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Bloodline [Hardcover]

Mark Billingham
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

Price: $24.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

July 14, 2011
A killer is on the loose. The victims: children whose mothers can't protect them.

The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.

When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into what seems like, for once, an ordinary domestic murder, he thinks he's caught a break. A woman has been murdered by someone she knows. A positive pregnancy test found on the floor beside her. Thorne plans to question the husband, arrest him and return home to deal with his own deteriorating personal life.

But when a mysterious sliver of bloodstained X-ray that was found clutched in the victim's fist is replicated at other crime scenes around the city, Thorne realizes that this is not a simple case. As the bits of X-ray begin to come together to form a picture, it becomes clear that the killer knows his prey all too well and is moving through a list that was started long ago.

As Thorne attempts to protect those still alive, nothing and nobody are what they seem. Not when Thorne is dealing with one of the most twisted killers he has ever hunted.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chilling, moody, humane, and very, very smart... Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today." (Gillian Flynn )

"Thrilling ... Billingham continues to captivate with equal parts suspense, deduction, and heart." (Publishers Weekly )

"A compelling villain and the author's usual sensitivity to men and women pushed to the edge by their compulsions, their work or their families." (Kirkus Reviews )

"Billingham skillfully ratchets up the tension as the person the police are hunting begins to taunt them. The book's final portion is a tautly crafted explosion of violence and sudden twists ... Billingham draws a complex and intriguing character in Thorne and surrounds him with an interesting supporting cast. BLOODLINE promises to bring him, and Thorne, a bigger audience on this side of the pond." (St. Petersburg Times )

"Rich, heady, and gripping. A boss performance by Billingham, through and through." (George Pelecanos )

"With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don't want to leave." (Michael Connelly )

"Tom Thorne is the new superstar detective...Mark Billingham is the new-wave leader of crime fiction." (Lee Child )

About the Author

Mark Billingham worked as an actor, a TV writer and a stand-up comedian before becoming one of the most critically acclaimed crime novelists in the world. He lives in North London with his wife and two children.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Mulholland Books; 1 edition (July 14, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316126667
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316126663
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #673,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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 is screening in the USA on Encore in June 2012, starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne and a series based on IN THE DARK is currently in development with the BBC.

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
(25)
4.4 out of 5 stars
This is the eighth book in the series, but the first one I've read. J. Shetrone  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
The authors descriptions of characters, places and murders brings them scarily alive. LiniAyre536  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
This is a thriller, police procedural with lots of suspense and plot twists throughout. Josephine A. Walters  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Serial killers. The gift that keeps on giving. Fifteen years earlier London had been horrified by a string of gruesome murders perpetrated by Raymond Garvey. Three years ago Garvey dies in prison from a massive brain tumor. Now X-ray fragments found clutched in the hands of a new series of victims suggests someone is targeting the children of Garvey's victims. As Tom Thorne applies his particular talent for solving unusual murders to the new cases, it is apparent why Billingham is such a popular crime writer in England. Unsettled by a recent turn in his relationship with Louise Porter, a detective in another department, Thorne is frequently distracted by the tragedy the couple has faced, both parties still tentative with one another. At the same time, his instincts are critical in understanding this murderer's bizarre scenario, the crooked paths of this killer's mind. Thorne wants to get inside the brain of the murderer- but only deep enough to catch him. A bit standoffish to other detectives, Thorne is nevertheless thorough and well-respected. That his interior conflicts are revealed only humanizes this protagonist, making him a sympathetic character with an apt name.

Serial killers fascinate scientists, baffle law enforcement and terrify the public, but generate a lot of press, civic paranoia rising with each new murder, as well as pressure on the authorities to catch the killer. Billingham balances all these aspects in a tight plot with the odd bit of black humor to relieve the tension. The quirky Thorne is drawn to the hunt, the murderer's mind set haunting his thoughts on and off the job: "It's dark beats, the twisted melody of it. Like the first song you hear on the radio every morning that stays in your head all day." Familiar territory to this detective, never a disappointment to fans who expect a riveting denouement. Luan Gaines/2011.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Billingham's BLOODLINE March 28, 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a devoted fan of Mr Billingham's Tom Thorne series, I was disappointed that I could not find this newest novel in the series--that is until I went to Amazon and bought it from an individual. Fast shipping, book in brand new shape. Thank you a million times over that I did not have to wait until it was released in the U.S. I will do business with this person again. This is a thriller, police procedural with lots of suspense and plot twists throughout. I love this author and read anything and everything he writes. The Tom Thorne detective series is one of my favorites.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying reading January 6, 2012
By Peter
Format:Hardcover
Mark Billingham is a UK writer who is very, very good. This is his 9th book and the 8th to feature Detective Inspector Tom Thorne.

Thorne is a character along the same lines as Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus (Rankin is another master), if you like one, you will like the other. Thorne's London is not a pretty place and the world he does his work in can be quite bleak.

In this novel, people are being killed and the bodies are being left with a small piece of an x-ray in their hands. What is the reason for this and is there a common thread to the killings?

The story is entertaining and fast-paced, Thorne and the rest of the cast tend to be easy to read about and likable. The mystery is not that difficult to figure out but this is not the main thing, it is the writing of Billingham that always gets me involved. Another plus to his writing is that there is a realism to it, Thorne is no superhero, he is an ordinary man with personal demons.

I think Mark Billingham is getting better with each novel he writes and that is a very good thing for readers of quality fiction.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars good writing
Billingham writes exciting mysteries with engaging characters. I've read them all and liked them all. Adding five more words to this
Published 1 month ago by J. Condon
4.0 out of 5 stars Thorne tangles with another killer
While most of this book is just another police procedural, the interaction between Tom and Louise regarding her miscarriage and the supporting characters Jason and his mother, make... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Evan the Dweezil
5.0 out of 5 stars Lilly
I like Mark Billingham's style of writing, it is different to others I am accustomed to reading. Have read all his books to hand. Looking forward to the next one.
Published 3 months ago by lilly
5.0 out of 5 stars One of his best
The tangled web Billingham weaves is, as usual, ingenious, even credible despite the horror of the crimes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lawrence Baxter
4.0 out of 5 stars A Different Twist
Billingham gives the serial killer genre a different twist here with interesting results.

While the victims seem to have nothing to link them, each has a fragment of an... Read more
Published 4 months ago by John R. Lindermuth
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorne at his best
Loved it, usual great plot with the usual unexpected twist in the tale. Let's hope it gets a Tv adaptation, the best of the Tv shows, true to the books and exactly who I imagined... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Caroline
5.0 out of 5 stars great
I really loved this book!! Most crime novels take the same basic plot and tweak it slightly - super brained detective follows the clues and saves the final victim at the lat... Read more
Published 7 months ago by L. .G. avid reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Billingham Writes Brilliantly; Thorne Complex
Billingham's Tom Thorne is one of the most interesting, emotionally involved, and complex crime fighters on either side of the Atlantic, and especially so in this outing pitted... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Explorer
5.0 out of 5 stars just started reading
this book starts out well...the main character is undergoing a major personal problem but what's to get back to work to forget this problem...
Published 9 months ago by traveler lyle
3.0 out of 5 stars Good pastime reading but predicrable and somewhat repetetive
If you enjoyed Sleepyhead, this novel might be somewhat disappointing. It strongly feels as the author is paid by a word count, hence lots of week and slow pages on heroes... Read more
Published 10 months ago by I. S.
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