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Bloodline (Tom Thorne #8)
A killer is on the loose. The victims: children whose mothers can't protect them.
The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.
When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into...more
The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.
When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
July 14th 2011
by Mulholland Books
(first published 2009)
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I really loved this book!! Most crime novels take the same basic plot and tweak it slightly - super brained detective follows the clues and saves the final victim at the lat minute. Thats nothing like this novel. Billingham has created Thorne as a slightly flawed man fighting his demons and being outwitted by a serial killer. Does Thirne get there in time? - I wont ruin the ending, but it certainly kept me gripped from beginning to end. I als loved the premise - son of a serial killer killing al...more
Billingham gives the serial killer genre a different twist here with interesting results.
While the victims seem to have nothing to link them, each has a fragment of an X-ray film leading the investigators back to a serial killer who was convicted years earlier and died in prison.
As DI Thorne is dealing with the thorny issues of this case, he’s also striving to come to terms with his lover’s loss of their baby, adding a distinctly human element to the character.
Billingham’s skill in imparting thi...more
While the victims seem to have nothing to link them, each has a fragment of an X-ray film leading the investigators back to a serial killer who was convicted years earlier and died in prison.
As DI Thorne is dealing with the thorny issues of this case, he’s also striving to come to terms with his lover’s loss of their baby, adding a distinctly human element to the character.
Billingham’s skill in imparting thi...more
This was my first Detective Thorne book, and it was superb! This is a series that you can truly jump into at any point and will thoroughly enjoy.
DI Thorne is called to the murder scene of a young woman killed in her own home. The investigation begins typically enough, until a phone call from another precinct tells Thorne that they have a similar case. Suddenly, it’s clear there is a serial killer on the loose, and what’s more terrifying – he has an agenda: to kill the children who all lost their...more
DI Thorne is called to the murder scene of a young woman killed in her own home. The investigation begins typically enough, until a phone call from another precinct tells Thorne that they have a similar case. Suddenly, it’s clear there is a serial killer on the loose, and what’s more terrifying – he has an agenda: to kill the children who all lost their...more
This is where my Mark Billingham reads began, so thought I'd review them chronologically by reading rather than release. In fact when I started this book I didn't realise that it was some way through a series of Tom Thorne investigations.
However, it didn't spoil the enjoyment and at no time did I feel I was missing out because I hadn't read the previous instalments.
Here Thorne is investigating a series of murders that have a link to a previous serial killer from twenty years or so before. The su...more
However, it didn't spoil the enjoyment and at no time did I feel I was missing out because I hadn't read the previous instalments.
Here Thorne is investigating a series of murders that have a link to a previous serial killer from twenty years or so before. The su...more
Tom Thorne is a troubled protagonist. More so than customary in this novel, the latest in the Thorne series, an unusual story about a serial killer, as well as in his personal life. It begins with Tom and his partner learning that the latter's pregnancy is not viable and that she needs a D&C. Tom does not quite how to react to or address the situation.
However, a grisly murder soon comes to light, diverting him to another tough case. The victim is found with a piece of an x-ray in her hand, a...more
This time Tom Thorne is investigating a string of people being murdered, all children of victims of a serial killer from the 1980s. It seems that the serial killer's son is trying to continue his father's work.
Meanwhile Thorne has to deal with problems at home as in the very first chapter his girlfriend Louise has a miscarriage. This means Thorne once again has to work alongside emotions he can't express and tries to focus all his efforts on the case.
It's another great Thorne book, with a revel...more
Meanwhile Thorne has to deal with problems at home as in the very first chapter his girlfriend Louise has a miscarriage. This means Thorne once again has to work alongside emotions he can't express and tries to focus all his efforts on the case.
It's another great Thorne book, with a revel...more
A serial killer is leaving clues clenched in the hand of his victims…a piece of a bloodstained X-ray which, when pieced together gives a clue to Detective Tom Thorne. All of the victims are children of the victims of Raymond Garvey, a serial killer from the 1980s. While Thorne is chasing down leads his personal life is on rocky terrain. His girlfriend, Louise, just lost their baby and is having a difficult time dealing with the loss. She is also a cop but the reader never gets to see her in acti...more
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When a woman is killed in her home with a small piece of plastic found clenched in her hand, DCI Tom Thorne is hard pressed to understand the motive behind her murder or who the murderer might be. He is, however, surprised to discover her mother had been one of the women killed by a serial killer, Raymond Garvey fifteen years ago. But when another woman's murder is brought to his attention, also with a piece of plastic in her hand, the plastic later found to be a piece of an x-ray film, and is d...more
For the longest time Mark Billingham was my little secret. I had discovered a fantastic author from across the pond and delighted in letting my crime/thriller aficionados at the library know about this fantastic author. Billingham is definitely not a secret any longer.
Bloodline is the eighth book to feature Murder Squad Detective Tom Thorne. Thorne is a wonderfully conflicted, stubborn, clever man who sometimes makes the wrong choices...
Thorne is called out on what seems to be a domestic murder....more
Bloodline is the eighth book to feature Murder Squad Detective Tom Thorne. Thorne is a wonderfully conflicted, stubborn, clever man who sometimes makes the wrong choices...
Thorne is called out on what seems to be a domestic murder....more
Jul 27, 2011
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-audio-books,
2011-mysteries
Bloodline, by Mark Billingham, A-minus, Narrated by Paul Thornley, Produced by Hachette Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne is called into what seems like, for once, an ordinary domestic murder, he thinks he's caught a break. A woman has been murdered by someone she knows. A positive pregnancy test is found on the floor beside her. Thorne plans to question the husband, arrest him, and return home to deal with his own deteriorating personal life. But...more
Let's just say I was super surprised to learn that this was #8 in a series, because I would have totally believed it was a debut novel. Super clangy so-called foreshadowing ("NEITHER OF THEM KNEW THEY WERE BOTH BEING WATCHED") and a lot of weirdly superfluous exposition. Like, Thorne went to the bathroom, and washed his hands. He noticed that the man who left before him didn't wash his hands.
Normally in a mystery novel I would expect that to signify somehow, but no, we're just making a note: not...more
Normally in a mystery novel I would expect that to signify somehow, but no, we're just making a note: not...more
Mark Billingham is a UK writer who is a really good writer. This is his 8th novel to feature Detective Inspector Tom Thorne.
Thorne is a character that is tough, sentimental and gets in trouble a lot. Thorne's London is not a pretty place and the world he does his work in can be quite bleak.
This novel begins with a woman being murdered in her home and left with a piece of plastic in her hand. Thorne is surprised to discover that the first victim's mother had been one of the women killed by a seri...more
Thorne is a character that is tough, sentimental and gets in trouble a lot. Thorne's London is not a pretty place and the world he does his work in can be quite bleak.
This novel begins with a woman being murdered in her home and left with a piece of plastic in her hand. Thorne is surprised to discover that the first victim's mother had been one of the women killed by a seri...more
Jumping genres over to the crime fiction, this is a book about a detective living in London trying to track down a serial killer who is offing the children of the victims that a serial killed murdered 15 years before. The detective is Tom Thorne and this seems to be another in a series of books about him though I've not read any before. I might in future though. I like the way it was written. I didn't guess the twist at the end but then i almost never do.
There's a sub plot regarding Thorne's per...more
There's a sub plot regarding Thorne's per...more
British comedian Mark Billingham burst onto the crime-writing scene in late 2001 with one of the most exceptional debuts in recent memory. Sleepyhead featured a chilling serial ‘killer’ putting people into persistent vegetative states, and introduced gritty yet layered Detective Inspector Tom Thorne and his investigative adventures set amongst the seamy world of greater London.
After taking an impressive detour in 2008 with standalone thriller In The Dark, Billingham returns with the eighth inst...more
After taking an impressive detour in 2008 with standalone thriller In The Dark, Billingham returns with the eighth inst...more
Like most series that hook readers and propel them on to 5, 10 or more books, the longer the reader stays onboard the less, I think, the plot really matters. The reader is cracking the cover to spend time in the world with these characters.
Bloodline is a pretty typical serial killer novel. Not that Billingham doesn't handle it all professionally and add a couple nice twists, but veteran readers will likely be able to spot the hairpin turns coming.
Still, you are a Thorne fan, you likely won't be...more
Bloodline is a pretty typical serial killer novel. Not that Billingham doesn't handle it all professionally and add a couple nice twists, but veteran readers will likely be able to spot the hairpin turns coming.
Still, you are a Thorne fan, you likely won't be...more
Als in een flat in Noord-Londen het lichaam van Emily Walker is gevonden ontdekt inspecteur Tom Thorne dat het stukje röntgenfoto in haar hand, verwijst naar een moord van vijftien jaar geleden. Haar man vertelt dat Emily's moeder toen is vermoord. Kort daarop wordt in Leicester een jonge vrouw op dezelfde manier vermoord, ook met een stuk röntgenfoto in haar hand. Nieuwe moorden maken duidelijk dat nu stuk voor stuk de kinderen van de vrouwelijke slachtoffers van de inmiddels overleden seriemoo...more
This book starts out on emotional note with DI Tom Thorn in hospital with girlfriend Louise waiting for D and C to be done after the loss of their child.
He gets call about a young women who was murdered. There is a fragment of x-ray found in her fist.The bodies start to mount all with fragments of x-ray in their hands.It turns out these are all children of seven women who were murdered 15 years previously by serial killer Raymond Carvey.
You can see in start of this case how Thorn is distracted w...more
He gets call about a young women who was murdered. There is a fragment of x-ray found in her fist.The bodies start to mount all with fragments of x-ray in their hands.It turns out these are all children of seven women who were murdered 15 years previously by serial killer Raymond Carvey.
You can see in start of this case how Thorn is distracted w...more
This is the eighth book in the series, but the first one I’ve read. The good thing is, I wasn’t lost at all. I may have been missing some backstory and nuances of the main characters, but it wasn’t evident.
I thought this was a solid premise. People are being murdered, and the only link the police can find is to a serial killer from years gone by. Problem is, he’s dead. Is it a copycat? Or something more?
In between trying to solve the case and keeping possible future victims safe, Thorne is deali...more
I thought this was a solid premise. People are being murdered, and the only link the police can find is to a serial killer from years gone by. Problem is, he’s dead. Is it a copycat? Or something more?
In between trying to solve the case and keeping possible future victims safe, Thorne is deali...more
When I picked this up, I didn't realise it was number 8 in a series, but having read it I can confirm that not having read teh previous books was not a hinderance.
There are references to past events, which clearly have shaped the lead character, but they were not critical to the story or enjoyment of the book.
The characters are engrossing and draw you quickly into the story.
The structure of the novel was slightly annoying, as small portions flipped backwards and forwards in the timeline, reveal...more
There are references to past events, which clearly have shaped the lead character, but they were not critical to the story or enjoyment of the book.
The characters are engrossing and draw you quickly into the story.
The structure of the novel was slightly annoying, as small portions flipped backwards and forwards in the timeline, reveal...more
My first book by this author, and I am thrilled to find that this is Number 8 in the series. I have some more good books to look forward to! Although now I shall know exactly where he gets to in his personal life when I start book one.
Mark Billingham has written a tight, taut thriller set in London. Part police thriller and part psychological thriller, with a brilliant and unusual plot and an unforeseen twist at the end. I loved the pace of his writing - elegant and spare, it conveys atmosphere...more
Mark Billingham has written a tight, taut thriller set in London. Part police thriller and part psychological thriller, with a brilliant and unusual plot and an unforeseen twist at the end. I loved the pace of his writing - elegant and spare, it conveys atmosphere...more
Book 8 in the series featuring Detective Inspector Tom Thorne
I am rather fond of fictional detective stories and love to discover new ones. “Blood Line” is my first experience with both the protagonist and its author. Should I have started with the first instalment in the series….(some series you can, some series you can’t)
D.I. Tom Thorne becomes involved in what seems to be a domestic murder but it is soon discovered that the case is anything but ordinary. Clutched in the hands of the dead wom...more
I am rather fond of fictional detective stories and love to discover new ones. “Blood Line” is my first experience with both the protagonist and its author. Should I have started with the first instalment in the series….(some series you can, some series you can’t)
D.I. Tom Thorne becomes involved in what seems to be a domestic murder but it is soon discovered that the case is anything but ordinary. Clutched in the hands of the dead wom...more
A good detective/thriller featuring Tom Thorne. I wavered between three stars and four stars and came down to three, because I do not think this is up to the standard of Billingham's first novels, which had me hooked - Sleepyhead and Lazybones. An intriguing and suitably gruesome story line featuring a serial killer, but the plot does not develop in a solid coherent manner. The trouble with following a particular detective series is that the private lives of the characters become as interesting...more
I’m actually not sure why I read this book since I usually avoid crime novels dealing with serial killers. Maggee read it and said it was pretty good... I’ll blame her. Well written with a clever plot but way, way, way too many bodies. And too much emphasis on how clever and resourceful the killer is. I liked the writing well enough to go and check out the jacket blurbs on a few of the other Billingham book at the library, but I got the impression that this is a writer who likes to pile on gore...more
With his novel ‘Bloodline’ Mark Billingham presents the latest in his mystery series featuring the recurring character Tom Thorne, a London police detective. I found that even though this book is part of an overarching series, it functions just fine as a stand-alone novel. There is some dialogue and portions of the narrative that perhaps refer to events that took place in previous books, but these do not get in the way of the overall cohesive narrative. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the...more
This is the first book I've read in Billingham's Tom Thorne series. It read well as a stand-alone, although I'm sure I would have understood more of Thorne's character, as well as the supporting characters, had I read the series from the start. The plot was well developed, with twists that kept me guessing until the end.
The one negative issue I had with this book is that Billingham often went back in time with various characters and these scenes weren't set apart as past events. Consequently, I...more
The one negative issue I had with this book is that Billingham often went back in time with various characters and these scenes weren't set apart as past events. Consequently, I...more
I picked this author from a list discussed on a CBC mystery enthusiast panel. Tom Thorne is the detective trying to solve some strange murders - someone is killing the children of women who had been killed by a serial killer years ago. The author is British and I found a lot of the British expressions and terms were unfamiliar and frustrating. I also found the author's style a bit confusing at times. However, having said that, Thorne is an interesting character and the book was a real page turne...more
4.5/5
"Bloodline by Mark Billingham is a mystery thriller continuing with the Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series and is not one mystery fans will want to miss. As a new reader of Billingham’s work, I found the plot and backstory were covered well enough to jump in, in the midst of the series without feeling uninformed."...my full review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.
"Bloodline by Mark Billingham is a mystery thriller continuing with the Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series and is not one mystery fans will want to miss. As a new reader of Billingham’s work, I found the plot and backstory were covered well enough to jump in, in the midst of the series without feeling uninformed."...my full review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.
This is the first Tom Thorne book I've read and I was relieved that it didn't seem to matter that I hadn't read them in order. This is a good solid British serial killer murder mystery. The characters are well-drawn and interesting and the mystery was a good one. I didn't guess who the killer was but it wasn't because s/he came out of the blue. The clues were there; I just didn't pick up on them. All in all, I recommend this book for a quick and satisfying read.
This has been a consistently readable mystery series. The POV character, Detective Inspector Thorne, is an interesting and multi-faceted man. His personal life adds the interest and novelty to the stories, and while they can be read as stand-alones, unlike some series, they are even better in sequence. This one is a serial killer case with a somewhat unique twist, and you get additional glimpses into Thorne the man, his relationship with his lover Louise, and some of the supporting cast. A nice...more
An interesting book but nothing and nobody are what they seem, dealing with a twisted killer, lover this UK background thrillers, giving you an insight into their culture, the estates they live on appear to be nothing more then breeding places for god knows what, and most of it aint good.
Mr Billingham has written another interesting thriller, god forbid I should spoil it by telling you the whole story, a worthwhile read.
Mr Billingham has written another interesting thriller, god forbid I should spoil it by telling you the whole story, a worthwhile read.
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Also writes as Will Peterson with Peter Cocks.
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. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
More about Mark Billingham...
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. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
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