Time of Death (Tom Thorne Novels)

Product Information

When two girls go missing in Helen's home town and the suspect is her friend's husband she insists on going to support the family - Thorne of course cannot resist getting involved in the investigation despite being very unwelcome. Thank you to NetGalley, publishers Grove Atlantic and author Mark Billingham for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has quite a lot of love in it, the characters are very close and very connected, They care about each other. This was definitely one of my favourites so far (mind you I'm sure I said that last time which just goes to show) - exploring some dark themes, flowing along at a heck of a pace, twisting and turning to another trademark thrilling conclusion. While he has no authority or connection to the case he begins to question the way the investigation is going and starts to pursue avenues of his own. Sign up to the Little, Brown newsletter for news of upcoming publications, competitions and updates from our authors. 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 Helen¹s ­ living under siege with two teenage children and convinced of her husband’s innocence.

Perhaps this far into a series Mark Billingham is keen not to just repeat the same London-based police procedural themes which earlier books have had, and perhaps he knows many of his readers have invested in his characters.

However, I doubt that anyone new to Billingham would manage that as they probably wouldn't know where to look for clues. Maybe I missed his assertiveness and passion of working his own case and the brilliant banter he has with his colleagues?

There are strong hints of a recent case that caused Tom Thorne (and Hendricks) enormous grief and it is clear that this ‘holiday’ is overdue and much needed.