Lifeless

Lifeless by Mark Billingham is the 5th in his Tom Thorne police procedural series and although I am a big fan of this series, this particular book wasn’t my favorite. I should say here that although this book was published in 2005, I read an uncorrected bound proof that I picked up in a second hand book store. I hope that the final published version was a little tighter.

Due to consequences from the last book, Thorne is having trouble settling at work. He can’t abide doing a desk job and filling out reports so when it appears that someone is targeting and killing the homeless he volunteers to go undercover as a street person. Soon he is making connections with some of the street people that he meets and these murders become personal show more to him.

The main character Tom Thorne has quite a few things to work through in this book and having him on the street with a lot of time on his hands gives the character the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately it also slows the story down and at times seemed to drag it down as well. This is a series that I enjoy a great deal so one slightly off book will certainly not stop me from looking forward to the next book. show less

This is #5 in Billingham's series featuring DCI Tom Thorne, who is probably one of the most angst-ridden policemen in novels these days. In this installment, someone is murdering the homeless, the "rough sleepers," in London, and Thorne goes undercover on the streets to try to stop the killers. The suspense of this story was at times overwhelming and I found myself having to put the book down, walk away, and come back later. Definitely what I would call a page turner, and believe me, that's what I look for in a mystery/suspense read. The characters were very well developed and most importantly, believable. Thorne is certainly one of the most human of all fictional detectives and that's why I keep reading Billingham's novels. Add to all show more of this Billingham's great writing, and you have a book you cannot stop reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who is into British mysteries, and if you have not yet had the pleasure to read this author's work, you're missing out on some great reading time. show less

Well written description of London's street life but ultimately lacks punch and I worked out who was responsible almost as soon as the character appeared. The pace seems a bit slow compared to other authors of similar themed books, eg Simon Kernick.

London police detective Tom Thorne goes undercover as a homeless to capture a serial killer targeting them. The case develops slowly but gives excellent descriptions of street people and a grittier side of London. The book dwells on causes from drugs to the Iraq War (1 in 5 are vets), also explores their community. Nothing attractive here. Again, Billingham goes for realism in his climax, forsaking a flash ending. Thorne morns his Dad in this one

Bought this as a "must read" in May and promptly lost it in the pile of books under my bed. Which is why it took me until Christmas to get around to reading it. Someone is killing rough sleepers in London and Tom Thorne goes undercover and fits in very well on the streets. Some bits struck me as a bit unlikely but that's true of real life as well as fiction and on the whole it was a solid and enjoyable read.

Great book.
I found the respect paid to the homeless and their world the best part of the book.

Ci sono delle lacune, certi comportamenti non sono particolarmente plausibili, la ricerca delle caratteristiche dei personaggi secondo me non è azzeccata fino in fondo... si legge, ma niente di che.