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Tony Hill & Carol Jordan is a series of mystery/suspense novels written by Val McDermid, a Scottish novelist best known for her psychological thrillers. The books follow the exploits of a psychologist and a detective as they try to solve crimes in Bradfield.
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Order of Tony Hill/Carol Jordan Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mermaids Singing | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Wire In The Blood | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Last Temptation | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Torment of Others | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Beneath the Bleeding | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Fever of the Bone | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | The Retribution | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Cross and Burn | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Splinter the Silence | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Insidious Intent | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Footloose (Short Story) | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | How the Dead Speak | 2019 | Description / Buy |
When Val wrote The Mermaids Singing, the first book in the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series, she had no intention of writing a series. The Mermaids Singing should have been a standalone.
However, the author came to adore the characters of Hill and Jordan, and she also found that she couldn’t stop speculating about their possible future. So she decided to write a couple more books in the series.
Val never writes the Hill and Jordan books as a series. She always looks at and writes each book as its own independent entity, and never looks beyond the final pages of each story. It is for that reason that the Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series has never had an overarching story.
Val has always preferred to take each new novel as it comes, and she also likes the idea that each new Hill and Jordan book could be the last, depending on where her imagination takes her. Though, these novels cannot be read out of order.
While Val creates a new mystery for each new novel, previous occurrences are often referenced and act as driving factors in the actions of the protagonist of the series.
When Tony Hill and Carol Jordan are introduced in The Mermaids Singing, they are lone wolves. A killer is on the loose, one that takes pride in perpetrating gay-related murders.
Tony Hill is a psychologist that is recruited by the police to help bring this murderer to justice because his past trauma makes him an expert on the case. Hill is forced to cooperate with DCI Carol Jordan on the case, and even though both parties have grown accustomed to working alone, the chemistry that immediately sparks between them makes them the perfect crime-solving team.
The Hill and Jordan books are very graphic in their description of violence, the result of the considerably demented criminals Val creates. Val has been both commended and criticized for putting Hill and Jordan through so many traumatic occurrences.
Val believes that Hill and Jordan’s ability to recover from their demons is what makes them so compelling.
Tony Hill & Carol Jordan Awards
Val McDermid was awarded the Barry Award and the Dagger Award for Fever of the Bone and The Mermaids Singing respectively.
She also received a Dagger Award nomination for The Torment of Others.
Tony Hill & Carol Jordan Books into Movies/TV
The Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series was turned into a British Crime Drama called Wire in the Blood. The show premiered in 2008 on ITV. It was canceled in 2009 as a result of the high production costs.
Best Tony Hill & Carol Jordan Books
Val McDermid is considered by many to be the best Scottish writer on the market, with some of the best books in the author’s Hill & Jordan series including:
The Wire in the Blood: When teenage girls begin to disappear, the police aren’t convinced that a nefarious entity is at work. After all, teenagers run away from home all the time. But Doctor Tony Hill believes that there might be more going on than meets the eye, and Detective Carol Jordan agrees with him.
The pair must put their resources together to find the pattern and catch a madman hiding in plain sight. For Hill, there is so much more at stake. When one of his students is killed, he makes it his goal in life to find the killer.
The Torment of Others: Two years ago, Derek Tyler captured national attention when he was convicted of multiple murders. The evidence linking him to the crimes was irrefutable. When a woman is murdered using the same exact technique as that of Tyler, Tony Hill is brought onboard to scrutinize the entire situation.
The recent murder seems all but impossible because Tyler is still incarcerated. As Tony tries to put the pieces together, DCI Carol Jordan has her hands full trying to trap a murderer.
Other Book Series You May Like
The Logan McRae” Series by Stuart McBride is another good one. Logan McRae is a detective sergeant that works to keep demented killers off the streets of Aberdeen, Scotland.
You may also enjoy the “Danny Black” Series by Chris Ryan. Danny Black is an SAS hero who jets all over the world fighting nefarious terrorist threats that seek to cause mayhem and instability.
What Is The Next Book in The Tony Hill/carol Jordan Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Tony Hill/carol Jordan Series. The newest book is How the Dead Speak and was released on December, 3rd 2019.