Book Review: Scaredy Cat

Reviewed By: Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

Scaredy Cat     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 # 2
Little & Brown; Jul 2002

This is the second book by Mark Billingham. It’s also the second book to feature DI Thorne, a character I am growing to love. I almost wish there was a way to hang with him and Rebus and Morse in a pub late into the night. But until reality warps and allows that to happen I will read about him. And reading about him in this book was a joy, following along with his frustration with the political games and maneuvering with in the police department. Watching him try to cope with his relationship with his father. And above all, watching as he pieces together the clues that make up his case.

And his case this time out is a weird one. Two killers acting in unison, but separately. It takes Thorne a little bit to figure it out, but he puts that much together early enough. The tricky part comes when he actually has to catch these deranged killers and stop them. The clues aren’t exactly pouring in. And while we wait along side Thorne, we are given a secondary back story to follow, along the lines of what he did in Sleepyhead, only this time it’s not the victim’s thoughts we are seeing, but the beginnings of a pair of killers.

The flow of this book is so great that I lost track of time around me. I was absorbed into the world created by Billingham and only anchored in mine. To me that means he did his job quite well. If the books continue to be this good, I will start sending coffee to Mr. Billingham so that he can write more and write faster. I’m a reader fish hooked on this author’s line.

Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

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