UK publisher SPHERE £6.99
First published 2007
This is the only book in the Tom Thorne series that I hadn't read. I read the first books in sequence but was a little disappointed by Lifeless, coming after the nasty brilliance of The Burning Girl and so I missed this one upon original publication. I was lured back by the novel, Buried which I thought was something of a return to form but I missed Death Message on original publication.
Well I decided to remedy that.
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I'm glad I did.
Billingham has build up a great ensemble cast around his detective which provide some warmth and humour into what is essentially a dark literary world. He often puts his hero through the mangle and then some with each successive book.
The plot in which Thorne is getting sent pictures of murder victims by a series of grisly photo messages to his mobile is a modern update on an old favourite - the genius killer toying with the dedicated police officer. But, as is the norm with Billingham, just when the reader thinks he's got it all sussed the rug is pulled out spectacularly and we are headed towards an unexpected and thrilling climax.
This is a great crime/thriller novel with the author managing the audacious feat of creating an Hannibal Lecter/Clarance Starling relationship between Tom Thorne and a psycho he helped put away a few books ago. This part of the book, rather than seeming trite, works really well and some of the prison visit scenes are brilliantly realised, the author's words painting lurid technicolour pictures in the reader's mind whilst avoiding too much cod psychology. The mental battle between copper and crook is painfully real.
Excellent Crime writing
3 comments:
I have heard nothing but good concerning this writer. It's made my to read list.
I don't think I've heard of this guy at all but I'll have to start paying attention.
Guys - Mark Billingham is also a stand up comedian. He's well worth reading if you like character driven crime thrillers. Lifeless was experimenting with the formula and fell flat for me but the rest have been excellent. Suggest Sleepy Head, as the jumping on title,for newcomers. Mark's also recently released a stand alone thriller In The Dark which I intend to read soon.
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