|
Mark Billingham
|
|
||
|
Genre
|
|||
|
Media
|
Book
|
||
Publisher | Sphere | ||
ISBN | 978-075153994 | ||
|
Reviewer
|
Deborah
|
Synopsis
When a dead body is found in a North London flat, it seems like a straightforward domestic murder until a bloodstained sliver of X-ray is found clutched in the dead woman's fist - and it quickly becomes clear that this case is anything but ordinary. DI Thorne discovers that the victim's mother had herself been murdered fifteen years before by infamous serial killer Raymond Garvey. The hunt to catch Garvey was one of the biggest in the history of the Met, and ended with seven women dead. When more bodies and more fragments of X-ray are discovered, Thorne has a macabre jigsaw to piece together until the horrifying picture finally emerges. A killer is targeting the children of Raymond Garvey's victims. Thorne must move quickly to protect those still on the murderer's list, but nothing and nobody are what they seem. Not when Thorne is dealing with one of the most twisted killers he has ever hunted...
Review
Bloodline opens with a prologue following Debbie and Jason, a young mother and her son, running away from someone who has them terrified. Keep this in mind because the same chapter is repeated at the end of the book, viewed through the eyes of Tom Thorne as he watches events unfolding.
We meet Tom Thorne again as well as Louise Porter, Phil Hendricks and Dave Holland. Sadly, Thorne and his partner Louise are struggling to come to terms with the death of their unborn baby. It is very sad, and anyone who's been at the mercy of our NHS system will understand their frustration; and Thorne fights his jealousy of the relationship between Louise and Hendricks (who isn't a love rival, as those regular fans will know).
A serial killer is on the loose (again!), targeting seemingly unrelated victims. The first murder of Emily Walker looks to be domestic until a small piece of X-ray is found clutched in her hand; and when Tom Thorne realises that Emily was the child of a woman murdered 15 years ago - a victim of Raymond Garvey, a now deceased, notorious serial killer - things take a more sinister turn.
The body count starts to rise and it is only the piece of X-ray in their hands that links them until Thorne discovers that they too are children of Raymond Garvey's seven victims. We get brief glimpses into the murderer's mind by reading pages of a diary; and the desire to seek revenge for Raymond Garvey is foremost in the killer's twisted mind.
It becomes a race against time as Thorne and his team must track down the children of Raymond Garvey's victims before the killer does and get them into a safe-house to keep them out of harm's way! To put it mildly, they don't do a very good job - but I don't want to spoil the story so I'll stop there.....!
I really like Mark Billingham's books, he can write words that make you smile one minute, yet feel sad the next - and the suspense is great. This is a brilliant thriller.
If you enjoy what we provide, please consider making a donation.
