Fever of the Bone is the sixth novel featuring profiler Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, this time on the trail of a serial killer who is targeting apparently unconnected young people. McDermid's skill is such that Hill, who must surely win the prize for most dysfunctional maverick investigator, engages without ever annoying, even when he is going into the mind of the monster. This is very much a story about parents and children, and both Hill's own family crises and his "will they, won't they" relationship with Jordan are expertly dovetailed into a wonderfully complex plot. McDermid is especially good at serving up a mix of hi-tech and old-fashioned coppering, as well as showing how proximity to extreme brutality can take its toll on even the toughest police officer.
Review by Laura Wilson, The Guardian, Saturday 12 September 2009
