Death Message

Death Message by Mark Billingham is the seventh book in his police procedural series featuring DI Tom Thorne. Set in London, this book deals both with new crimes and old. When Thorne starts receiving picture of dead bodies the pieces are soon put together that the murderer is the recently released from prison Marcus Brooks, seeking revenge on both those who set him up for a murder he didn’t commit and on those who ordered the death of his girlfriend and son. Tom soon discovers that he is receiving these pictures because an old nemesis had befriended Brooks in prison and helped him plan the revenge murders.

When Thorne figures out that Marcus Brooks was originally set up, he does bend the rules in order to discover who the two corrupt show more police officers who assisted in the set-up were. This bending of the rules appears about to backfire on Thorne, but the book offers up one final twist, when Thorne realizes that this nightmare has widespread roots in his own past.

Death Message was another exciting read in this superior detective series. The pacing is excellent, the story clever and the characters are engaging. I am looking forward to book number eight. show less

I really love the character of Tom Thorne, the tough DI who insists on doing things his own way, and often pays a hefty price. But of course he never learns. This book will reward long-time fans by bringing back a couple of villains from earlier stories. And I’m glad we finally learned what really happened to Tom’s father. I only wish the author had shown a scene between Hendricks and Thorne at the end. The close friendship enjoyed by the two is one of the central threads of the series, and I ended the book worrying that it would remain fractured.

DCI Tom Thorne receives a photograph of a dead body on his mobile phone, he has no idea who or why he has been sent the image, but of course is determined to find the answer. Being a maverick though, Thorne has to do things his way and without authority from his boss. At the same time he's having a relationship with another police officer and finds it difficult to confide in her, creating further tension. All is eventually revealed and involves previous cases in which Thorne was involved as well as police corruption. It doesn't paint a very pleasant picture of life in London.

Now this is a thriller worth losing a bit of sleep over! Where is the line between criminal and victim, cop and crook, justice and revenge?

Detective Tom Thorne walks a very taught line, you might say it's more of a thread, in Mark Billingham's Death Message. Thorne, drawn in by a text message with a picture of a dead body attached, soon finds out that his past has reached into the future to forecast murder. Can Thorne beat the murderer to his victims and what will he risk to get there first? And more importantly, which side of the line will he be on after?

Death Message is easy to read without losing the ability to thrill. The grief of the murderer and the psychological state of DCI Thorne are written with a sensitivity and insight seldom seen in the genre. I was fascinated by the blurring of the line between ethical and corrupt policing, and the portrayal of how easy it is to overstep boundaries, particularly in that grey area where the law does not always equal justice. I will definitely be looking for more work by this author.

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/05/death-message-tom-thorne-7-by-mark-billingh...

Death Message is the 7th novel in the Tom Thorne series and joins Tom as he’s thrust into a series of revenge killings with mob ties. The problem is, Tom is receiving pictures of the victims on his phone and at first has no idea why this killer feels the need to get so personal. As he and his colleagues get deeper into the case, and the body count rises, Tom begins to realize that someone else might be involved, someone he put away a while back. This psychopath may be pulling the killer’s strings, and be the puppet master in something farther reaching then Tom and his team could have imagined.

Tom Thorne is one of my show more favorite British detectives, and I always enjoy these books. Death Message was no exception, and the fascinating look at the British gang underworld had me turning the pages. It does take a while to build, but once I was invested, the ride was totally worth it. Aside from the myriad ins and outs of this frustrating case, Tom is also juggling his relationship with fellow cop, Louise Porter, and his friendship with pathologist, Phil Hendricks. Things with Louise might be getting a bit stale, and it doesn’t help that she seems to be confiding in Hendricks more than Tom. I adore Tom, but as usual, he ends up doing things according to his instincts sometimes, instead of procedure. More often than not, this yields results, but usually ends up in some sort of disciplinary action, or unintended consequences. Tom is a complex character but tends to keep things very internalized, much to the consternation of his friends and lovers. He always gets the job done, though, and cannot let evil go unpunished. Quite a few of Mark Billingham’s villians have been absolutely deplorable, but you’ll find yourself sympathizing with this one, and his motives for revenge are heartbreaking. Twists and turns abound, and this one wraps up rather surprisingly! If you like your procedurals full of rich characterizations and fascinating cases, this series is for you, and be sure to keep an eye out for my review of Bloodline, the next book featuring Tom Thorne! show less

This is the latest in the DI Thorne series and in my opinion, probably the best. Thornes character is developed superbly and whether you you like or dislike the awkward sod, its impossible to be neutral. As always, there are plenty of good jokes in the novel, and the grey areas between right and wrong, good and evil, are explored with a nice sense of irony. I cant wait for the next installment!