Book Review: Buried

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Buried     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Mark Billingham
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Tom Thorne # 6
Little Brown, UK edition, May 2006

Tom Thorne has returned to his regular assignment, after his time on the streets as an undercover officer among London's homeless. The parents of a teenaged boy have reported their son kidnapped - but several puzzling questions arise almost at once. Several days elapsed between the boy's disappearance and the reporting of his capture, and a message sent by the boy has enigmatic omissions. And strangest of all, no ransom demand has been received.

When a tip sends officers to the apartment where they believe the boy is being held, they discover a grisly scene - two dead bodies, a great deal of blood and no sign whatever of the missing child.

Since the father of the kidnap victim is a retired police officer, the investigation centers on criminals who might carry a grudge against him. As Thorne and his colleagues pursue this inquiry, they are stunned to discover that both of the boy's parents are concealing vital information.

As readers of earlier books in this series well know, Tom Thorne is a wonderful character, sensitively developed and intriguing. In BURIED Thorne continues his tentative journey to acceptance of personal tragedy.

Woodstock - RAM

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