McDermid, Val: The Torment of Others

Following her rape in a previous book (one I have yet to read) DCI Carol Jordan takes
a new post in Bradfield after a protracted leave. She is rejoined by Tony Hill who has given up his academic post to return to practising psychology at a nearby hospital. The story tells of the search for a killer of prostitutes which mirror those of a previously convicted killer of whose guilt there is no doubt. But this is no copycat killer! At the same time Jordan's team are also investigating a pair of child abductions which they have been told to re-examine. The two cases reveal the different personalities and desires of the members of the task force, not all of them positive. One of them agrees to act as a decoy to draw out the prostitute killer and she is caught but kept alive. Dr Hill's input provides, as one might expect valuable leads in both cases with the ultimate resolution of both but not before a number of twists. The book is well up to McDermid's high standards and provides an example of one of the more chilling psycopaths I have met in crime literature.