I did not enjoy this book half as much as i have enjoyed her previous books. However, that does not mean it is a bad book. It is actually a very good book, one that i expect will appeal to many people. But it is not what i was expecting, nor what i was looking forward to, and hence i am disappointed. The basic plot goes thus: Carol Jordan is sent to Berlin on an undercover covert operation to trap an evil traffiker in both drugs and humans. Her bosses think she will be able to handle it. During the job she will be almost completely cut off from everybody, and will feel very alone. Her peril's are increased when the actions of her superiours put her in mortal danger. Alongside that, psychologists are being murdered on the contient. Murdered horribly, with no apparent motive. It is when an ex colleage of profiler Tony Hill's is found slain that he takes it upon himself to investigate the killings. The emotionally tangled pair must both tackle their own monsters with little help from anyone else and both of them, Carol in particular, will face great personal danger. It is a very well written book, that is undeniable. However, i cannot say that it is as atmospheric as "A Place of Execution" or as scary and original as "Killing the Shadows", but it is thrilling in a hard-edged way. But. McDermid concentrates far too much on Carol Jordan's side of the book, and not nearly enough on the serial killer aspect of the plot, which is what she is known for, and what she does best. As such, the serial killer nit about the psychologists getting killed seems underdeveloped and at times just incidental. Instead of the tense serial killer novel we expect, we are given a novel mainly about the criminal underworld and undercover policing. Many people will greatly enjoy this aspect of the book. And if so, i cannot reccomend it highly enough to you. But, if you are expecting a nice meaty serial killer novel, reasses your beliefs quickly, because it is not what you're going to get. Actually a very good novel, just not what i was expecting. I would have preferred more emphasis on Tony Hill's aspect of the book, but we don't always get what we want, and this book certainly displays Carol Jordan's full abilites
McDermid concentrates far too much on Carol Jordan's side of the book, and not nearly enough on the serial killer aspect of the plot, which is what she is known for, and what she does best