Sleepyhead: AND Scaredy Cat

SLEEPYHEAD
I’d seen mention of this novel from time to time, but wasn’t able to find a copy until now. I’m glad I decided to give it a try as it was actually quite good. Of course murder and mayhem are dark matter, but Billingham certainly put a new twist out there with the portrayal of the victims. Those were where most of the dark humor came from and as the reader you couldn’t help but mourn the loss of her because she was so wonderfully blunt and upbeat despite her circumstance. DI Tom Thorne, well, it took a few pages for me not to read it as DI Tom Thumb, but I persevered. Four Stars

SCAREDY CAT
This suffered the inevitable bit of let-down from reading smack on the heels of it’s predecessor. I felt I didn’t really learn anything more about Thorne, only that he was going to have a quite difficult near future. I did feel could relate a bit to his feeling, although often wrongly, of being “imposed” upon by others. He apparently, as I , values a bit of just me time. I also felt Holland should have been explained and explored much further as well. But as for the Villain, and there were multiple, that was a well-kept secret. Much better kept than some others. I have a feeling we’ve not been rid of Stuart.
Three and a half Stars ( )