"Tom Thorne is no longer a detective, but it doesn't stop him from investigating where he doesn't belong."

By: Mark Billingham

Genres: Mystery | Thriller

Posted: June 12, 2013

In the aftermath of a volatile hostage situation several months ago, Tom Thorne finds himself bumped off the Murder Squad and demoted from a London Detective Inspector to a uniformed Patrol Cop. It's a continual struggle for Thorne to adjust, not only to the new work schedule, but to the limited scope of investigating he can do on cases.

When Thorne starts to question a series of suicides taking place among senior members of society, he's quickly told by his old squad to back off; the cases were not deemed criminal and they are not his concern. Of course, that doesn't stop Thorne; it only makes him more determined to investigate on his own time. What would it take for a killer to convince his victims to take their own lives -- and in varying ways? Though the odds are stacked against him, Thorne perseveres. What he finally discovers is beyond the realm of probability. Now, if Thorne can just prove his theory before more people die.

Even though it becomes apparent early on who the killer is, the plot progression and the final resolution of the intricate investigation is intensely captivating and exciting. Thorne is a complex man dealing with a past that continually causes him problems. THE DYING HOURS, Mark Billingham's 11th installment in this England-based series, is another potent police-procedural thriller that will please his legion of fans.

Book Summary

A fantastic, never–before–published Tom Thorne novel by England's crime king.

It's been twenty–five years since Tom Thorne last went to work wearing the "Queen's cloth" but now, having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform. He's no longer a detective, and he hates it.

Still struggling to adjust, Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London are something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.

Now, unable to trust anybody, Thorne risks losing those closest to him as well as endangering those being targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before. A man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims. A man who appears to have the power to make people take their own lives.

The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham

The Dying Hours

by: Mark Billingham

Atlantic Monthly Press
August 1, 2013
On Sale: August 6, 2013
Featuring:
400 pages
ISBN: 0802121489
EAN: 9780802121486
Kindle: B00B6U0940
Hardcover / e-Book

Available in: