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The Last Dance by Mark Billingham will be published in Australia by Hachette and available in late May 2023. A gritty, engaging novel that balances light with dark, offering wit and wisdom in equal measure. Billingham’s new lead detective, DS Miller, may not be able to dance, but he never misses a step when it comes to solving crime.”— Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid His new partner is a woman who looks Chinese, but he knows better than to ask. He’s not completely uncouth and generally his banter is offensive only when he intends to be. His relationship with her is more awkward than expected because she doesn’t get his humour or his jokes. Being silly doesn’t work with her. Readers rejoice! A captivating new series from Mark Billingham, the very best in the business' --- RICHARD OSMAN I enjoyed the people and the story. I’ve never read Billingham before, but as this is obviously #1 in a new series, and as the author has left scope for continuing with these characters, I will be standing by for Miller’s next outing.
The cases themselves are interesting but the treat here is Miller – predominantly through the piquant prose penned by Billingham. It reminded me of slightly-darker Ted Lasso… that verbal diarrhoea that could be annoying but is endearing…The investigation moves around between people who are ‘known to police’ and others who turn up. While he and Xiu deal with their bosses and assignments, another team is looking into Alex’s murder. He misses her badly, listens to her voice and scrolls through her old phone messages. He’s not allowed to ask questions. A gritty, engaging novel that balances light with dark, offering wit and wisdom in equal measure. Billingham's new lead detective, DS Miller, never misses a step when it comes to solving crime. * Nita Prose, author of The Maid * The Last Dance by Mark Billingham publishes May 25th with Sphere Books. It is the first new series from Mark Billingham in 20 years introducing us to Detective Declan Miller, a man who has been through the ringer in recent times.
It’s always fun to get in on the ground floor of a new series. And in this case, fun is the operative word. The Last Dance introduces us to DS Declan Miller. He’s unconventional, to say the least. “Were you like this before your wife died?” “You’ll need to be more specific,” Miller said. “Annoying.” Xiu paused, but only to take a deep breath. She’d obviously compiled a healthy list. “Bloody minded. childish…” “Are you actually doing them alphabetically?” “Insensitive, inappropriate, pig-headed, rude…stupidly over-confident and completely dismissive of authority…Inattentive, flippant, sarcastic, annoying, erratic, unreliable, flaky—“ In addition to the stress of returning to work after a leave of absence, Declan has a new partner whom he has never met. On the surface, they appear very different. DS Sara Xiu is smart and disciplined in her work style. She is also into heavy metal and casual hook-ups. In spite of their different personalities and work styles, they have been assigned to work together. The character dynamic between Declan and Sara is enjoyable.As what is clearly the first book in a series, I will be more than happy to return to find out how Miller and Xiu are getting on. MY THOUGHTS: I loved this introduction to Detective Miller. He's the sort of man who is always out of step with everyone else. His partner, Xiu, describes him as annoying, bloody-minded, childish, insensitive, inappropriate, pig-headed, rude, stupidly over-confident, and completely dismissive of authority. Not to mention inattentive, flippant, sarcastic, erratic, unreliable and flaky. Yes, he's all of those things, but he is also wildly entertaining and kind of lovable. Having been at an event last year with Mark Billingham in conversation with John Connolly at The Spike Island Literary Festival, it’s very evident that Mark Billingham’s personality, and his past as a stand-up comedian, filter straight through to his writing. As I was immersed in The Last Dance I was reminded of my all time favourite Irish cop Bunny McGarry, the creation of another ex-comedian, Caimh McDonnell. Bunny McGarry and Declan Miller, now that would be a partnership that I would love to see!!
OK, that was a bit of a stab in the dark… let me have one more guess. Is it the fact that the man who invented Pringles had his ashes buried in a Pringles can? Original flavour, if you want to be precise.’ p162 Readers rejoice! A captivating new series from Mark Billingham—the very best in the business.”— Richard Osman, #1 bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club THE AUTHOR: Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.
LoveReading Says
Miller uses sarcasm and wit as a tool of his trade but underneath this humorous front is a man grieving and looking for justice. In parallel with his current case, he starts to unravel a few bits about his wife’s untimely death, leaving the series very much open for book 2. In spite of the flippant jokes there are genuine moments that will pique your curiosity about the cast surrounding Declan and you will want to know more about them. As The Last Dance beings a new series, we’re pleased there will be opportunities to delve deeper into some of these characters. It’s obvious at the end of the book that Billingham is setting the stage for the next book. I kept thinking of the quote by Fran Lebowitz while I read this book, “A book is not supposed to be a mirror. It’s supposed to be a door.” With that in mind, the fact that this author wanted to write a “humorous” book is not enough. I cannot believe the amount of stars this book has received. It is truly perplexing. Alex appears to him now and then and has conversations with him, but as with the good ‘ghost’ stories I’ve read recently, nothing she says actually tells him anything he doesn’t already know. He knows he’s invented her, but he still enjoys her company and it does clarify his thinking. A double murder in a seaside hotel sees grieving Detective Miller return to work to solve what appears to be a case of mistaken identity.
ABOUT THE 'LAST DANCE': Meet Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated... Declan gathers information from some unexpected sources like Finn, a homeless addict; and Chesshead, a criminal with a passion for the game. Declan debriefs his discoveries with the members of his dance team. His approach may not be conventional but it works for him. It is the relationships between these characters that will draw you into the book.
Summary
Brimming with wit, expertly paced, and wholly enjoyable - The Last Dance is a showcase of Billingham's exceptionally gifted storytelling. Mark Billingham is at his best! * Karin Slaughter *
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