Carol Jordan and Tony Hill have been through a lot in their eleven books together, and they each know that they wilt outside of each other’s presence. In this latest instalment, Val McDermid finally allows Carol to process the extreme PTSD that has cropped up over two and a half decades worth of adventures and, as these things go, <i>How The Dead Speak</i> is a progress novel in what has become an increasingly stop-start pattern for these characters.

After more than thirty skeletons are uncovered at the site of a former convent, the new Major Incidents Team must investigate against the backdrop of a famously tight-lipped Catholic church and the suspiciously maintained grounds next door. DI Paula McIntyre must investigate without the assistance of old standbys Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, who are respectively looking into wrongful convictions and criminal literacy.

<I>How the Dead Speak</i> is one of McDermid’s novels where the mystery is not a mystery: we are introduced to the killer immediately, and his motivations aren’t far behind. It would be nice to spend more time with him, but McDermid makes it clear that he’s a wily one who doesn’t need to kill while the heat is on – a departure from the generally held belief that a serial killer escalates his crimes and commits them closer together as the urge grows stronger.
It’s a solid enough crime but the resolution of the case is abrupt, and more development of the killer’s psyche would have been welcomed. Paula can carry this material herself, and she has to: Tony and Carol have their own personal soap operas to attend to.

It’s not exactly a secret that Carol’s heavy alcoholism had become tedious as the series continued and nothing was done about it; in forcing Carol’s hand, McDermid has brought new life to the character, although her B plot shows considerably poor judgment on her part. Carol’s A game is interesting and dovetails nicely with the main plot without smacking too much of coincidence.

Tony, on the other hand, is more of a guest star. Far be it from this reader to break the omerta imposed at the end of the previous novel, but Tony is on the equivalent of gardening leave, and his contributions are near negligible. McDermid is waiting out the clock, and once again the reader is forced to wonder “is Tony Hill’s work any good?” whenever they read an excerpt from his research.

<I>How the Dead Speak</i> does not contain any cul-de-sacs that go nowhere like <i>Insidious Intent</i>. We know that, of all the corpses that are overturned in these pages, not all of them will receive justice. We are inured to it, because that’s the way institutions work. This is not top shelf McDermid, but nor is she slumming. The way that the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series is structured is that she subjects one or both of them (admittedly, usually Carol) to an earth-shattering event, and then spends a book or two on their recovery. How the Dead Speak is a recovery book, and one that speaks to something good going ahead.

Long term Tony Hill and Carol Jordan fans who threw <i>Insidious Intent</i> away in disgust should look out for <I>How the Dead Speak</i>.. It may not completely restore one’s faith in the franchise. By design this is an ensemble piece where the ensemble aren’t allowed to work as a team, but it’s easy to see that, once again, they’re crawling slowly towards the optimal scenario.

I try hard not to write reviews with spoilers. Or ones that give away too much of the plot. Of course it also means I sometimes re-read a review of a book before starting the next book of the series and - unless it's ingrained into my mind for some reason - I rarely remember the detail.

So, given two years has passed since Val McDermid's last Tony Hill / Carol Jordan novel 'Insidious Intent' was published (and I can't believe it's that long!), I'd completely forgotten Tony had gone to jail. I can't remember any of the specifics, but that's kind-of a good thing as newcomers to the series won't be lost, suddenly introduced to characters - many of whom have been around now for 11 novels (and 24 years).

I usually whine when authors include several plots in one book but here I really didn't mind. In some ways we get three (or more) for the price of one.

Carol's put-upon by Tony's narcissistic and nasty mother to pursue someone who took her in via a Ponzi scheme. It's only a small part of the plot but is a reminder of Tony's history / baggage, and the origin of some of his idiosyncrasies. Carol's also approached by a defence attorney to do some investigations for an informal group (After Proven Guilty) established to re-examine miscarriages of justice - akin to Innocence Project. She's reticent at first, but ultimately tempted by the case.

Then there are the bodies at the old convent. Some have been there for decades and we learn that the nuns at the former school were rather secular when it came to disciplining girls placed in their care... particularly those who had nowhere else to go. It's the more recent bodies that come under the purview of the ReMIT (regional major incident) team - once headed by Carol before her latest fall from grace. McDermid introduces some of the players involved in that case before the bodies are found, which meant their presence later made more sense. 

And then of course there's Tony. In jail and working on his book. Each chapter of this novel begins with an excerpt from Tony's fictitious book on criminals / crimes and I have to admit - though I don't read non-fiction I was actually quite drawn to each of the snippets McDermid includes. Tony's also keeping himself busy by offering some advice and thoughts via a segment on the prison radio station. He knows he's got an unusual gift for empathy but struggles with social skills and he misses Carol's ability to act as interlocutor . Of course, Tony being Tony, ends up pushing things a little too far in his attempt to do good.

So - there's lots happening here, which could be bad. But it isn't. It's a pretty long book but McDermid effortlessly switches between cases and narrators. I didn't really prefer any of the narrators or cases to others, so wasn't impatient if Tony or Carol featured less in chapters than the ReMIT team. We're sent off with several members of team which included a couple of new faces as well as those we've met before (like DI Paula McIntyre).

And I liked that the new boss - though perhaps not as savvy as Carol - didn't actually seem to be a complete prick, so McDermid resisted the temptation of going down the "bastard guv'nor" route.

I'm really enjoying the fact McDermid has found new adventures for Carol and Tony (the whole being-in-jail thing aside). The last few books and several years have seen some big changes for the characters and their story arc hasn't stalled or become stale. Indeed, McDermid leveraging off some great new characters for the more traditional police procedural elements and giving Carol and Tony different challenges.

Obviously McDermid has Carol and Tony's voices down 'pat' and here I appreciated that they weren't able to defer to each other as they usually do. We're in both their heads (as well as those of our other narrators) but they're comfortable places to be and I liked the level of introspection McDermid gives them (and our other hosts).

As mentioned, I also (surprisingly) enjoyed the paragraphs preceding each of the chapters (ostensibly) parts of the 'Reading Crimes' book Tony's writing in prison. They're probably more McDermid than Tony Hill, but interesting that she's written them in a more conversational and accessible tone.

I can't wait for the next in the series....

How is possible that Val McDermid remains at the very pinnacle of her game in book after book? How The Dead Speak is yet another example of the Queen of Crime-writing drawing the reader in and enthralling us right to the very end. Tony and Carol are back - but not in their usual capacity. Tony is serving time in jail and Carol is desperately trying to best her PTSD. All this happens as the reader is also following 2 separate cases of bodies being uncovered having been buried in the grounds of a now-defunct convent. No need for me to go into the plot here as the blurb covers it......The plot is twisty, the characters engaging, the dialogue razor-sharp but above all McDermid has the ability to make her reader care, even for the miscreants. I can't think of another crime-writer who is consistently as brilliant as McDermid. This book was TERRIFIC....absolutely terrific. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of my favourite book series and I was lucky to read it through Netgalley and I ordered a copy through Book Depositary right away. This for me is peak police procedural because this is book 11 in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordon series and they still surprise me as characters. They continue to grow, they have real life problems as well, and the end of the last one was a cliffhanger.
How The Dead Speak is one I won’t elaborate on too much because of spoilers but I love how it continued from the ending on Insidious Intent with a true to character but also completely different storylines for the main characters. Amazing work by the “Queen of Crime”.
How The Dead Speak is available in Canada in December but out now in the UK.

The first books in this brilliant series were so very imaginative, gruesome and brutal that they are hard to live up to. Truly, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan were a force to be reckoned with – in all of their messy realities, from Carol’s growing alcoholism to Tony’s impotence. Their relationship has gone through every tragedy that you could dream up, and more besides. So the question is now: can these books survive Tony being in prison for murder, and Carol out of the police force?

In many ways, How the Dead Speak feels like an ending to Tony and Carol, and a beginning to a new series about DI Paula MacIntyre. I wouldn’t blame McDermid if so – it’s difficult to write a series of police procedurals about non police officers, and it’s also hard to see how Carol Jordan could ever come back from professional disgrace after the events of Insidious Intent.

I wasn’t shy about disliking the latter novel. I think How the Dead Speak is better, but it still has the slightly disjointed and rushed quality that marred Insidious Intent. There are so many different viewpoints and threads, and I expected them to come together in a flourish that would knock my socks off, and instead… well, they didn’t. The book seemed to peter out, without many answers, moments of excitement, or narrative cohesion. It felt like many different books and the thing it felt like the least was a thriller or mystery novel.

When we return to Bradfield, Tony Hill is in prison and struggling to find his place. Carol Jordan has been ousted from ReMIT and begins to work with her old nemesis Bronwen Scott, seeking justice for people accused or found guilty for crimes they didn’t commit. A new version of ReMIT has been put in place, with DCI Rutherford in charge and the old crew – Alvin, Karim, Paula and Stacey – joined by newbies Steve and Sophie. They’re investigating the discovery of thirty skeletons found on the grounds of a former convent and girls’ home.

From the beginning, we know who the murderer is, and really – he or she is second fiddle to the interpersonal dramas. In the early days of the Hill/Jordan novels, the thrills were the point. The relationships fed off the cases and were informed by the killer’s motivations – the characters seemed immersed in their work and the darkness surrounding them. But in this book, the mystery (or lack thereof) is a distant thing – not impacting anyone or acting as a catalyst for change. We don't get a sense of the victims - who they were before they stumbled into madness. We don't feel a connection with the killer(s) or peek inside of their rotten brains as we used to do.

Instead, McDermid concentrates on Tony’s fumblings in jail, trying to find professional purpose and avoid being beaten up. She spends time with Carol attempting to recover from her PTSD through therapy. And there’s A LOT of time on Tony and Carol missing each other, longing for each other (etc etc) in a rather tiresome way.

It’s my opinion that these books would be greatly improved if Tony and Carol would accept their close friendship for what it is, and avoid a disastrous romance. There’s simply no way in hell these two could ever make it work as partners. Further, there’s no spark between them. They have come through the fire and on the other side, they’ve been burned clean of that electricity and old passion. Instead, they’re like brother and sister – they love each other, but I don’t believe they are in love with each other.

I have no problem with reading about committed, happy (or unhappy) couples. But I don’t believe that Tony and Carol have any chemistry left, and I think the series would be rejuvenated if they accepted their friendship. Perhaps then, the spark would return? Maybe? Maybe not? Either way, I’d love to see a return to the thrills and depravity of the earlier series, and less of Tony doodling Carol’s name in the margins of his notebook.

If the series is going to transition to be about DI MacIntyre, sign me up. She’s a worthy successor to Carol and Tony, and she feels very much at the beginning of the kind of darkness that the earlier books explored so well. If it continues with Tony and Carol, I’ll still read of course – McDermid is too talented a writer for me to ever avoid her books – but I think a change of course with their relationship and their professional lives is needed for that sense of magic, possibility and vibrancy to return.

Neither of the chief protagonists of the series, Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, are engaged in police work. A developer uncovers bodies in the grounds of a defunct convent. The re-formed Regional Major Incidents Team muscle in to investigate. ReMIT is now headed by the careerist DCI Rutherford, though thankfully DI Paula McIntyre features most strongly.

I struggled with the flow of this book, as it alternates between 3 strands ( Tony, Carol and ReMIT) and each chapter begins with an extract from Tony Hill's book 'Reading Bodies'. Though good to see Carol tackling her PTSD, this book was not quite as involving or satisfying as earlier books in the series. Despite those caveats, I enjoyed it. There's just something about a Val McDermid novel.

Probably best to read the previous book in the series Insidious Intent, first, as it sets the scene (I didn't).

After Insidious Intent I had no idea where this series was heading.

Carol and Tony are picking up the pieces after the devastating ending of the last book.

ReMIT are back together with an obnoxious new DCI and a couple of new recruits.

The storyline was different as there wasn't much about the killer like there is in previous books.

On the whole I enjoyed the book and it's going to be interesting to see which direction it goes next.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for my ARC.

How The Dead Speak is book 11 in the Carol Jordan and Tony Hill series. It has been a while since I read one of these books which is something I need to immediately rectify. I forgot how brilliant Val McDermid is and I am so looking forward to seeing her at BAD Writers Festival in Sydney in September. I received this book from Grove Atlantic with a publication date on 3rd December but it has already been released here in Australia and the UK - and I could not wait to read it. Fans of this series will love it and I felt that it could be read as a stand alone too.

So this book is very different from others in the series - mostly due to the fact that Carol is no longer a cop and Tony is in jail - what!!?! I have missed a few books and this came as quite a shock to me! So there is not the usual banter between the 2 of them working the case. The major incidents team is called to the redevelopment of an orphanage when the workmen uncover multiple skeletons. Further testing the 40+ sets of bones dates them as being in the ground between 20-40 years. Back then the orphanage was being run by a group of nuns. Later when a fresher body is found under the garden beds the team sets out to find the killer. Meanwhile Carol starts working with a group of law professionals who look into miscarriages of justice. Tony is refusing to see her in jail until she starts to work on her PTSD. He is trying to keep busy whilst locked up, writing a new book and trying to help the inmates.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is one of my favourite book series. It's a series that I have loved from the first book. The book before this one left me reeling. This book was not as gruesome as her previous books, but i loved it. It was just what we needed after the shocking ending of the last one. It was good to see how the characters grew and how they are dealing with their circumstances. I was very happy with how this one ended. I truly hope that there will be much more books in the series, it is just too good!

I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series.

A new novel featuring Tony Hill and Carol Jordan is always an enjoyable experience and How The Dead Speak is no exception. However, with Carol no longer in the police and Tony in prison, the nail-biting tension that has made this series so tremendous is lacking to a certain extent. Carol's old team are carrying on without her but new roles have been found for both Tony and Carol. Still an enjoyable read but is the series reaching its end?

I would like to thank Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of How the Dead Speak, the eleventh novel to feature former detective Carol Jordan and forensic profiler Tony Hill.

When a developer discovers old bones in the garden of a former convent, DCI Rutherford, the head of the reformed ReMIT (regional major investigation team), is desperate to investigate and takes over the enquiry. In the meantime Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, former stalwarts of the team, are pursuing their post police service lives far away from the action.

I thoroughly enjoyed How the Dead Speak which is an engrossing police procedural with extras. Initially I found it difficult to get absorbed in the narrative as it has four distinct strands and constantly switches between them and as a further distraction each switch is headed by a few sentences from the book Tony is writing. Until I got used to and eventually welcomed it it just seemed like more choppiness. I also think that it would have helped me if I’d read the previous novel in the series as it casts a long shadow over the early parts of the novel. Once I got a handle on all this, about a quarter of the way in, I was hooked and the old McDermid magic wove its spell.

The novel follows the police investigation, mostly from DI Paula McIntyre’s perspective, and is fascinating, not so much the original premise of bones in a religious building but where it goes. It also follows the developments in Tony and Carol’s lives as they try to forge a new direction post police. The fourth strand concerns businessman Mark Conway and his mysterious mission. This is a well crafted, multi stranded novel with each strand intersecting with another, mostly tangentially rather than coming together as a whole at the conclusion. This seems realistic to me. I do feel, however, that the crimes are a secondary consideration in this novel as no great feats of detection are required to solve them and that Ms McDermid is more interested in how her characters cope with change and where they see their future. I really liked Paula’s troubles in the new team, not that I want to see her struggle but dealing with self interested half wits is always a challenge. The opening scenes sum it all up nicely. The one thing that comes out of Tony and Carol’s separate situations is hope. After years of working with life’s darkness they are putting their lives back on track and moving towards the light. I found their journeys fascinating and relatable if somewhat beyond my own experience.

How the Dead Speak is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another great continuation in the Tony HIll series by Val McDermid. How the Dead Speak is a superb thriller!

I’d like to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘How The Dead Speak’ by Val McDermid in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When the bodies of around forty girls are discovered in the grounds of the old convent in Bradfield DI Paula McIntyre leads the ReMIT team in the investigation but minus her old boss ex-DCI Carol Jordan who resigned from the police and Dr Tony Hill who was Clinical Psychologist but is now spending time in prison. The search of the convent grounds throws up another case for ReMIT, Carol is suffering from PTSD and needs help before it destroys her, while being reluctantly persuaded to help Tony’s mother Vanessa find the man who swindled her out of her savings.

When ‘Insidious Intent’ ended I couldn’t begin to imagine how there could possibly be a sequel with Carol and Tony but how mistaken I was as ‘How The Dead Speak’ has all the same excitement and suspense, the characters we’ve come to know albeit in different roles, bucketloads of drama, twists and turns and heart-stopping action.. The plot is gritty and with at least five different threads running through the storyline I’ve been kept reading well into the night. Can we please have another book in the series as I want to know what happens to Carol and Tony after the cliffhanger in the final pages?

Long-time fans of McDermid’s Carol Jordan/Tony Hill series might be surprised with how easily she continues the series after the last installment.

Profiler Tony Hill is in prison on manslaughter charges, and Carol Jordan has been chucked from the police force. And yet the writing genius that is Val McDermid has created an engrossing crime novel out of these circumstances.

Carol, finally getting help for her PTSD, joins forces with a group trying to overturn wrongful convictions. Tony is writing a book about serial killers, and trying to find a safe, useful place in prison.

When 40 bodies of children are unearthed on the grounds of a defunct convent, and then 8 bodies of young men are found close by, all the resources of the REMIT squad will be needed to bring long-denied justice.

This one will keep the reader turning pages far into the night. Highly recommended.

So happy for new Tony Hill and Carol Jordan thriller, although I must say, I don’t like him in prison, but as always rage plot surges and excites. McDermid always entertains, although I must also say that this book seemed to lack tension of previous installments. It felt rushed, but the pages fly, and the time flies.

It must be hard to sustain a long-running crime series at very high levels. Like a band putting out album after album, it must be tricky to balance reader/audience demand for something that's a mix of similar and different. I'm sure keen crime readers can all think of characters we love to follow whose exploits plateau in later books, whose creators seem to be going through the motions a bit. More of the same with not enough forward movement. Still enjoyable, but not reaching the previous peaks.

Then there are authors like Val McDermid (and Michael Connelly, among others), who've been entertaining us for more than a quarter century - 32 years in McDermid's case - and continue to grasp for higher ground. Among many impressive things about McDermid's storytelling is the way she continues to push herself and her characters, finding fresh stories to tell, issues to explore, and ensuring that past events have an impact, rather than pressing the reset button each book.

This eleventh novel starring Tony Hill and Carol Jordan is a great example.

Throughout the novel the duo is separated, and both are struggling with their new situations and the absence of the other, following the cataclysmic ending to the tenth tale, INSIDIOUS INTENT.

With Tony behind bars and Carol no longer a cop, the remnants of Jordan's ReMIT team are forced to deal with both their unsettling absence and the unsettling presence of new bosses and peers, who have their own agendas. How much trust can Paula, Stacey, and Alvin have in the new regime as they move forward and tackle twin investigations sparked by the discovery of dozens of bodies in the grounds of an abandoned convent. Can so many deaths be explained away by the nuns? And what about the other bodies that are uncovered nearby? Has a serial killer been operating under the radar?

McDermid adroitly weaves a variety of storylines into a gripping novel. While the new-but-not-improved ReMIT team is busy with the convent bodies, Carol is struggling to cope with ongoing PTSD as well as her absence from Tony and unexpected requests from two former nemeses. Tony is trying to keep himself occupied, and alive, inside the concrete walls of prison. Fresh shoots for all.

So much has changed. What do you do?

HOW THE DEAD SPEAK showcases Tony and Carol's former colleagues while also giving readers a greater understanding of the series protagonists. After INSIDIOUS INTENT, McDermid could have taken the easy way out in a number of ways (jumping ahead to a new equilibrium, having Hill 'let off' for his actions), but instead she painted herself into a corner, then delivered a superb tale that could be a fitting conclusion to a beloved series while underlining the impact of all that has gone before.

More than thirty years after introducing the first-ever openly lesbian detective into British crime fiction, and almost a decade after receiving the Diamond Dagger for a career of ‘sustained excellence’ and a ‘significant contribution’, Val McDermid continues to raise the bar.

A solid entry in the series. McDermid does not disappoint, always staying on the cusp of new technology and current events. Everyone is moving on in a new direction with Paula being showcased. Character development is moving right along as Tony and Carol' s relationship evolves. A favorite series.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

This is book 11 in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, and after reading this one I absolutely will have to go back and re-read previous one. Tony is sat in jail for killing someone and Carol has retired from the police force. What the heck happened?

Breathing fresh air and new ideas into a long-term series isn't easy when you have a huge solid fan-base. Readers don't always like drastic changes. Kudos to McDermid for giving readers what they need without them being aware that they need it.

Putting Tony back to square one by destroying his reputation, his career and severing his important relationships is a gutsy move. It's also one that allows the series to develop in multiple directions. Perhaps not in the way readers expect, but hey that is what makes McDermid such a popular writer.

As Tony resigns himself to life behind bars he also tries to spend it wisely and in a way that supports his fellow prisoners. Unfortunately his very academic and privileged way of thinking can come across as pompous, despite his good intentions.

Meanwhile on the outside members of the old team get a chance to prove themselves whilst out from under the large shadow of Hill and Jordan. Adjusting to a new boss and team isn't as easy as it sounds. Jordan also has to try and come to terms with the repercussions of multiple traumatic events in order to move forward.

This time the author brings a more reflective read, as opposed to a crime and violence heavy read to the table. In a way McDermid is giving Hill and Jordan a moment to breathe in the chaos. A chance to re-evaluate their relationship and friendship. It will be interesting to see where the author takes the series and characters going forward.

This is the first in this series for me. I have read three other series by her and now must add this one as one to catch up on. The Carol & Tony parts of the story were good, but I enjoyed the detective workings and building of a new team as they work their first case together. The different dynamics were what made this book for me.
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My most grateful thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this very much anticipated book.

When we last saw Tony and Carol, their lives had changed forever. Tony was going to prison and Carol had resigned from the police. Now over a year has passed, and Tony has forbidden Carol to visit him until she gets treatment for PTSD. This she reluctantly does. Then she is approached by Tony's lawyer to join her new group which hopes to find new evidence to release innocent convicts from prison. Also, Tony's mother approaches her with a request that she cannot refuse.

Paula and the ReMIT team have a new leader, a by-the-books guy. He has brought in a few new members to the team. A new crime has hit the airwaves - an abandoned orphanage had been sold to developers to build condos. When the bulldozer hit the ground, smll skulls and bones are revealed. The new leader grabs the case for ReMIT.

I'd like another chapter to round up the story, but I must say that the ending was hopeful! And I am hopeful that there will be another book in this series.