Their Little Secret

Ah, l’amour…..ain’t it grand. Well, you might want to hold that thought. While many people exchange rings as a symbol of their union, you’re about to meet a couple who are a little…uh…less traditional.

Tom Thorne is called to one of the underground stations where the body of a young woman lies across the tracks. There’s not much doubt she took her own life but in the interest of ticking all the boxes, he begins to dig into her background. It seems she was the victim of a charming scam artist who professed his love before emptying her bank account. And like her money, he’s gone.

In alternate chapters we meet Sarah, a mysterious young woman who spends her mornings bonding with other moms after dropping her son at school. show more It’s a quiet life but that may be about to change. She recently met a charismatic man who’s obviously interested & begins to wonder if he could be “the one”.

And that’s all I’ll say about that side of the story. Just know it took off in directions I never could have predicted with plenty of WTH moments along the way.

Meanwhile Tom & DI Nicola Tanner have more than enough to keep them busy. Another body & another woman who believed she’d found true love. Right up until the guy disappeared with her savings. Tom begins to take the cases personally. His own love life is in shambles & if he can’t fix that, maybe he can find some justice for these women whose only mistake was to trust the wrong man.

There’s a darker tone to this outing than previous books in the series. Partly due to the subject matter but also because of Tom. He’s (sort of) single again & not taking it well. Or maybe too well…he’s not sure. He’s more reflective than usual but veers away from examining himself too closely. Either way, he’s in a funk & moping has become a part time job. Thankfully, Phil Hendricks is around to verbally kick his butt in typical style.

Tanner, also, is mourning lost love. As partners go, she & Tom are chalk & cheese but have learned to accept each others tics. To be honest, I’m still warming up to her character. And with both MC’s singing the blues, I found this instalment lacking a bit of the usual sparkle (thank God for Phil).

However, it’s completely in keeping with the story lines. Love in all its forms is definitely the theme of the story. Fated, unrequited, lost or obsessive….we witness the degrees of happiness or carnage that can result when 2 lives collide. Just be warned: by the time the dust settles, you might start thinking of love as a four letter word. show less

Mark Billingham has just released the sixteenth book in his DI Tom Thorne series - Their Little Secret. DI Nicola Tanner has been added to the series title in the last few entries.

Thorne is currently assigned to the Homicide Assessment Team - a mobile unit that attends sudden death cases to see if they are suspicious and need investigation. A seeming suicide by train looks to be an open and shut suicide case, but Thorne thinks may be more to it. And indeed there is. Billingham's plot for this latest mystery is dark and twisted. (most of them are!) Or to quote Thorne: "The truth was, there was very little about this case that wasn't weird. Off-kilter, unnatural. It felt as though something misshapen had woken and begun crawling towards show more him into the light...."

The reader has a window into both Thorne's investigation and the killer's thoughts, actions and moves. In this case, knowing who the killer is doesn't detract from enjoying the book at all. It only ramped up the tension and had me hooked. Thorne's dogged pursuit of answers and results isn't always by the book. Sometimes that works for him, other times not so much. But, I do love a driven, rebellious lead - and that is most definitely Thorne. Tanner and Thorne are complete opposites and as such, play incredibly well off each other. Different strengths, styles and outlooks.

Now, Billinham's plotting is always great and his prose are a treat to read. But, what I really enjoy are the recurring characters. Their Little Secret picks up just after the last book. Now, not to spoil anything but there were some lines crossed by Thorne, Tanner and coroner Phil Hendricks in the last book. The undercurrent of those actions runs just under the surface and the effects are telling nine months later. Thorne's personal life has fallen apart - again. And Tanner's as well. Funnily enough, the 'wild card' of the bunch (Hendricks) has found solid ground.

Billingham throws a curve into the last few chapters that I didn't see coming at all. And there's one unanswered question that will be perhaps answered in the next book?

This is one of my favourite series and Their Little Secret is yet another excellent read from Mark Billingham show less

Their Little Secret, the latest in the Tom Thorne series of crime novels, offers further proof of why author Mark Billingham is probably the best crime writer in Britain today -- and one of our very best writers, full stop. This complicated, deeply human story revolves entirely around an extraordinary woman named Sarah, who at the very start of the book appears as the next victim for a con artist named Conrad, but is actually so much more than that. In parallel with the Sarah and Conrad story is the ongoing struggle of DI Thorne to have a life outside of the Job. His fellow officer, Nicola Tanner, plans a key role in the story and her name now features in the series title. The only thing wrong with this book is that having devoured it show more in two days, I now have to wait a full year for the next book in the series. show less

When Tom Thorne is called to a suicide at a tube station it seems straightforward but when he finds out that the victim has been defrauded by a conman he wants to know more. Sarah seems a normal mum, doing the school run daily, but when she is picked up by Conrad both their secrets emerge.
In terms of an idea this is great. Playing on the psychology behind murderous duos, Billingham creates a non-stop exciting story which stretches the bounds of the imagination but still remains at heart a terrific police procedural. Billingham's characters are carefully put together without the excessive 'backstory' that often mars detective novels. this is an example of a master at work.

This was my first Mark Billingham novel and so I came into Tom Thorne and Nicola Tanner's story at least half-way through. Although the hints at what had happened previously intrigued me it didn't spoil my reading of this thriller. There are things that stretch credulity, particularly around the parents at the school drop off but I went with it. The novel didn't have the usual dash to catch the bad guys at the end that many thrillers have, instread it demonstrated more realistically the hard work detectives put into solving cases and the paperwork involved. Interesting and entertaining but a few ends that weren't tied at the end and so niggle.

Thank you, Goodreads and Grove Atlantic, for my complimentary review copy.

I am so thrilled to have come across this new-to-me series! I really enjoy M.J. Arlidge's DI Helen Grace books, my first introduction to the British police procedural genre.

Although sixteenth in Billingham’s Tom Thorne crime fiction collection, it’s the first one I’ve read. It functioned well enough as a standalone, but admittedly, as with any series, I would have preferred to read them in chronological order. It gives me a better sense of the characters as they are introduced and their interpersonal relationship dynamics.

Tom Thorne, the protagonist, is a middle-aged detective inspector living in London. He is investigating the gruesome suicide of a young show more woman. The victim was allegedly distraught about falling prey to a con-man. Meanwhile, Sarah is an ordinary single mom of a young son, Jaime. At least that’s the impression she wants to give to the other parents…

As expected, other cases crop up. Are they random incidents or is there some connection? That is for Tom and his team to decipher.

I was hooked from the very start. The story line was compelling, with lots of plot twists and an unpredictable ending. Also, the writing style was readable with its simple language, vivid descriptions, snappy dialogue, and short chapters. The third-person perspectives alternate amongst the principal characters. The characters, themselves, were distinct and well-developed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and plan to read the series from the beginning. I’m also really looking forward to watching the TV adaptation of Sleepyhead(Tom Thorne #1). show less

4.5 stars.

Their Little Secret by Mark Billingham is a fascinating mystery that is quite compelling. Although this newest release is the sixteenth installment in the Tom Thorne series, it can easily be read as a standalone. But I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels as well.

Although not technically a crime, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is deeply troubled about the death of Phillipa Goodwin. Tom acknowledges there is absolutely no question she committed suicide. However, he convinces his boss DCI Russell Brigstocke to allow him to dig a little deeper into the conman who swindled a hefty sum from Phillipa. Although he knows it is a long shot, Thorne enters the man's DNA and prints into the system hoping to identify the man. While the show more search does not turn up any new information, Tom is stunned when a short time later, the DNA is matched to the murder of seventeen year old Kevin Deane. Thorne and DI Nicola Tanner are tracking down leads when another murder ratchets up the pressure on them to catch what they now know to be two people working together. Will Tom and Nicola unmask their murderers' identities? Or will these crafty killers elude justice?

The chapters alternate back and forth between the police investigation and a single mother whose path crosses with a good looking man. Although she maintains a bit of a distance, Sarah is friendly with the other mums and dads at her son's school. The group gathers together frequently at a local coffee shop where Sarah catches the attention on a handsome stranger. Before long, Sarah and her new man are enmeshed in a passionate and all consuming affair that takes a very shocking turn.

Both Tom's and Nicola's respective personal lives are in a bit of turmoil. Nicola is still recovering from the loss of her partner and she remains deeply troubled by the events from seven months ago. Tom is back at his apartment at the request of his longtime girlfriend Helen. He is in a bit of a quandary as he tries to decide whether he wants to reconcile with Helen or leave the relationship behind.

Their Little Secret is a very twisted mystery that is quite suspenseful. With a dearth of viable leads, Tom and Nicola hit one dead end after another throughout the investigation. Both are frustrated by their lack of progress but once the case finally comes together, they have to act fast if they are going to catch their killers. This latest police procedural from Mark Billingham is a dark and diabolically clever mystery that old and new fans of the Tom Thorne series do not want to miss. show less