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kingfan30's review against another edition
3.0
Ive not heard of Mark Billingham before let alone read the rest of the series. I'm guessing each book has a different crime with an underlying story running through them. I did not really feel like I had missed anything that may have gone on in previous books so this stood on its own really well. The crime it's self was an interesting one as you know from the beginning who did it, the thing is the police find this out 10 years down the line after phots are sent to the wife and the quest to track him down begins. As always there are inside men keeping secrets and the odd accident on the way to keep them quiet. It was pretty fast past and an entertaining read, more of a 3.5 really.
sparklebox1's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this, knowing I had read a book out of sequence I thought that this may effect my enjoyment of the plot and character knowledge.
I quite like Thorne although his ability to deduce the criminal is somewhat clunky and hit and miss. Like most policemen his love life is fucked up and true to form he can’t make up his mind about what he wants, but this may just be a universal trait that most men have!
I didn’t agree with the authors choices of who got bumped off and was kinda hoping that the connections between these two would have developed into more and they could solve crime together.
Enjoyable and easy to start a relationship with this without through other titles ... here’s to a few more!
I quite like Thorne although his ability to deduce the criminal is somewhat clunky and hit and miss. Like most policemen his love life is fucked up and true to form he can’t make up his mind about what he wants, but this may just be a universal trait that most men have!
I didn’t agree with the authors choices of who got bumped off and was kinda hoping that the connections between these two would have developed into more and they could solve crime together.
Enjoyable and easy to start a relationship with this without through other titles ... here’s to a few more!
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
4.0
I love Mark Billingham. I've read several Tom Thorne books now and return to his world, like slipping into my favourite pair of jeans.
Thorne and his colleagues are funny, interesting and each of them have their own unique points and individualities. Being allowed inside Thorne's head I feel is a privilege and a very exciting and amusing place to be. His thoughts make the story come alive.
The story itself is certainly an interesting one after an infamous London gangster, thought to be dead is discovered to be alive. When Alan Langford starts bumping off informers, it's up to Thorne to track down the gangster and work out the identity of the charred remains they have found.
As always, you're kept guessing, right to the end, and with a short excursion to Spain, it's one of the best Thorne novels to date.
Thorne and his colleagues are funny, interesting and each of them have their own unique points and individualities. Being allowed inside Thorne's head I feel is a privilege and a very exciting and amusing place to be. His thoughts make the story come alive.
The story itself is certainly an interesting one after an infamous London gangster, thought to be dead is discovered to be alive. When Alan Langford starts bumping off informers, it's up to Thorne to track down the gangster and work out the identity of the charred remains they have found.
As always, you're kept guessing, right to the end, and with a short excursion to Spain, it's one of the best Thorne novels to date.
nigelbrown's review
4.0
After my seventh Billingham novel, I am still a big fan. A denouement that seems a little rushed, too many coincidences and slightly cliched characters, but it is what it is, and that’s an enjoyable detective tale with a moody, miserable protagonist.
lu_wilson's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Mark Billingham novel and my first in the Tom Thorne series so I have not read the collection in order. However, that did not detract from the storyline in any way. The book caught my attention in the shop as I recognised the name of the author from the recent TV adaption on Sky1. I like how Thorne is impatient, grumpy, annoying and has faults, rather unlike some the American super-cops you often find in fiction novels. I have to say that some of the twists I did not see coming, and some of the characters that I suspected to be the 'bad guy' turned out not to be, which was a good surprise and made this book even more enjoyable. I will certainly be collecting the remainder of the series, hopefully in order this time!
escapeebee's review
4.0
Loved and enjoyed this book, as I do with all Mark Billingham's! Maybe not my favourite but gripping and enjoyable all the same with some good twists and turns and great characters.
clambook's review against another edition
4.0
My first encounter with this long-running series (this was No. 9). Protagonist cop Tom Thorne is engaging, more complex than, say, John Rebus. But the villain is comic book unreal and the plot strained. I'd read another and would like to see the two-part TV series.
scottish_kat's review against another edition
3.0
First thing: I missed Holland, Thorne is not the same without his sidekick.
Solid continuation of the Thorne series. I liked the plot and I liked that I didn't like any of the characters.
Certainly feels like Thorne is about to make some changes (or have changes imposed upon him) so I'm looking forward to picking up the next one.
Solid continuation of the Thorne series. I liked the plot and I liked that I didn't like any of the characters.
Certainly feels like Thorne is about to make some changes (or have changes imposed upon him) so I'm looking forward to picking up the next one.