Book Review: Lazybones

Reviewed By: Donna M - RAM

Lazybones     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Mark Billingham
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Tom Thorne # 3

DI Tom Thorne is called to a murder scene in a seedy hotel in Paddington. The victim is a convicted rapist, released from prison only a few days before. Some might say he has served his time, others might say good riddance to bad rubbish. Tom Thorne can't bring himself to care about the victim but still does his job with his usual thoroughness and skill, and steps up the pace when a second victim is found in similar circumstances a few weeks later. Both appear to have been lured to the hotels where there deaths occured, by a mysterious woman who wrote to them whilst they were in jail. Who is she? And who is ordering the wreaths to be delivered to their death scenes. This is a great mix of psychological thriller, gritty police procedural and whodunnit. Mark Billingham handles his themes and his characters with sensitivity and skill and the warmth of the relationships between Thorne and his friends and colleagues keep the subject matter from being too overwhelming. The reader is never allowed to forget that crime - whether burglary, assault, rape, or murder - is something which changes the lives of those affected by it forever, and is not just a sensational tabloid headline.

Donna M - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Donna M - RAM