Bloodline (Tom Thorne Novels) - Softcover

Billingham, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552788032 ISBN 13: 9781552788035

Publisher: McArthur & Co Pub Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.
When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into what seems like, for once, an ordinary domestic murder, he thinks he's caught a break. A woman has been murdered by someone she knows. A positive pregnancy test found on the floor beside her. Thorne plans to question the husband, arrest him and return home to deal with his own deteriorating personal life.
But when a mysterious sliver of bloodstained X-ray that was found clutched in the victim's fist is replicated at other crime scenes around the city, Thorne realizes that this is not a simple case. As the bits of X-ray begin to come together to form a picture, it becomes clear that the killer knows his prey all too well and is moving through a list that was started long ago.
As Thorne attempts to protect those still alive, nothing and nobody are what they seem. Not when Thorne is dealing with one of the most twisted killers he has ever hunted.

About this title

Review

Readers who have assiduously followed the upwards trajectory of Mark Billingham’s career -- and consider him their personal property -- are perhaps a touch resentful of the fact that he’s now one of the UK’s bestselling male crime writers. But it was only a matter of time before the mass of readers cottoned on to how on-the-nail such Billingham books as Lifeless and Buried are. Of course, his creation, the implacable DI Tom Thorne, is one of the most distinctive coppers in the genre, and has a legion of followers. After the much-acclaimed standalone In the Dark (in which Thorne took a back seat), Billingham's beleaguered copper is back in Bloodline, and it’s a welcome return.

Tom Thorne and his partner Louise have been trying to become parents, but then Louise suffers a miscarriage, which she finds devastating. Thorne tries his hardest to console her, but neither his words nor his actions seem to do the trick. At work, Thorne and his fellow detective Hendricks spend their time trading barbed one-liners, but they have a grim problem on their hands. There appears to be a disturbing parallel between several murders in the present and the gruesome career of serial killer, Raymond Garvey – but Garvey is dead, killed by a brain tumour. Thorne and Hendricks realise that a lethal individual is murdering the children of Garvey’s victims. It’s up to them to find out why – and quickly, before more innocent victims die.

The steady, understated accretion of tension is Billingham's strategy in Bloodline – as an author, he’s no believer in artificially manufactured climaxes every few chapters (as are some bestselling authors); Billingham, thankfully, is prepared to trust the reader’s patience and attention. And we’re in very capable hands. --Barry Forshaw

Review

"Chilling, moody, humane, and very, very smart... Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today." "Gillian Flynn""

"Rich, heady, and gripping. A boss performance by Billingham, through and through." "George Pelecanos""

"With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don't want to leave." "Michael Connelly""

"Tom Thorne is the new superstar detective...Mark Billingham is the new-wave leader of crime fiction." "Lee Child""

About this edition

• Publisher: McArthur & Co Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1552788032
• ISBN 13: 9781552788035
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 345