Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010.

Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2009.

CWA Judges’ comments: ‘A cutting, topical take on drug crime in contemporary London, with a brilliantly engineered twist.’

Billingham moves away from the DI Thorne series for this story set in the criminal underworld of London. He brings a whole host of characters together and shows the impact of the increasing crime and violence on the streets, not only on innocent victims but the gangs themselves and the police who have to deal with it. Gripping, intense stuff from this excellent writer.

Synopsis

A rainy night in London. Shots are fired into a car which swerves on to the pavement, ploughing into a bus stop. It seems that a chilling gang initiation has cost an innocent victim their life. But the reality is far more sinister…

One life is wiped out and three more are changed forever: the young man whose finger was on the trigger; an ageing gangster planning a deadly revenge, and the pregnant woman who struggles desperately to uncover the truth. Two weeks away from giving birth, how will she deal with a world where death is an occupational hazard?

In a city where violence can be random or meticulously planned, where teenage gangs clash with career criminals and where loyalty is paid for in blood, anything is possible. Secrets are uncovered as fast as bodies, and the story’s final twist is as breathtakingly surprising as they come.

Reviews

‘A stunning novel … the final twist is brilliantly clever and shocking’ The Times

‘Brilliantly plotted and written’ Scotland on Sunday

‘Edgy, pacy and frighteningly plausible’ Daily Mirror

'Billingham produces an astonishing final twist to complete his most ambitious and most accomplished book’ Sunday Telegraph

About the Author

Mark Billingham is a stand-up comedian, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store. He has been awarded the 2003 Sherlock Award as the creator of the Best Detective created by a British writer. He has also written drama for children's television, including Knight School which won the Royal Television Society Award for best children's drama. Photograph © Charlie Hopkinson   Maxim Jakubowski's view on DI TOM THORNE... A dogged London cop whose beat somehow invariably crosses into the dark side and confronts evil at its cleverest.DEATH MESSAGE is the 7th in the series, and BLOOD LINE appears in August 2009.   D I Thorne series: 1. Sleepyhead 2. Scaredy Cat 3. Lazybones 4. The Burning Girl 5. Lifeless 6. Buried 7. Death Message 8. Bloodline 9. From the Dead 10. Good As Dead More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation