Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Bloodline-Mark Billingham

Bloodline
Mark Billingham
Mulholland/Little Brown, Jul 14 2011, $24.99
ISBN: 9780316126663

When his significant other Detective Inspector. Louise Porter suffered a miscarriage; London Police Department Murder Squad Detective Tom Thorne is depressed though he tries to hide his feelings. Thus when someone battered pregnant Emily Anne Walker in her home in Finchley before killing her with a plastic bag over her face, Tom, unable to cope with his tragedy, is guiltily happy for the distraction. Tom arrests the victim’s husband George as the evidence overwhelming points to a crime of passion domestic dispute.

However Thorne changes his mind about the case he solved when he learns from DI Paul Brewer that twenty-three year old nurse Catherine Burke was murdered in the same way three weeks ago in Leicester City. The connection between the two deceased females is their mothers were murdered fifteen years ago earlier by psychopathic serial killer Raymond Garvey. This predator killed five other women in four months before being caught. Garvey died in prison. An unknown maniac is targeting the children of Garvey’s victims.

The latest Thorne British police procedural (see Death Message) is an excellent entry that works on three levels that superbly tie cohesively together. First there is the super investigation; second there is the hero using the inquiry to run from his grief; finally there is just the right amount on insight into the lives of the victim. Readers will appreciate this strong suspenseful serial killer thriller.

Harriet Klausner

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