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. 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.
Discover the first of the two masterful hit novels adapted for the massive new BBC One Drama series In The Dark, featuring brilliant heroine Helen Weeks.
'Clever and inventive' Financial Times
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. But this is a place full of secrets, where dangerous truths lie buried.
When 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 and convinced of her husband's innocence.
As residents and media bay for Bates' blood, a decomposing body is found. The police believe they have their murderer, but one man believes otherwise. With a girl still missing, Helen sets herself on a collision course with local police, townsfolk - and a merciless killer.
The hugely acclaimed latest novel in Mark Billingham's bestselling series, Love Like Blood, is out now.
**
Review
Praise for Time of Death:
Longlisted for the 2016 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year
A Telegraph Best Crime Fiction Book of the Year
One of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 Great Summer Thrillers”
One of the Guardian’s “Best Recent Crime Novels”**
“Some ingenious forensic footwork. What is most impressive about the novel, however, is the astute observation of the beleaguered Bates family, who turn in on themselves as the inhabitants of the town turn on them.”—Guardian (UK)
“Clever and inventive.”—*Financial Times*
“The writing displays the virtues that have made Mark Billingham a bestseller: wit, careful plotting, attention to detail (some of it gruesome) and great characterization—not just Thorne and Helen but subsidiary figures such as the e-cigarette-puffing local police chief . . . An entertaining read. This won’t disappoint Billingham’s legions of fans.”—Telegraph (UK)
“Billingham conjures many moods in this suspenseful thriller . . . This is a multilayered, expertly crafted look at the many moving parts of an investigation and the terror unleashed by a crafty killer.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Builds to a surprising and satisfying climax.”—*Publishers Weekly*
“DI Tom Thorne and his lover, DS Helen Weeks, return to Helen's hated hometown in Warwickshire to confront some ugly accusations and some even uglier secrets. . . . 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 Reviews*
“Billingham has seemed to be incapable of writing any way but wonderfully since Sleepyhead, his first Tom Thorne novel . . . Billingham is always spot on, but Time of Death is pitch-perfect, evenly balanced between plot and character. You won’t be able to read it without wondering why all books can’t be this good.”—*Bookreporter*
Praise for Mark Billingham:
“Morse, Rebus, and now Thorne. The next superstar detective is already with us—don’t miss him.”—Lee Child
“Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today.”—Gillian Flynn
“Billingham is a world-class crime writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books.”—Karin Slaughter
“With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don’t want to leave.”—Michael Connelly
“Mark Billingham is one of my favorite new writers.”—Harlan Coben
"Billingham is one of the best crime novelists working today."—Laura Lippman
“Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre.”—George Pelecanos
“Billingham leaps to the upper echelons of crime fiction in one bound.”—John Harvey
About the Author
Carol J. White was formerly Associate Professor of Philosophy at Santa Clara University, USA. Mark Ralkowski is a graduate student at University of New Mexico, USA.
Description:
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. 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.
Discover the first of the two masterful hit novels adapted for the massive new BBC One Drama series In The Dark, featuring brilliant heroine Helen Weeks.
'Clever and inventive'
Financial Times
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. But this is a place full of secrets, where dangerous truths lie buried.
When 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 and convinced of her husband's innocence.
As residents and media bay for Bates' blood, a decomposing body is found. The police believe they have their murderer, but one man believes otherwise. With a girl still missing, Helen sets herself on a collision course with local police, townsfolk - and a merciless killer.
The hugely acclaimed latest novel in Mark Billingham's bestselling series, Love Like Blood, is out now.
**
Review
Praise for Time of Death:
Longlisted for the 2016 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year
A Telegraph Best Crime Fiction Book of the Year
One of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 Great Summer Thrillers”
One of the Guardian’s “Best Recent Crime Novels”**
“Some ingenious forensic footwork. What is most impressive about the novel, however, is the astute observation of the beleaguered Bates family, who turn in on themselves as the inhabitants of the town turn on them.”—Guardian (UK)
“Clever and inventive.”—*Financial Times*
“The writing displays the virtues that have made Mark Billingham a bestseller: wit, careful plotting, attention to detail (some of it gruesome) and great characterization—not just Thorne and Helen but subsidiary figures such as the e-cigarette-puffing local police chief . . . An entertaining read. This won’t disappoint Billingham’s legions of fans.”—Telegraph (UK)
“Billingham conjures many moods in this suspenseful thriller . . . This is a multilayered, expertly crafted look at the many moving parts of an investigation and the terror unleashed by a crafty killer.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Builds to a surprising and satisfying climax.”—*Publishers Weekly*
“DI Tom Thorne and his lover, DS Helen Weeks, return to Helen's hated hometown in Warwickshire to confront some ugly accusations and some even uglier secrets. . . . 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 Reviews*
“Billingham has seemed to be incapable of writing any way but wonderfully since Sleepyhead, his first Tom Thorne novel . . . Billingham is always spot on, but Time of Death is pitch-perfect, evenly balanced between plot and character. You won’t be able to read it without wondering why all books can’t be this good.”—*Bookreporter*
Praise for Mark Billingham:
“Morse, Rebus, and now Thorne. The next superstar detective is already with us—don’t miss him.”—Lee Child
“Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today.”—Gillian Flynn
“Billingham is a world-class crime writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books.”—Karin Slaughter
“With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don’t want to leave.”—Michael Connelly
“Mark Billingham is one of my favorite new writers.”—Harlan Coben
"Billingham is one of the best crime novelists working today."—Laura Lippman
“Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre.”—George Pelecanos
“Billingham leaps to the upper echelons of crime fiction in one bound.”—John Harvey
About the Author
Carol J. White was formerly Associate Professor of Philosophy at Santa Clara University, USA. Mark Ralkowski is a graduate student at University of New Mexico, USA.