Death Message - Mark Billingham

Thorne is back and so is Billingham – both back on form and continuing the upswing shown in Buried after the rather grim and downbeat The Burning Girl. Detective Inspector Tom Thorne still does some incredibly stupid things for a police officer of his rank in Death Message, having to strike a difficult balance between his personal life and the investigation of a series of brutal murders – but since a killer has involved him personally this time, he doesn’t have much choice.

When he starts receiving personal text and video messages from a serial killer who is targeting a Biker gang and a couple of bent coppers, Thorne attempts to establish contact with the murderer outside of the course of the investigation. It’s a big risk, not only compromising the integrity of the investigation, but with the police authorities very interested in the case, he risks drawing unwelcome attention from his superiors. More than that, his decisions could put people close to him at grave personal risk.

Thorne’s motives aren’t rational and rather reckless, governed more by instinct than sense, but there is a human interest element behind his actions. There is however a thin line between being human and being just plain stupid. Thorne (and Billingham) got it badly wrong in The Burning Girl, where the DI’s actions were not only unjustifiable for a police officer, they were also dubious on a personal level, and Thorne paid a heavy price for his mistakes. In Death Message the balance and credibility in the character are restored, Billingham showing his usual accuracy and good ear for natural (and often banal and sexist) banter in the workplace, keeping Thorne’s personal life interesting and bringing back a few old faces to add to the already high stakes that Thorne has gambled on this time around.