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At the outset of Billingham’s engrossing ninth novel featuring Det. Insp. Tom Thorne (after 2011’s Bloodline), an unnamed man stages his own death, allowing him to escape from England; his former Continue reading »
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.History Makers: Female Writers Dominate the 2023 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award Shortlist From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! Billingham’s entertaining 14th Tom Thorne novel (after 2015’s Time of Death) teams the formerly rule-bending London detective inspector, who’s fighting middle age and an expanding waistline, Continue reading » as he sauntered across the office. Sauntered, which was bloody ridiculous and only went to prove that he was brimming with misplaced confidence. Miller might have ambled now and again and may even have meandered on occasion, but he had never been one for sauntering anywhere. He was more of a lolloper.” Recommended Reads about Race, Racism, and Demarginalizing History - Necessary Non-fiction You Should Read for Life-changing Insights and Impact
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. With a distinctly loose relationship with reality and a new partner to deal with, can eccentric, offbeat Miller find answers where more traditional police have found only an impossible puzzle? Divided equally between reprints and original entries, this fine anthology showcases many of today's top British crime writers, from seasoned veterans like Peter Lovesey and Reginald Hill to newer Continue reading » Three British couples meet by chance during a vacation in Sarasota, Fla., in this intricate psychological thriller from Billingham (Die of Shame). They share fruity drinks and promise to Continue reading » Declan Millar is a right pain to work with, seemingly taking nothing seriously, flouting authority and deliberately taking things the wrong way to wind up his senior colleagues. To start with I found him funny, then increasingly irritating and finally, when understanding it was a coping mechanism, growing to like him.Despite a somewhat dubious relationship with both reality and his new partner, can the eccentric, offbeat Miller find answers where his colleagues have found only an impossible puzzle? Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre.”— George Pelecanos 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.
Behind his wry, witty and outwardly upbeat nature hides a tragic recent past, the aforementioned death of his wife. Alex was a fellow police detective who died in the line of duty. Her murder remains unsolved and this sits very badly with Miller - and he lets the team working the case know of his displeasure…with predictable results.The plot was flimsy, characters were flat. Miller is investigating organized crime but does not have a weapon to defend himself, not even a knife or a bullet proof vest. Knowing that his wife was assassinated or that Miller makes really bad jokes all the time, they should provided him with a vest for those reasons alone! 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. British author Billingham’s taut sixth procedural to feature London policeman Tom Thorne (after Lifeless
He’s not all fun and games. He has mixed with some pretty scary characters, people in rival crime families, and one of the murder victims is a son from one. So is the other family responsible? And if so, what about the other murder – in the room next door in the hotel? A mistake?
About Mark Billingham
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. The detective, Declan Miller, was likeable enough, but his humor got cheesy after a while. He is assigned to a new murder case while he is still recovering from the death of his wife (unsolved). 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, New York Times bestselling author of the Will Trent series 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. The mystery was middle of the road, but I did like the reveal of the killer. The wife's murder is unresolved though.
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