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After learning that his girlfriend’s pregnancy is no longer viable, Tom Thorne needs a case to take his mind off losing the baby. That same afternoon, he gets called to a murder scene where a woman holds a piece of an X-ray in her fist. They soon discover that the victim’s mother was also a murder victim. When more bodies turn up, Thorne learns that these latest victims are the children of victims who were killed by the same serial killer—Raymond Garvey—fifteen years ago.
As the case becomes more and more puzzling, Thorne races to locate those still on the murderer’s list and bring them into police protection. It’s not an easy task, since no one is who they appear to be. And it doesn’t help that they might just be doing the serial killer a favor by locating potential victims. What if they bring them right to the killer’s doorstep?
Thorne struggles to come to terms with a major loss while working one of the most baffling cases of his career—chasing a twisted killer whose agenda is as warped as they come.
Disturbing yet brilliant, Bloodline will swoosh through your mind like blood pumping through your veins after a hard run. As soon as you catch your breath, the thrilling plot takes off again, leaving you guessing right up to the unsettling but cleverly conceived conclusion.
Tom Thorne is a force to be reckoned with. His internal struggles make him human while his outer toughness makes him a no-nonsense hero. He can handle a case while grieving over a loss without seeming cold-hearted—and you’ll understand why he needs to work at such a difficult time. Few authors can create a likable character in a situation like that, but Mark Billingham has done just that with Tom Thorne.
Billingham scratched way below the surface and created a whole new twist on the same old serial killer story, making Bloodline a fine piece of crime fiction with an exceptional plot. Billingham will definitely stay on my radar for great crime thrillers.
