Love Like Blood (Tom Thorne Novels)

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Much less a whodunnit and much more a twisted tale to the full truth of the matter, Tom is pulled into a contrary situation by Nicola Tanner (see Die Of Shame ) who having suffered a horrific personal lost is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Since then I have read and mostly loved all of them and whilst I think every crime fan will have now read a Mark Billingham novel, if you are one of the unlikely few that haven’t, then I highly recommend that you do.

However Billingham has found a near perfect balance, blending Thorne’s irresistible charm, an element of humour and the day to day mundane realities of family life, with an overwhelmingly depressing set of statistics and a case which puts the lives of Thorne’s friends and colleagues at risk. At the heart of this novel is real life horror dressed up here as a form of entertainment, art even. Translated by Quentin Bates — The Dancer is Icelandic author Óskar Guðmundsson’s second book translated into English, following The Commandments in 2021. And his friendship with Phil Hendricks, and with this book in particular, Hendricks’ casual bantering with Tanner, provide the moments of much needed light relief you come to rely upon.Thorne's partner Helen is also a police officer and is investigation possible child abuse of two boys who attend the school where Susan Best taught. And his friendship with Phil Hendricks, and with this book in particular, Hendricks' casual bantering with Tanner, provide the moments of much needed light relief you come to rely upon. It’s a great crime novel with fascinating characters, wry (and welcome) humor, and a plot filled with unexpected twists.

And when a young couple goes missing, they have a chance to investigate a case that is anything but cold. I can pretty much guarantee that any book by Mark Billingham featuring Tom Thorne will be a 5 star before I even read it, and Love Like Blood is no exception. There, she came over as something of a colourless character who certainly didn’t jump off the page, but here she comes alive, burning with the need to find her partner’s killers and is quite happy to manipulate everyone around her to into turning a blind eye to her involvement in the investigations into both Susan’s death and the disappearance of the two teenagers.Readers will be familiar with Tanner from Mark Billingham's last novel, Die Of Shame, as she was the straight-laced DI tasked with uncovering a murderer. Performing alongside Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Doug Johnstone and Luca Veste, this band of frustrated rockers murders songs for fun at literary festivals worldwide. So for fans of Mark Billingham, "Love Like Blood" will not disappoint, it's like putting on a well worn pair of comfy shoes!