One of our fastest rising stars, a stand-up comedian before he turned author, with his fourth novel but there are no jokes here.   He has a series character, Tom Thorne, and all four are highly recommended.  This is London gangland rivalry stuff.  Hard hitting, scary, ruthless and unput-downable.  I rate him very highly indeed.

Comparison: Michael Connelly, Stephen Leather, Michael Marshall.

Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: 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 next in August.

D I Thorne series:
1. Sleepyhead
2. Scaredy Cat
3. Lazybones
4. The Burning Girl
5. Lifeless
6. Buried

7. Death Message

Comparison: Stephen Leather, Graham Hurley, Chris Simms
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Synopsis

Jessica Clarke had been set alight twenty years ago. Her attacker, quickly tracked down and eager to confess, was still in jail, his career as a hitman for North London gangs now well behind him. So who is harassing Carol Chamberlain, the arresting officer in that case, and claiming that he is the one who burned the girl? Now retired, Carol turns to DI Tom Thorne for help. He's up to his neck in an investigation into a series of killings, which appears to be the result of a turf war between rival gangs, and he's fed up to the gills with reporting to DCI Tughan, so helping Carol out looks like a good deed in a naughty world. Only the world is about to turn much nastier, so nasty in fact that he finds himself longing for a straightforward psycopath to hunt down.

In Mark Billingham's fourth novel, he explores the effects of violence and greed on the lives of those who exploit their fellow beings in a novel of exceptional power.

Reviews

'A disturbing and ruthlessly compelling novel.' Sunday Express

'Murder and mystery do not come better than this.' What's On in London
'Brisk, racy read.' The Times

'Assured and shocking thriller.' The Guardian

'A cunning variation on the serial-murder theme.' Sunday Telegraph

'Scary, pell-mell, cliff-hanging thriller.' Literary Review

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