasn’t really gelled. So, she’s the protagonist? No, that would be the crime profiler who used to work with her but he’s in jail. And her old boss. She has left the police and is living on the moors and getting into carpentry. There’s this great chemistry between them and — So they’re going to get together? No, they’ve been in love with each other for over two decades now but they’ve both got their demons. Right — so this non-couple couple are tackling the main plot? No, that would be the detective who’s in the team that’s been rebuilt…

Of course, people are invested in these characters, and they are invested in McDermid as an author, so they’re happy to go with this, even if, as the saying goes, you wouldn’t start from here. I’m one of those people myself so the fact that they’ve moved a long way from the premise of the series – the chemistry between detective Carol Jordan and criminal profiler Tony Hill as they solve complex and traumatic crimes involving serial killers which awaken their own demons – I still want to know what happens next. But I’m not sure about the particular direction of the last few books.

I was pretty disappointed in Insidious Intent. There were numerous holes in the plot which culminated in Tony killing the suspect in a crime, supposedly to stop Carol from doing it, and then somehow only getting convicted of manslaughter (I’m not a lawyer but I’m pretty sure killing someone as a favour to a friend does not get you off a murder charge). Now he’s in prison, writing his book, when he’s not just trying to survive violence, intimidation and foul-smelling cellmates.

He’s also refusing to see Carol until she gets therapy. This, for me, is problematic. Tony is supposed to be empathetic, caring and clever. He must know that going into therapy purely because someone in your life is coercing you into doing so, is unlikely to lead to a healthy recovery. Anyone who succumbed to such pressure would likely, er, need therapy. This is just one unfortunate example of McDermid sacrificing the long-term integrity of her characters to make an immediate plot gain.

Meanwhile, their former colleague Paula McIntyre and her fellow detectives are following up a case with some dead bodies in a former convent (and blaming the social worker for all the failings they uncover, natch). Even though some of the deaths took place in the last decade, apparently no one had been there or noticed anything amiss, not health professionals, schools inspectors, or even the police. This strains credulity. Of course there have been recent horrific cases of large-scale abuse but what made them shocking was that they were known about to professionals but no, or insufficient, action was taken.

Carol is involved in two freelance investigations. First, Tony asks her to help out his evil mother go after a conman (even though he won’t see Carol, he’s not above asking for her help when he’s being blackmailed) and one is joining forces with her former nemesis, defence lawyer Bronwen Scott, to investigate an alleged miscarriage of justice. And Tony’s getting the prisoners onside by teaching them to meditate.

Then the convent case throws up other bodies at the convent site. It seems someone else was taking advantage of the opportunity to dispose of unwanted corpses. A suspect is identified (to the reader and to the police) fairly early and the rest of the novel is about building the case, rather than finding out who’s responsible, along with friction in the team, as one person refuses to believe that they have identified the right suspect.

Along the way, Paula finds out something that will help Carol with her miscarriage of justice and blithely passes it on to her (though apparently not to her senior officer). Again this is sacrificing character for plot. Paula is a conscientious and ambitious officer. Would she really leak information to a civilian without at least agonising about it a bit? Considering the consequences for her career and for the police?

What to say about this book? Despite all these reservations, I kind of enjoyed it. It had McDermid’s customary page-turniness and I enjoyed hanging out with some old friends for a few hours. But it’s so much less interesting than the brilliant early novels. They were intense, both in the darkness of the crimes, and the way they went deep into the souls of the protagonists. Now we’re swimming on the surface.

After over two decades the Carol and Tony will-they-won’t-they is getting stale. You just want to slap them and tell them to move on. McDermid is capable of so much better than this and I think she knows it. In a recent Bookseller interview about her time judging the Booker Prize, she said, “In a way, a lot of the books made me think again about my own work, because at their peak writers are taking chances, taking risks, and it made me sit down and think, ‘Am I pushing myself hard enough?’”

I think you know my answer to that.

When what you did to your two main characters previously means they can no longer be right in the middle of the action what can you have them do without shoving both to the sidelines?  You get one to write a book, sections of which become a fascinating insight into the way new cases he no longer has any influence over are dealt with while the other becomes a reluctant private investigator in all but name.

The ReMIT squad room is a different place now a new lead detective has taken over and those members of the team who worked loyally under Carol Jordan are finding things tough. Make their new case the discovery of multiple bodies in the grounds of an abandoned Catholic orphanage and the stress levels and feelings of uncertainty are increasing by the minute.

As you would expect from Val Mcdermid the story is enthralling and well researched from the get go and the characterisation first class. The link between newly promoted DI Paula McIntyre's investigation and her old boss's new position takes time to materialise but is very satisfying when does. The way of life of someone who never expected to experience jail from an inmate's point of view was fascinating, touching and disturbing in equal measure and made for great reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and although there were things I saw coming it didn't lessen the experience and the tension was raised in an unexpected way towards the end which definitely made me read a little faster.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Val Mcdermid books in general or this series in particular. It is worthy addition to anyone's library.