Bradfield in Northern England is plagued by a serial killer. At least that’s what forensic psychologist and profiler Tony Hill believes, although the police officially denies it. Four young men are brutally murdered. Their bodies are place in a part of town that hosts the local gay scene. The police has no clue as to who is the killer. When Tony Hill gives a lecture on the new profiling task force the Home Office plans to establish Assistent Chief Constable John Brandon of Bradfield asks him off the record to help with the investigation of the killings. Neither his superiors nor his colleagues are happy about that. Detective Carol Jordan, however, is appointed liaison officer and is fascinated by Tony’s methods.

THE MERMAIDS SINGING by British crime writer Val McDermid is the ultimate page turner. The perspective shifts throughout the story between Tony Hill and various police officers, interrupted in every chapter by diary entries of the killer. The killer is no new character introduced only on the last three pages of the book. I suspected just about everybody and still didn’t get it right. The solution was a pleasant surprise. It doesn’t happen very often that the ending of such a gripping book lives up to it’s promise.

THE MERMAIDS SINGING is well written, and although there are many characters you don’t lose track of them. I especially liked exchanged parts of the profiler and police officer. The author breaks up the stereotype of female psychologist who finds the killer with "female intuition" and tough male police officer who does the dirty work.