This may have been one of my most favourite crime/thriller books I've ever read. This genre is one of my constants throughout the years. I've always enjoyed a good crime thriller and when I stumbled upon Billingham I was delighted to find a good cop series based in Britain that I really enjoyed. Even though I'm Irish the British police force and judicial system are obviously slightly more similar and familiar to me than the American version so I just found myself more easily drawn to these books and their characters. Billingham faltered a little along the way with Burning Girl which I didn't enjoy as much as all the other books but it has done one positive thing and that is made me appreciate all the more when he gets it so brilliantly right and here's a good case in point.Death Message was great from the very beginning. It had an original storyline, the characters were written fantastically, and it was just excellantly paced. Basically Thorne is dealing with a man who has recently been released from prison, and following the murder by hit and run of his wife and child, is embarking on a killing spree of anyone who he thinks is even remotely involved. He gets Thorne involved by sending him messages in various forms, pictures, videos and texts, of the dead or soon-to-be dead victim. Obviously this immediately makes Thorne feel intimately involved and soon he becomes all the more so.I won't give away too much of the plot as it is just too good to give away but suffice to say it is very exciting all the way through and we meet some old and new characters along the way, some we loved and some we loved to hate. There is a part near the end where we once again see Thorne stray a bit over the line of good cop, bad cop but in this novel as opposed to previous ones, I feel like what he does is justified. I do see Thorne becoming more 'bent' as the series progresses but like Thorne I think the readers will also struggle to see what is truely considered justice and I for one am beginning to accept his slightly vigiliante ways.Also I want to take a minute to talk about his romance with Louise. God am I rooting for this to work out and for her and Thorne to remain together through future instalments. I really like the way he shows his more vulnerable side around her and how she loves him but yet knows not to take any of his shit either. The ending gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside let's just leave it at that.
The seventh police procedural featuring Tom Thorne, this sees Throne receive picture messages of the murder victims on his phone. The identity of the murderer is discovered pretty quickly but the plot becomes way more complicated than that as his motives are fuelled by the things others have done. It's thrilling as ever and has loads of twists and turns that keep you reading. Thorne is now in a relationship properly and it's an interesting new dynamic that we haven't really seen before. Plus the case involves characters from previous cases too. Nicklen, the disturbing killer from Scaredy Cat features throughout, and another appears towards the end and is more of a surprise. As usual, it's a fantastic book because it's very exciting yet is written in a simple style which makes it an easy read. One of the best of the Thorne series so far though you need to have read the others really for this to have the full effect.
What do You think about Death Message (2015)?
This was the first time I was reading a book by Mark Billingham. Though I would not say the book was boring, I felt that it was very slow paced. I felt there was nothing much striking in this novel as compared to many other novels which would want to turn the pages to know what is happening. After the actual killer was revealed in maybe 1/3 rd of the story, it was all about finding out why the killer is actually killing others and who is the real reason behind this. I think it will take a lot of effort for me to pick up one more of his.
—Tom
British police procedural that I do mostly enjoy but sometimes struggle with the believability of the situations and the outcomes that Tom Thorne gets himself into. I can't see how he'd still be employed, not in the real world. But, I guess that's why it's called fiction. :) Again, best to read series in order as there are vast changes in circumstance and outlook of character from early books to these more recent ones.I apologize for the lack of a 'real' review...time has slipped away and with 40+ books listed as 'currently reading' (obviously not accurate!) I need to just give a star rating and move along so I can catch up!
—Spuddie
Hero Thorne's propensity for getting himself into dangerous situations can be annoying and just detracts from the credibility of Billingham's plot on occasions. Also, having been seemingly uncommitted to his somewhat flaky relationship throughout the novel, he suddenly undergoes an epiphany at the end and this too grates. Other than that, it's a plot, centred around a murderer who sends our cop pictures of his victims, which keeps you gripped throughout and the overall result is an entertaining read.
—Thejelman
