A fantastic, never-before-published Tom Thorne novel by England's crime king.
It's been twenty-five years since Tom Thorne last went to work wearing the "Queen's cloth" but now, having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform. He's no longer a detective, and he hates it.
Still struggling to adjust, Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London are something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.
Now, unable to trust anybody, Thorne risks losing those closest to him as well as endangering those being targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before. A man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims. A man who appears to have the power to make people take their own lives.
**
From Booklist
Detective Inspector Thorne, long with the London Police Murder Squad (Billingham has chronicled his adventures in 10 previous mysteries), has been demoted to regular copper and suffers accordingly. Billingham shows the glee with which other police regard Thorne’s demotion and the eager way they shove him aside. He also shows—and, unfortunately, overshows—how this rankles Thorne. But even a depressed, demoted cop must carry on, and Thorne finds himself growing suspicious of a number of deaths of elderly people. The deaths have all been ruled suicides, but Thorne is convinced they may be homicides. In a way that is just far too predictable, the Murder Squad won’t believe Thorne, and Thorne must investigate on his own. As the mystery progresses, however, the psychology and strategy of murder become more intriguing. Thorne is a little hard to take here. His gloom is pretty one-note and seems at odds with his enterprise in tracking down a killer. This acclaimed series has, however, hit many high notes (especially Lazybones, 2004), and fans will take one subpar effort in stride. --Connie Fletcher
Review
“Absorbing. . . . Billingham takes a chance by shaking up Thorne’s career, but it pays off in this consistently tense thriller that’s as much about Thorne as it is about solving the crimes.”
―Publishers Weekly
(Library Journal)
“[D]elivers this well-written police procedural with verve and storytelling skill. . . . Although the eleventh in the series, this entry is a good place for listeners to become acquainted with this crime writer as author and narrator.”
—AudioFile [Earphones Award winner]
(California Bookwatch)
“Billingham’s narration is brisk and excellently paced. This gripping novel is a suspenseful detective story with rich, fully developed characters. It will appeal to all crime fiction fans.”
—Library Journal
“Narrated by the author, who adds spice and zip to his Tom Thorne detective story. . . . A fine story of crime and mystery evolves, perfect for the audio format.”
—California Bookwatch
Description:
A fantastic, never-before-published Tom Thorne novel by England's crime king.
It's been twenty-five years since Tom Thorne last went to work wearing the "Queen's cloth" but now, having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform. He's no longer a detective, and he hates it.
Still struggling to adjust, Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London are something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.
Now, unable to trust anybody, Thorne risks losing those closest to him as well as endangering those being targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before. A man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims. A man who appears to have the power to make people take their own lives.
**
From Booklist
Detective Inspector Thorne, long with the London Police Murder Squad (Billingham has chronicled his adventures in 10 previous mysteries), has been demoted to regular copper and suffers accordingly. Billingham shows the glee with which other police regard Thorne’s demotion and the eager way they shove him aside. He also shows—and, unfortunately, overshows—how this rankles Thorne. But even a depressed, demoted cop must carry on, and Thorne finds himself growing suspicious of a number of deaths of elderly people. The deaths have all been ruled suicides, but Thorne is convinced they may be homicides. In a way that is just far too predictable, the Murder Squad won’t believe Thorne, and Thorne must investigate on his own. As the mystery progresses, however, the psychology and strategy of murder become more intriguing. Thorne is a little hard to take here. His gloom is pretty one-note and seems at odds with his enterprise in tracking down a killer. This acclaimed series has, however, hit many high notes (especially Lazybones, 2004), and fans will take one subpar effort in stride. --Connie Fletcher
Review
“Absorbing. . . . Billingham takes a chance by shaking up Thorne’s career, but it pays off in this consistently tense thriller that’s as much about Thorne as it is about solving the crimes.”
―Publishers Weekly
(Library Journal)
“[D]elivers this well-written police procedural with verve and storytelling skill. . . . Although the eleventh in the series, this entry is a good place for listeners to become acquainted with this crime writer as author and narrator.”
—AudioFile [Earphones Award winner]
(California Bookwatch)
“Billingham’s narration is brisk and excellently paced. This gripping novel is a suspenseful detective story with rich, fully developed characters. It will appeal to all crime fiction fans.”
—Library Journal
“Narrated by the author, who adds spice and zip to his Tom Thorne detective story. . . . A fine story of crime and mystery evolves, perfect for the audio format.”
—California Bookwatch