Fever of the Bone
by Val McDermid

Release Date: 3rd Sep 2009
Publisher: Little Brown
ISBN: 978 1 4087 0198 0
RRP: £18.99

Dr Tony Hill is on the hunt again - but things are changing...

Dr Tony Hill is a truly unique character in the field of Crime fiction. A quirky oddball with a disturbingly acute empathy with the mindsets of killers; he is self-acknowledged to have been one step away from being just like the ‘monsters’ he is responsible for profiling. In Fever of the Bone, Tony finds himself embroiled in the political machinations of the Bradfield police force, in pursuit of a deranged killer who has asphyxiated and savagely mutilated a teenage girl and having to deal with the emotional turmoil caused by the bequest from his absent and recently deceased father.

A great deal of the novel is concentrated on the inner deliberations of Dr Hill and the interminable, DCI Carol Jordan. Their struggle to comprehend the intricacies and manoeuvre around the sensibilities of one another is ongoing; as is their undeniable emotional connection. This approach, whilst fascinating, can make it feel as though the progress of the actual plot is occasionally stifled – however, there is no denying that in terms of creating a deeper appreciation with the characters and allowing the reader to seemingly enter the mind of the killer along with Dr Hill, it is a winning formula.

What McDermid does so brilliantly is what I call the “Agatha Christie twist”: you think you have it all figured out halfway through – and you feel pleased with yourself, smug even. Then, without warning, McDermid turns things on their head and you are left short of breath and kicking yourself for failing to make the true connection. The bombshell dropped at the end of the book is flabbergasting; those who were delighted with the championing of the North and accredited it with the nuance and intellectual insight of Dr Tony Hill may find that they have cause for bereavement.

Fever of the Bone is a fantastic new instalment in the phenomenally successful series featuring Dr Hill and DCI Jordan; its feverish climax and bone-chilling acuity will leave your nerves jangling and your heart pounding in your ears.

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