Customer Reviews

Lifeless Cassette

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not as good as his first three novels featuring DI Tom Thorne; Sleepy Head, Scaredy Cat and Lazybones. Although the potential was there with the very believable Gulf War storyline it never quite hit the spot. Yes there were murders but really it could have just been an account of what it's like to live on the streets of London - which I have to add, was sensitively and well conveyed.

DI Thorne, who is such a likeable maverick, really holds the story together, liasing between the homeless world and the police. Even so, I still found my attention wandering and needed to re-read paragraphs. It wouldn't put me off reading another of Billinghams books though because I know he's capable of better stuff.

Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001.

Though still occasionally working as a stand-up comic, Mark now concentrates on writing the series of crime novels featuring London-based detective Tom Thorne. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.

For any new readers who have not read any of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne books, you are missing a real treat. Start reading them now, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

It would seem, even those who know him best, that Thorne's career has reached it's peak and is now on the long steep slide to disaster. He has always flirted with trouble with his superiors but on his last case he overstepped the mark and someone up in that ivory tower has suggested he take a break to take stock of both himself and his career.

Someone appears to be making a target of London's homeless, so with time on his hands Thorne decides to go undercover amongst them, after all if things carry on the way they are, he may be one of them shortly.

Thorne soon finds out that these are no random killings, they are being perpetrated by someone with a very specific purpose. Then all of a sudden it becomes common knowledge that a copper is working amongst them, not good news for Thorne . . .

Fans of the various BBC Mystery programs will find much to interest them in Billingham's series featuring Detective Inspector (DI) Tom Thorne and the other officers of the London Metropolitan Police Service.

The recent death of DI Thorne's father, combined with publicly overstepping the bounds on his last case, has made him persona non grata around the station house and he's been asked to take "gardening leave."

Unable to sit on his hands and do nothing, DI Thorne requests a job deep undercover posing as a member of the homeless community in order to catch a serial killer. The bodies of three men have been discovered with a banknote pinned to their chests--each one kicked to death. Are these random killings? Or have these men been targeted? The homeless feel ignored by society on a good day, now they have much more to fear than unkind looks and cold shoulders.

DI Thorne must walk a fine line to avoid total integration. He is a man in crisis and the smallest nudge could push him over the edge into really becoming what he is only pretending.

Not just a crime novel, Lifeless is also a look inside a community with its own rules and moral codes. The homeless community is given a voice and a presence in this story, its characters are very real and their stories are heart wrenching.

Armchair Interviews says: With skilled use of dark humor and gut-wrenching tension, Billingham confirms his place as a master storyteller.

Quite different from the rest of the series. Thorne goes undercover as a homeless man to catch a killer and work through some demons. Billingham never dissapoints. His books are always satisying and lean. I'm telling you Rebus and Banks fans to get your Thorne on.

I discovered Billingham's books a few months ago and quickly became a fan. Generally, the DI Tom Thorne series has been smart, funny and well written. In this book, Thorne goes undercover as a "rough sleeper" (homeless person) to catch a killer.

My opinion of this book is divided though. There are certain aspects of this book that I really, really like. But, unfortunately, there is one glaring weakness that really, really bothered me.

First the good. The characters in the book are great. Thorne is his usually self and several of the supporting characters are strong (I particularly liked the relationship between Thorne and Spike, a young homeless man that befriends him). Also, Billingham's take on the culture of London's homeless was interesting. He very much makes you realize that they are human beings, just like yourself. Having lived in London for a couple of years, I also liked the look into what was happening behind the scenes in London's west end.

The flaw, in my opinion, is the fact that there is one, and only one, obvious suspect. Early in the book, we learn that the killer videotaped four English soldiers murdering four Iraqis during the first Gulf War. As these books are structured, you know that the police have "met" the killer sometime during the first third of the book. The problem is, there is only one character you meet that could have conceivably been in Iraq with a video-camera during the Gulf War.

I kept thinking to myself "It can't be him, it would be too obvious, Billingham will come up with a twist at some point", but, no twist is forthcoming, and I became increasingly frustrated by Thorne's failure to even consider the man as a suspect.

All in all, a slight "thumbs up".

The plot just doesn't live up to its promise. As I've written elsewhere, I've enjoyed several of Billingham's novels. I find him to be a good writer who can craft believable thrillers. This is a good example of his work -- solid characterization, decent plot, and a maddeningly simplistic writing style. With more expansive prose, he might be able to join the ranks of Rankin, Pelecanos, and Connelly.

Author Bllingham takes us with Tom Thorne into the world of the London homeless and introduces us to some very likeable people while unravelling a quite worthy mystery. Tom Thorne is working undercover appearing to be one of the homeless while searching for a serial killer who is selectively killing members of that society. It's best to start the series from the beginning, but this could stand as a stand=alone mystery. It's` better, though, to be familiar with the older books which are referred to in this novel.

DI Tom Thorne of the London Metropolitan Police is not a hero. He's not even an anti-hero. In fact, he can be a very unpleasant sod, even to the few colleagues he actually likes. But when it comes to unraveling a killer's background and motivation, there are few better. Unfortunately for Thorne, in his last case he went considerably beyond the bounds of professional conduct, and while he seldom indulges in guilt, he's been wearing a hairshirt for awhile. Add to that the fact that the case involved organized crime and he's not at all sure whether the death of his Alzheimer's-ridden father in a house fire was really an accident or retaliation from the mob, and Thorne's gradual downhill slide may be picking up speed. When several homeless men -- "rough sleepers" as they're known in London -- are kicked to death, Thorne talks his boss and his boss's boss into letting him go undercover to try to gather intelligence. As Thorne makes cautious friends with some of the drunks, druggies, and mentally ill with whom he spends his days and nights, information does indeed bubble to the surface -- as much, it has to be said, through the efforts of the staunchly loyal (and recently promoted) DS Holland and the other coppers as by any breakthrough of Thorne's. In fact, Thorne is fitting into the homeless community a little too well. In fact, it's clear that if he doesn't get himself sorted, he could well end up on the streets for real. The author not only builds a thoroughly believable procedural plot, he also draws a convincing portrait of the side of a large city its more fortunate inhabitants either do not or choose not to see -- never mind that many of them are only two paychecks away from sleeping in doorways. The crux of the plot revolving around the murders, however, which has to do with wartime atrocities by a British army tank crew, never quite comes together. Or maybe it's just a bit too dryly retailed to compete with the domestic, present-day side of the story.

Mark Billingham is a top writer, someone who deserves to rank at the same level as Ian Rankin (although the latter has the edge in longevity). Both of their writing styles are similar and if you like Rankin, you will like Billingham and vice versa.

The author's main character is Tom Thorne the policeman who is battling with the guilt that his actions may have led to his father's death in the previous book. Dealing with this results in a strain on Thorne's psyche and leads to him taking an undercover position as a homeless person trying to gather information on who is killing the homeless.

The story itself is pretty good. I learned a great deal about the plight of the homeless in London and I found it an interesting change of pace to have the lead character roughing it like Thorne does.

Not wanting to give any spoilers, I did find the reason for the killings to be a bit fanciful and it tended to take away from the reality of the homeless situation a bit but something similar occurred in the real world at the same time so Billingham was bang up to date with the novel.

I love Mark Billingham and his main character. I'm glad that I stumbled on his books by chance. Now, I can hardly wait for the next book, Buried, coming in June.