From Publishers Weekly
British author McDermid brings back DCI Carol Jordan and psychological profiler Dr. Tony Hill from The Mermaids Singing (1995) and The Wire in the Blood (1997) and thrusts them into a psychologically chilling and multifaceted thriller. Jordan goes undercover in Germany as part of a dangerous operation to capture Tadeusz Radecki, an international smuggler of drugs and illegal aliens. Meanwhile, her contact in Berlin, Criminal Intelligence Officer Petra Becker, is helping her Internet lover, Dutch Brigadier Marijke van Hasselt, on a grisly case whose victims, psychological researchers, are sexually tortured and murdered. Jordan suggests that Dr. Hill work with them in Berlin. The suspense builds as scenes alternate among the two English crime fighters, Becker, van Hasselt, Radecki and his henchman, Darko Krasic, and the anonymous serial killer, whose grisly tactics echo Nazi psychological experiments. McDermid gives depth and individuality to all seven characters and each city. With consummate skill and pacing, she braids together the complex story lines through surprising revelations, heartstopping suspense and cruel double-crosses. The two major plots don't mesh, but they crisscross, creating even more tension. McDermid's writing and her understanding of the criminal mind get better with each novel. With its European locales, depiction of Nazi mind experiments and hints at another Jordan/Hill novel, this may well be her breakout book. She certainly deserves it.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In the third book of McDermid's popular series (after The Wire in the Blood and The Mermaids), Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan and psychologist Tony Hill return. Carol has agreed to go undercover in Berlin in a sting operation against the handsome and charming but ruthless trafficker in illegal immigrants, Tadeusz Radecki. Meanwhile, intelligence officer Petra Becker, the German liaison in Carol's undercover operation, has begun an online relationship with Marijke van Hasselt, a policewoman from the Netherlands. When Marijke mentions a grizzly murder that she is investigating in Leiden, Petra remembers reading of a similar murder in Germany. Carol persuades Tony to come to Berlin to help Petra and Marijke find the killer who is targeting experimental psychologists. This well-executed novel has it all: a complex, suspenseful plot, a full cast of interesting characters, and two budding romances. Tony's persistent angst becomes rather tiresome, but even he grows more tolerable as the novel progresses. Recommended for most mystery collections. Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., NDCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Two plots intermingle in this complex European thriller. The first is the search for a serial killer who is killing experimental psychologists. The second seeks evidence to convict a Polish crime boss who traffics in drugs and illegal immigrants. Psychologist Tony Hill and his former partner, Detective Inspector Carol Jordan, team up with EU detectives to solve the murders and catch the criminals. Guerin Barry narrates changes in location and high-action sequences without a hitch. His German, Belgian, and Polish accents sound similar, but all characters are distinguishable from one another. His Brits, however, sound American, except when under stress. The abridgment is disjointed until the action gets going. Not for the faint of heart, this thriller reveals the best and worst in people. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
McDermid's third thriller featuring psychological profiler Tony Hill is packed with white-knuckle suspense, hot action, and graphic chills. British detective Carol Jordan's superiors promise her a transfer to criminal intelligence--in exchange for a favor. Carol is a dead ringer for the dead girlfriend of German crime boss Tadeusz Krasic, who has interests in drugs, gunrunning, and transporting illegal immigrants into England. The Brits are eager to bring him down and want Carol to go to Germany and see if her looks and a lucrative business proposal can draw Krasic into the "honeypot." Meanwhile, a deadly serial killer is targeting psychologists in Holland and Germany, and Hill is brought in to help catch him. With both Tony and Carol in Germany, it's no time before their long-standing mutual attraction brings them together. Despite some plot holes and one inexplicably brainless move by the heroine, McDermid's latest is sure to be a hit with thriller fans. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"The Last Temptation is a masterful examination of evil and relics of the Nazi and Stasi years in Germany." The Guardian
"There is no one in contemporary crime fiction who has managed to combine the visceral and humane as well...Val McDermid is the best we've got." - Charles Taylor, The New York Times Book Review.
Review
"The Last Temptation is a masterful examination of evil and relics of the Nazi and Stasi years in Germany." The Guardian
"There is no one in contemporary crime fiction who has managed to combine the visceral and humane as well...Val McDermid is the best we've got." - Charles Taylor, The New York Times Book Review.
Book Description
Mapping the minds of murderers is what Dr. Tony Hill does better than anyone. So when a twisted killer starts targeting psychologists across Northern Europe, he's the obvious choice to track the executioner's mental and physical journey.
Except that Tony doesn't want to do this anymore.
But the case is about to come uncomfortably close to home. The next victim is a friend of his. And his former partner, DCI Carol Jordan, is herself in Germany, working undercover in a world where human life is cheaper than a drug deal. She needs his help as much as the beleaguered European police forces do.
Confronting the worst of contemporary crime and struggling to unravel roots that lie deep in the tormented past of Nazi atrocities and Statsi abuses, Tony and Carol are forced to battle for their survival against overwhelming odds.
Deftly merging the dark world of forensic psychology and the crime-streaked word of post-Cold War Europe, McDermid has created a truly original crime thriller for our time.
The Last Temptation FROM OUR EDITORS
The third Dr. Tony Hill mystery pits the deliberative psychological profiler against a devious and demented serial killer. If Hill seems to be taking this case personally, he has good reason: The gruesome mass murderer is preying on psychologists!
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Mapping the minds of murderers is what Dr Tony Hill does better than anyone. So when a twisted killer starts targeting psychologists across northern Europe, he's the obvious choice to track the executioner's mental and physical journey." "Except that Tony doesn't want to do this any more." "But the case is about to come uncomfortably close to home. The next victim is a friend of his. And his former partner, DCI Carol Jordan, is herself in Germany, working undercover in a world where human life is cheaper than a drugs deal. She needs his help as much as the serial-killer hunters do." Confronting the worst of contemporary crime and struggling to unravel roots that lie deep in the tormented past of Nazi atrocities and Stasi abuses, Tony and Carol are forced to battle for survival against overwhelming odds. In this morass of double-cross and double-dealing, they have no one to trust but each other.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
British author McDermid brings back DCI Carol Jordan and psychological profiler Dr. Tony Hill from The Mermaids Singing (1995) and The Wire in the Blood (1997) and thrusts them into a psychologically chilling and multifaceted thriller. Jordan goes undercover in Germany as part of a dangerous operation to capture Tadeusz Radecki, an international smuggler of drugs and illegal aliens. Meanwhile, her contact in Berlin, Criminal Intelligence Officer Petra Becker, is helping her Internet lover, Dutch Brigadier Marijke van Hasselt, on a grisly case whose victims, psychological researchers, are sexually tortured and murdered. Jordan suggests that Dr. Hill work with them in Berlin. The suspense builds as scenes alternate among the two English crime fighters, Becker, van Hasselt, Radecki and his henchman, Darko Krasic, and the anonymous serial killer, whose grisly tactics echo Nazi psychological experiments. McDermid gives depth and individuality to all seven characters and each city. With consummate skill and pacing, she braids together the complex story lines through surprising revelations, heartstopping suspense and cruel double-crosses. The two major plots don't mesh, but they crisscross, creating even more tension. McDermid's writing and her understanding of the criminal mind get better with each novel. With its European locales, depiction of Nazi mind experiments and hints at another Jordan/Hill novel, this may well be her breakout book. She certainly deserves it. (Sept. 30) Forecast: The release this summer of the two previous novels featuring Jordan and Hill in mass-market, in conjunction with a seven-city author tour, should make McDermid's name a lot better known to American readers. She has won Anthony and Gold Dagger awards and been a finalist for an Edgar. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
In the third book of McDermid's popular series (after The Wire in the Blood and The Mermaids), Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan and psychologist Tony Hill return. Carol has agreed to go undercover in Berlin in a sting operation against the handsome and charming but ruthless trafficker in illegal immigrants, Tadeusz Radecki. Meanwhile, intelligence officer Petra Becker, the German liaison in Carol's undercover operation, has begun an online relationship with Marijke van Hasselt, a policewoman from the Netherlands. When Marijke mentions a grizzly murder that she is investigating in Leiden, Petra remembers reading of a similar murder in Germany. Carol persuades Tony to come to Berlin to help Petra and Marijke find the killer who is targeting experimental psychologists. This well-executed novel has it all: a complex, suspenseful plot, a full cast of interesting characters, and two budding romances. Tony's persistent angst becomes rather tiresome, but even he grows more tolerable as the novel progresses. Recommended for most mystery collections. Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
Two plots intermingle in this complex European thriller. The first is the search for a serial killer who is killing experimental psychologists. The second seeks evidence to convict a Polish crime boss who traffics in drugs and illegal immigrants. Psychologist Tony Hill and his former partner, Detective Inspector Carol Jordan, team up with EU detectives to solve the murders and catch the criminals. Guerin Barry narrates changes in location and high-action sequences without a hitch. His German, Belgian, and Polish accents sound similar, but all characters are distinguishable from one another. His Brits, however, sound American, except when under stress. The abridgment is disjointed until the action gets going. Not for the faint of heart, this thriller reveals the best and worst in people. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Whoever he is, Geronimo-the code name psychological profiler Dr. Tony Hill uses for the latest serial killer in his sights-doesn't have much use for psychologists. Beginning with Dr. Walter Neumann of the University of Heidelberg, he's been knocking them out, tying them to their own desks, stripping them, drowning them, and shaving their privates. Geronimo's macabre ritual is so distinctive, in fact, that it's not long before cops in two European countries sense that their victims are only part of a larger pattern and start sharing their information through Europol. As luck would have it, their investigation is gathering steam just as Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan, long in love with unresponsive Tony, arrives in Germany on her first assignment as Europol Liaison Officer: to capitalize on her uncanny resemblance to Katerina Basler, late mistress of mobster Tadeusz Radecki, to go undercover as a partner in Tadzio's operation smuggling illegal Chinese in order to make him an offer he'll be too entranced to refuse-an offer that will smash his whole immigration ring. As Carol worms her way into Tadzio's confidence, Tony is building up a portrait of Geronimo from the evidence the police have painstakingly amassed. Then suddenly, on page 338, both Carol and Tony begin to act accountably reckless, setting the stage for a melodramatic third act that undercuts the considerable ambitions McDermid (Killing the Shadows, 2001, etc.) has for this dark tale. A successor to The Mermaids Singing (1996) so densely packed that the poor serial killer almost gets dropped between the cracks. Author tour
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