How the Dead Speak (Tony Hill / Carol Jordan Book 11)
How the Dead Speak (Tony Hill / Carol Jordan Book 11) book cover

How the Dead Speak (Tony Hill / Carol Jordan Book 11)

Kindle Edition

Price
$11.99
Publisher
Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date

Description

Review Praise for Insidious Intent “Here McDermid is at her finest . . . Insidious Intent is a bold gamble that has the potential to shake long-cherished characters from their emotional complacency and advance the series into uncharted territory.”― Los Angeles Times “One of crime fiction’s most eminent writers returns with another intricately plotted thriller.” ― Entertainment Weekly “Best New Books” “A highlight of novels written by Val McDermid is the tight control she maintains over her complex plots that are enhanced by believable and complicated characters . . . McDermid brings something special to the table as she shows in her latest novel . . . The intense plot moves briskly. McDermid keeps each twist believable . . . The author’s expert exploration of the human experience has never been better.” ― Washington Post “The 424 pages just flew by to a very shocking conclusion . . . You mustn’t skip this one. When you read it, you’ll understand.” ― Deadly Pleasures “McDermid puts both her characters and the reader through the emotional wringer with Insidious Intent . . . It’s both a terrific individual read and a culmination of ongoing character arcs throughout the books. McDermid is a maestro still at the top of her game, and adroitly balances shock and inevitability as events for beloved characters take a dark turn.” ― Mystery Scene “The narcissistic, controlled killer is engaging quarry and McDermid’s procedural details are as on point as ever . . . The final twist is both shocking and fitting, a must-read for series fans.”― Booklist (starred review) “DCI Carol Jordan is tested to the max by the Wedding Killer . . . McDermid . . . rais[es] the heat in agonizingly tiny increments, until she’s ready for a finale guaranteed to leave you reeling.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Thoroughly pleasing, engaging, indeed compelling, a very fine piece of craftsmanship.”― Scotsman (UK) “Val McDermid, known as the queen of psychological thrillers, surpasses herself here, delivering one of the most surprising twists you’ll read this year. Outstanding.” ― Irish Independent (UK) --This text refers to the paperback edition. About the Author Val McDermid ’s best-selling novels have won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award, and the Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold Dagger and Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She is also a multiple finalist for the Edgar Award, including for the Fact Crime nominee Forensics . --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Features & Highlights

  • Unmarked graves are found on the grounds of an old orphanage in this “riveting” British crime thriller by an Edgar Award finalist (
  • Publishers Weekly
  • , starred review).
  • With profiler Tony Hill behind bars and Carol Jordan no longer with the police, he’s finding unexpected outlets for his talents in jail and she’s joined forces with a group of lawyers and forensics experts looking into suspected miscarriages of justice. But they’re doing it without each other; being in the same room at visiting hour is too painful to contemplate.   Meanwhile, construction is suddenly halted on the redevelopment of an orphanage after dozens of skeletons are found buried at the site. Forensic examination reveals they date from between twenty and forty years ago, when the nuns were running their repressive regime. But then a different set of skeletons is discovered in a far corner—young men from as recent as ten years ago. When newly promoted DI Paula McIntyre discovers that one of the male skeletons is that of a killer who is supposedly alive and behind bars—and the subject of one of Carol’s miscarriage investigations—it brings Tony and Carol irresistibly into each other’s orbit once again in this masterfully plotted novel by “the queen of psychological thrillers” (
  • Irish Independent
  • ).

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(2.1K)
★★★★
25%
(1.7K)
★★★
15%
(1K)
★★
7%
(490)
23%
(1.6K)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Not Good

Boy, what a letdown. First of all, the killer's motivation was ridiculous. And yet, Tony comes up with it right off the bat! Unlike Val's usual books which spend some time following the killer, we get about 2 pages near the beginning and that's it. Carol's task for Vanessa is dropped for several chapters then suddenly gets wrapped up in a flash. We never learn what, if anything, happens to the sadistic nun. Or get any resolution for the "innocent" convict. Readers of this series know that both Carol and Tony are damaged, but enough already! Either move on or end it!
6 people found this helpful
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Too many bodies

Tony is in prison where he is teaching. Carole is only slowly emerging from her protective shell and has joined a legal advocacy group. DI Paula McIntyre is the police presence here.

A construction project finds a cemetery of children's bones behind an old Catholic school and, as the forensic teams search the grounds, they also discover bodies recently buried under a garden patch. One of the bodies is a suspect in a current case, which makes for a nice tangle.

Val McDermid's books are always enjoyable. In this one I particularly liked the Tony in Jail segments, as he learns to live inside a prison without being harmed or going mad.

I received a review copy of " How The Dead Speak" by Val McDermid from Grove Atlantic through NetGalley.com.
2 people found this helpful
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INTERESTING CHARACTERS

The characters are interesting and I liked how the thoughts from Tony's books were inserted, but the story itself just didn't grab me. The book is well written and I'll be sure to try Val McDermid's next book and see if that's more to my liking.
2 people found this helpful
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Interaction Missing

Felt there was just too much going on and the fact that Tony and Carol did not interact was terrible.
Disappointed in this one that took me way too long to get though. "A copy of this book was provided by Grove Atlantic Atlantic Monthly Press via NetGalley. Comments here are my honest opinion."
2 people found this helpful
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really good story line

I was impressed that the story was so good. The story was creative and well thought out.
1 people found this helpful
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Dull storyline

I really wanted to like this book as I love this series, but it felt like a filler episode in a tv series. If I'd started reading Val McDermid for the first time with this book, I wouldn't continue to read any of her other stuff. It's not terrible, it's just not very good.
1 people found this helpful
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What Happened?

For the first time ever I have returned an Audible book. I hated the Narration in the last book and this one was worse. For the first time EVER I was not able to finish a Val McDermid book. The story was just as bad as the narration and it was so bad I couldn't follow. I do not recognize characters that I have loved for years. The book was slow and flat, with no real mystery or purpose. I had to keep repeating chapters over and over until I finally gave up. Luckily Audible let me exchange with no problem. I would save your money and wait for her to figure out what she wants to do with this series...or end it.
1 people found this helpful
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Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as I do all of Val McDermid's books. As far as I am concerned Val McDermid is the absolute Queen of the mystery/suspense/crime thriller genre. All of her books are extremely well written and well thought out. I do hope that there will be more books about Tony and Carol, the whole Remit team and Carols new career. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys reading a thoroughly great mystery.
1 people found this helpful
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Complex Story, Familiar Characters, Exciting and Hopeful!

Once again, Val McDermid writes a page turner! I've read all the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan books, and love how these characters are always realistic. Tony and Carol, and also Paula and Stacey. I feel as if I know them. They might be the most three dimensional characters in crime fiction today.

This book has Tony serving a term in prison, and the team that was once Carol's is now under an unimaginative, territorial, competitive Rutherford. At first, the graves of young girls are dug up at a former convent. Now the nuns are mostly dispersed, the Mother Superior in Ireland, others with dementia. But that's only the initial crime. They also discover the graves of eight obvious murder victims on the grounds. And that's not even the entire, complex story!

I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Brava, Ms. McDermid!
1 people found this helpful
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Story with a purpose

How the Dead Speak (Tony Hill & Carol Jordan, #11) by Val McDermid.

This is the 11th book in the Hill/Jordan series. Tony Hill has been incarcerated and is slowly finding who to trust and who to steer clear of in prison. His days are filled with his writing if a new book and of a program to possibly bring a ray of hope to other prisoners. Carol has been dismissed (thrown out) of any and all police duties. A new path in her life arrives in the form of a most unlikely individual. Brownwen Scott, the defense council and Carol's former opponent in the courtroom trials, has a proposition for Carol and it appears to be a new horizon on Carol's future.
There's just one huge hitch in their future together. tony won't allow Carol to visit him until she has started seeking help for her PTSD and stops drinking. And so Carol begins this new step to a brighter future since in her heart she knows her future must include tony.
Bodies of young girls have been uncovered in back of a closed down convent and Catholic orphanage. As the team begins their forensic investigation more bodies of young men are discovered in an adjoining plot of land. These newly discovered graves don't appear to be linked to the convent. Then who are they and how did they get there?
This was a slow and purposely written story. I love this series more with each passing story. It would help to read this series in order, but not necessary. Highly recommended.