The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Recently demoted for stepping out of line once too often, prickly inspector Tom Thorne is convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in south London is something more sinister. When his concerns are dismissed by former colleagues at the CID, and even by his patient girlfriend, Thorne can only trust himself and his best friend—gay pub-crawling pathologist Phil Hendricks—with his suspicions of murder.

Thorne draws a chilling connection between the deaths and a controversial case three decades old. But by going solo with his investigation, he not only risks the lives of those closest to him, but also further endangers those being targeted by a deranged killer—a man with the power and cold-blooded motives to coerce his vulnerable victims toward a breathtaking end.

Recently demoted Tom Thorne pushed his luck too far in his previous case and – to the glee of some of the upper brass – has been newly demoted back into Uniform. Booted from his beloved Murder Investigations, cut off from his usual team and colleagues, Tom is hating his day to day grind and trying desperately to keep his head above water. When Tom is convinced a cluster of elderly suicides is related no one will listen to him, and even when he swallows his pride and asks for someone to look into it further he is brutally brushed off and put in his place. Willing to risk everything – including the trust and livelihoods of the very few friends he has remaining – can Tom gamble everything on what he becomes more and more convinced is a killer who equally has absolutely nothing to lose and a mission to complete.

I have found this to be an interesting, gritty and at times even harsh British police procedural series. While the main character – Tom Thorne – has often pushed the boundaries and irked his superiors his previous case ended on a desperate note and Thorne reacted accordingly. Unlike his many previous times, this case resulted in his demotion and removal from his beloved Murder team. I found this massive shift in Thorne’s duties to be gripping reading and an interesting change of pace. I was pleased that much of his character remains unchanged and his sense of self and purpose while battered appears intact.

Readers picking this book up with no prior experience may find there are a few gaps they need to fill but I definitely think this book can still be enjoyed on it’s own merits. The writing is quite British and the tone of the book (and series, really) is quite different to many other murder mysteries. This might not be a comfortable tone for many readers, but I have been really enjoying it for the most part.

I equally liked how there were snippets through the book from the killer’s perspective. As the reader I was heartened to know that Thorne wasn’t going off the deep end (as some other characters thought) but watching Thorne struggle and put everything together was the usual gripping read. While still not a comfortable read I definitely feel this book should be suitable for most mystery readers, especially those who like a more British style of gritty plotline.

A strongly plotted and well paced mystery – I’m eager for the next book.

Good As Dead by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The Crime

The customers in a London convenience store are taken captive. Among them is young mother, Detective Helen Weeks. She is told her life depends on the co-operation of one of her colleagues – detective Tom Thorne.

The Demand

Akhtar is desperate to know what really happened to his beloved son, who died a year before in prison. He is convinced the death was not an accident and forces the one man who knows more about the case than any other, Thorne, to re-investigate.

The Twist

What Thorne discovers will upend everything he thought he knew about the fate of those he’s put away…but will it be enough to fulfill the wishes of a grieving and potentially violent father?

Single mother and police officer Helen Weeks stops off in her local newsagents on her daily morning stop on the way to work. Waiting at the till it’s the last place she expects to come across any violence – and in the blink of the eye she finds herself being held hostage. The Indian owner has finally been pushed over the edge and his only demand is that DI Tom Thorne re-investigate the sudden death of the newagent’s son a year earlier in youth custody. Thorne immediately springs into action and is quickly astonished to find that the death really is suspicious and well worth looking into again.

I have found this to be an excellent British police procedural style mystery series – gritty and at times bleak. These last few books have been a little less harsh and while I still find these books gripping Thorne is definitely growing as a character and has a few – tenuous – connections and relationships. The fact a civilian and police officer are being held hostage absolutely gives this book a push into making crazy fast decisions and Thorne definitely crosses a few lines to keep the momentum of the case moving forward. Readers looking for a gentle or softer style of police mystery might not find what they’re after here – but readers who have some experience of this series should absolutely know what a ride they’re in for.

I was pleased this book resolved everything within the confines of the book – occasionally the author can leave threads hanging or leave small items unresolved and I was glad that didn’t occur here. Indeed we’re given a brief glimpse of Thorne sorting through the consequences of his actions and I really enjoyed this resolution to the story and his actions. I was very happy with the ending of this book and am eager to begin the next in the series.

Readers looking for a gritty, fast paced British mystery should find this an enjoyable book. While it’s definitely not required to read anything previous to this to thoroughly enjoy the story, characters and plotline I will admit having at least a few of the previous DI Tom Thorne books under you belt will help the reader understand the style and set up of the series and might make this a richer and deeper experience. That said, it would be just fine to pick this book up by itself and begin enjoying this series immediately.

From The Dead by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Thorne investigates a troubling case of conspiracy—a wife who arranges to have her husband murdered. He turns up alive… and other people begin to turn up dead.

A decade ago, Alan Langford’s charred remains were discovered in his burnt-out car. His wife Donna was found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband and sentenced to ten years in prison. But before she is released, Donna receives a nasty shock: an anonymous letter containing a photo of her husband. The man she hates with every fibre of her being—the man she paid to have murdered—seems very much alive and well. But how is it possible that her husband is still alive? Where is he? Who sent the photo, and why?

It’s been over a decade since Donna Langford was imprisoned for hiring a man to murder her husband. Having admitted to the crime and pled guilty – even with the evidence of her husband’s abuse and criminal dealings she still was sentenced for a lengthy time in jail. Just before her release, she’s sent photos. Of her husband. Tanned. Enjoying himself. Living free and happy to indulge in all his desires. Against his better judgement, DI Tom Thorne finds himself drawn into this case where nothing and no one appear to be what they are.

This British police procedural has a gritty knack for turning plotlines on their head and writing uncomfortable things in such a manner you just have to keep turning the pages. I found this book to be no exception to that rule. Thorne finds himself with quite a bit on his plate, two or three cases weaving around each other as well as his ongoing relationship with Louise. I found myself nervous at a few points and while everything absolutely resolved none of it was quite how I was expecting and some parts were a little messier than I originally thought they’d be.

Readers should also be aware that for some of the plotlines there wasn’t a “usual” type of ending and one in particular finished on a bit of a cliffhanger/unresolved note for me. I definitely feel the reader is left to fill in the blanks and it could have gone a few different ways to my mind so readers who don’t enjoy vague endings might not find this as satisfying as many of the other book conclusions in this series.

That said, I’ve noticed a number of times previously that this book series is a lot grittier and harsher than many other British police procedurals and so while leaving threads hanging is not my favourite thing – the overall style and plotting is just so good and so different to most other series out there I can’t help myself I know I’ll keep reading the next book along. I also expect there will be an answer hopefully early on in the next book – this series does tend to (eventually) tie off all the loose threads so hopefully this won’t be any different.

Readers looking for a different, gritty and at times dark/lonely type of series should absolutely find this a great book. They can be read and enjoyed out of order – but personally I prefer reading things systematically so it’s well worth going back to the start and reading these in sequence.