Beneath the Bleeding: A Novel

The New York Times Book Review raves about author Val McDermid, calling her “as smooth a practitioner of crime fiction as anyone out there. She’s the best we’ve got.” Her newest thriller, Beneath the Bleeding, once again proves it to be so. Winner of the coveted CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year for The Mermaids Singing, McDermid reunites her popular investigating team of Dr. Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan in Beneath the Bleeding, as they search for the truth behind a horrific act of mass murder and wholesale destruction.

Published in the U. S. for the first time

The residents of Bradfield are devastated when their star midfielder dies, the victim of a bizarre, seemingly motiveless murder. In a hospital, recovering from injuries, criminal profiler and psychologist Dr. Tony Hill struggles to make sense of the fragments of information he can gather in order to help his ally, Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan, bring a killer to justice. Then an explosion rips through a soccer stadium, leaving dozens dead and many more injured, and Jordan finds herself pushed to the margins of the investigation by the intelligence services. Despite the dark places in their relationship, Tony and Carol remain the best hope for uncovering the truth about an ever-increasing series of unspeakable crimes. Are they terrorist attacks, a personal vendetta . . . or something even more sinister?

“If Rankin is the king of British crime, Val McDermid is undoubtedly the queen. . . . McDermid is a consummate plotter, so there are pleasing twists and turns in this first-rate story.” - The Observer (UK)

“Tackled cleverly, with a well-concealed plot twist making a political point. . . . An accomplished performance. . . . This is Britain’s most successful series featuring a woman police detective.” - The Sunday Times (UK)

“[McDermid is] the queen of serial killers. . . . As a former journalist, few can scoop Val on throatclutching narrative, but at the same time she is marvellous on the sub-plot details.” - Daily Mail (London)

“This classy police procedural—latest in a series featuring the criminal profiler Tony Hill—compels from start to finish. . . . A narrative of nerve-stretching immediacy. . . . Sharply written, suspenseful, and full of insight into the world of the criminal psychologist.” - The Times (London)