The last book in this series ended with a bang - a complete whirlwind of an ending. While this one didn't carry on in exactly the same vein, it did continue the general quality. With this book we see this series start to develop into what could be a great series; Four StarsPlot: Four Stars And that's strange, because this plot wasn't particularly eventuful, fast, life threatening, adrenaline pumping etc etc. No, what it was, was intriguing. While the last book ended with a graphic crime that still, to this day, gives me the shivers just thinking about it, this book was thoughtful, careful, thought provoking and, in a word, striking. We have a criminal in jail who suddenly decides to revoke his admission of guilt. Simultaneously, our old detective friend is stalked by a man seems to be the man who commited the jailed man's crimes. But not all is as it seems; cue a ping-pong plot of he did it/he didn't do it, adding in the local mob, an assassin, an overbearing boss who Thorne hates and it hated by in return, developements in Thorne's friendships, Thorne sleeping with a crazed woman, Thorne instigating a murder, Thorne being present for torture and more complicated issues with his dad which develop amazingly well [and is especially moving if you have been through it yourself - a loved one with alzhiemers that is] and you have what is a definite step up in quality for the series. But what really caught my attention was the diary entries that we were given, from the burned girl of the original crime [the one the criminal in jail confessed to and then revoked his admission]. In the first book this sort of thing was a unique, brilliant quirk that added so much to the plot. In the second and third however, it fell flat on it's face. I'm glad he stuck with it though, because these entries really add strength to the plot, giving it that extra punch that makes you go all solemn as you read - it added a real sense of gravitas, I thought and was well done. So, Mark, let's hope you use this tool of yours like this in the future, and not mess it up like you did in book 2/3!Characters: Four Stars Billingham is really starting to build up a great cast now, but it's a shame that it has taken him this long. Thorne, as the main character, is always going to be the best one in the whole thing [or at least, that's how it should be] and he is. Deeply flawed, but intelligent. A loner, but with friends. Devoted to the job, but still a tad crooked. Moral, but immoral. A greyed character who brings to life such a gritty world, that I can only pray [futiley I know] that it doesn't actually exist: that's he's exaggerating. Now's the part where you start cursing me, because I have - AGAIN! - forgotten the names to the rest of the cast. We have Holland [I think], Thorne's partner in crime[solving] and a man who seems to revere Thorne without being a puppy dog. He is well put together, his personal life adds to the plot and his character, not hindering it like it could so easily have. He's like a more chipper, younger Thorne and it's great to see the comparison. Next is the old woman ex-detective who is friends with Thorne. She is heavily involved in the plot, and really comes across well as the woman who yearns for her work after wanting to be rid of it for such a long time. Jaded, but energised she is wonderful to watch and get to know. Taking her, Thorne and Holland you could almost see the stages of being a copper - the eager young one beginning to get jaded, the expeienced and slighlty bitter older copper, and the retired copper who can't leave the job well alone. Then you have Thorne's gay best friend who just so happens to be sleeping on his couch [and yes, there are plenty of jokes by other characters about this]. As a coroner it was surprising how little he took part in this book, but his presence - built up in the prequels - helped complete the book in a sense.Add to these mainstays some brilliant minor characters and I am suprised at how good a cast it is. It's almost like they snuck up on me, because I can swear they were never this good before. Writing: Four Stars and halfA fun, easy, style that you just sink into a loose yourself in. Great dialogue, brilliant pacing and it never jars you out of the book. The star of the show writing wise was his use of the diary entries - when this works it blows me away, and he certainly got it right here. Overall, brilliant writing. Overview: Four StarsA great step up in quality for the series as a whole. So far it had simply bumbled along, indistinguisable from a lot of other crime drama's, but this book... this book showed a spark that could lift it up to be one of the genre's best. Here's hoping he can continue it into the next one. Have Fun Reading.
**Some spoilers**I mean, I liked it, it was good, but I didn't turn the pages with the same determination as I have done with previous books in the Tom Thorne series. I'm usually a sucker for gangland related story-lines, and I really enjoyed Billingham's stand-alone novel "In The Dark" which is centred around gangs. However this didn't really do it for me, even if it was still fairly enjoyable. Usually, when I finish a book, there is always something that sticks with me - either good or bad. In this case it was good, and it was the extracts from Jessica's diary. The words were moving and do raise issues and questions regarding public perception of burn victims. Further, the ending to the novel has a sense of realism to it all. In modern day gangland and organised crime, rarely do the men at the top, the men organising it all, find themselves caught out, at least not by the law anyway, and so it was here. So, in that sense, the realism portrayed is definitely a plus point,no dramatic ending that seems unbelievable and unrealistic, but I guess you could look at it in a way that that realism has prevented any major twist occurring, thus the lack of suspense. It is a mark, though, of how good the Thorne series are and a credit to Mark Billingham as a writer that a book I didn't fully enjoy can still come away with 3-stars.
What do You think about The Burning Girl (2015)?
For me, this deserves 2 stars solely due to the presence of Tom Thorne's father whose wit and dialogues made this bearable: "This book was...Tom, what's the fucking word, the opposite of good?" There were so many useless passages that I would have like to have heard the 1-hour abridged version if it existed, which would have about summed up the story. The story was too unimaginable and far-fetched to be believed and has finally, after at least 3/4 poor Billingham books, brought me to the decisio
—Dan
Like many of the leading police procedural writers such as Ian Rankin and Michael Connelly, Billingham has an easy but engaging writing style and a well developed, flawed, driven but sympathetic main character. The pages flip past without any real sense of the reader having do any work. This I think is a strong positive; clear, engaging, economical prose, with realistic scenes and dialogue. The Burning Girl is a solid piece of storytelling, but for me the book lacked the bite or spark that would have given it some needed suspense. The plot seemed a little aimless at times, as if Billingham wasn’t quite sure where it was going, and there were a couple of plot devices I didn’t really understand, such as the investigation being wrapped up and the team being disbanded even though the case was clearly not over. And the internal police tension amongst team members seemed staged. In contrast, the lives, politics and tactics of gang rivalry and prison life was more convincing. Overall, a solid, entertaining read, but not quite out of the top draw.
—Rob Kitchin
He's definitely toned it down. On the gore. On the grit. But still a brilliant read. The ending definitely eats at you, and you'd feel like ripping the book apart, because it's not going to give you even the tiniest fraction of closure. His writing style is amazing most of the time. The few times that I got truly annoyed was when he kept switching POV. It's usually written in that specific character's POV. And then out of the blue he'll switch to omnipresent POV, so he can foreshadow about something that'll happen. It's very annoying, and honestly a bit amateurish. This didn't stop the book from being bloody awesome though. As usual, the characters are extremely well drawn out, and they each have their own backstory, and their own personalities. This is what makes Billingham's books believable - his characters. More than anything else. Not as impressive as Sleepyhead or LazyBones.
—Shan W.
