Time of Death (Tom Thorne Novels)

Mark Billingham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0751552216 ISBN 13: 9780751552218

Publisher: Sphere, 2016

DI Tom Thorne returns in a chilling mystery that will keep readers guessing until the final page. Time of Death is Mark Billingham's most timely, atmospheric thriller to date.

The Missing
Two schoolgirls are abducted in the small, dying Warwickshire town of Polesford, driving a knife into the heart of the community where police officer Helen Weeks grew up and from which she long ago escaped. But this is a place full of secrets, where dangerous truths lie buried.

The Accused
When it's splashed all over the press that family man Stephen Bates has been arrested, Helen and her partner Tom Thorne head to the flooded town to support Bates' wife - an old school friend of Helen's - who is living under siege with two teenage children and convinced of her husband's innocence.

The Dead
As residents and media bay for Bates' blood, a decomposing body is found. The police believe they have their murderer in custody, but one man believes otherwise. With a girl still missing, Thorne sets himself on a collision course with local police, townsfolk - and a merciless killer.

Review:

Ingenious ... what is most impressive about this novel, however, is the astute observation (Laura Wilson The Guardian)

The writing displays the virtues that have made Mark Billingham a bestseller: wit, careful plotting, attention to detail and great characterisation... won't disappoint Billingham's legions of fans (The Telegraph)

The plot element on which this gruesome mystery turns is certainly one of the cleverest and most satisfying that I've read for ages. (Morning Star)

What lingers in the memory is the group portrait of the Polesford locals brutally closing ranks against a man they're certain deserves to die. (Kirkus)

Book Description:

The gripping, brilliantly plotted Tom Thorne thriller from No.1 bestselling author Mark Billingham