Published by Sphere, 27 March 2014.
ISBN: 978-1847444233
It’s been a couple of years since a new Tom Thorne mystery made an
appearance, though the man himself did make a very brief cameo guest appearance
in Rush of Blood, Mark Billingham’s last standalone novel. I for one was
delighted to see Thorne’s full-time return. One problem series authors must
face with each new book is how to ring the changes. Billingham has always made
it seem effortless, largely through his choice of victims and culprits, but
also because his eye for character is so acute. Even minor players are sharp
and individual, and most of the regulars reveal different sides to their
personalities each time.
This
time the policing background is different too. Thorne’s propensity for ignoring
procedure regardless of the consequences has put him back on the streets in
uniform, and hating every minute of it – so when an apparent double suicide
starts to look like suspicious death and CID are disinclined to take his misgivings
seriously, he can’t resist going it alone. But alone isn’t going work, so his
former colleagues in MIT reluctantly join his investigation, and by hook or by
crook – mainly crook; this is crime fiction after all – the old team is back
together.
As a
background to a carefully woven plot which involves Thorne digging himself and
his MIT friends an ever deeper hole as the body count rises, Billingham gives
him a new relationship, this time with Helen Weeks, the detective sergeant he
rescued from a hostage situation in the previous book in the series. Given
Thorne’s emotional dysfunctionality, it’s another car crash waiting to happen,
but Helen clearly sees the same endearing quality in him as do all the fans who
have made him one of the most popular series cops in British crime fiction.
Mark
Billingham is known as one of the most assiduous researchers in the business,
and despite Thorne’s maverick tendency everything plot- and police-related has
the ring of reality about it. I couldn’t help wondering, though, if, now his
own kids are grown, his memories of the way small children develop were a
little skewed; Alfie, Helen’s engaging small son, seems a little young for his
eighteen months. But Thorne is such a great surrogate dad that we can forgive
his creator this small lapse.
It’s
good to see that Tom Thorne is still very much part of Mark Billingham’s plans,
and The Dying Hours is another spin on a character who clearly still has
a surprise or two up his sleeve. As always, I was left eager to see what he
will do next time. Roll on volume twelve in the series.
------
Reviewer: Lynne
Patrick
Mark Billingham is one of the UK's most acclaimed and popular crime writers. A former actor, television writer and stand-up comedian, his series of novels featuring D.I. Tom Thorne has twice won him the Crime Novel Of The Year Award as well as the Sherlock Award for Best British Detective and been nominated for seven CWA Daggers. His standalone thriller IN THE DARK was chosen as one of the twelve best books of the year by the Times and his debut novel, SLEEPYHEAD was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 books that had shaped the decade. Each of his novels has been a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller. A television series based on the Thorne novels was screened in Autumn 2010, starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne and series based on the standalone thrillers In the Dark and Rush of Blood are currently in development with the BBC.
http://www.markbillingham.com
Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen,
and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but
never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher
for a few years, and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning.
She lives on the edge of rural Derbyshire in a house groaning with books, about
half of them crime fiction.
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