Love Like Blood (Tom Thorne Novels)

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When a murder strikes near to the heart for DI Nicola Tanner, she enlists Tom Thorne’s help in the latest thriller from “one of the best crime novelists working today” (Laura Lippman). His standalone novel In The Dark was adapted as a miniseries of the same name by the BBC in 2017. An adaptation of another standalone novel, Rush of Blood, is being developed for US television. [15] Awards and nominations [ edit ] TV [ edit ] Love Like Blood hums along on all six cylinders. Billingham has always been a smart writer, one who delves into the nooks and crannies of the police procedural genre where others don't think of going, and once again he takes the genre to new heights here with its clever murder hypothesis that is as current as today's headlines . . . Billingham doesn't get near the recognition in the United States that he has earned and deserves. Hopefully Love Like Blood will change that." —Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter Billingham became the first crime writer to win the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award twice when his novel Death Message won in 2009, [10] against Reginald Hill, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Lee Child.

Like many people, I watched the first episode of the TV series Written In Blood in which Simon Toyne interviewed Mark Billingham about the case which inspired his book, Love Like Blood. Now I don't know anybody who wouldn't have been moved an indeed horrified by the true story of Banaz Mahmod and the way in which she suffered at the hands of family for the simple act of falling in love with the wrong man. It is something in Western culture that we take for granted - the basic right to love and be loved by those whom we choose not those who are chosen for us. And yet in some cultures, this still remains an impossible dream. To those who disobey or 'dishonour' their family, a fate such as that which befell Banaz is sadly far more prevalent than any of us would like to accept. Honor-based violence is a scourge in Britain, where the Crown Prosecution Service estimates that the 12 or so honor killings reported each year are only a fraction of the true number committed . . . In Love Like Blood, Mark Billingham puts human faces on one such case . . . Although 'dishonored' male relatives are prime suspects in most cases of punitive violence, squeamish families often prefer to shop the job to a middleman with access to professional hit men'thugs like Muldoon and Riaz, who collaborate efficiently but whose cultural clashes can be morbidly funny." —Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review I haven't read any of the other books in the author's DI Tom Thorne series but I did read the prior DI Nicola Tanner book, "Die of Shame", which I liked more than I liked this book. However, this book works as a standalone. Tanner's partner Susan was recently murdered in their home and she is currently on compassionate leave. Tanner believes that she was actually the target of the killers because of her work on a series of honour killings within the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities and she enlists the help of Thorne to conduct an unofficial investigation of Susan's death. Their search is complicated when a teenaged couple disappears. The topic of honour killings was a novel one, but otherwise this was a straightforward police procedural. There was a lot of filler with Tanner's mourning and Thorne's home life with his girlfriend and her 3 year old son. I'm one of those readers who doesn't care about the lives of the detectives, so it felt like padding to me. The book was fine, though unexceptional, and I'd be willing to read more by this author. I’ve been eagerly awaiting Mark Billingham’s next Tom Thorne book, and “Love Like Blood” exceeded every expectation I had. Billingham has long been in my “must read” category and I think this book is his absolute best. It’s a great crime novel with fascinating characters, wry (and welcome) humor, and a plot filled with unexpected twists. I think the final twist is one most readers won’t see coming - I sure didn’t! What puts this novel above Billingham’s other outstanding books is his expert braiding together of a very suspenseful plot with the timely subject of honor killings. The rapid pace of the book never slows and it is apparent how profoundly occurrences of honor based violence have affected Billingham. Honor killings are a subject I didn’t know much about, but thanks to “Love Like Blood,” I’m now more informed. Informed and horrified - that in the name of religion families could commit violence and murder against female relatives who are accused of bringing shame to the family. I will be highly recommending “Love Like Blood” to everyone, not just crime fiction readers.When she’s put on compassionate leave, some of her colleagues are hoping a little time away will help ease tension between the victim’s families & police. An intelligent, hugely entertaining thriller that treats its subject with sensitivity. It includes gasp-inducing moments of drama and some ingenious twists. Other contributors include: Laura Lippman • Lee Child • John Connolly • Lynda La Plante • John Harvey • Peter Robinson • Fidelis Morgan • Val McDermid • Karin Slaughter• Emma Donoghue• Denise Mina • Kelley Armstrong • Jane Haddam Around 1987 he decided to pursue a career in comedy, stating:"[The] one great advantage of stand-up comedy [is that] nobody gives a stuff about what you look like – as long as you're funny, and if you can do it, and people laugh, then you'll get bookings." [3] Billingham cites his breaking into stand-up as a simple progression from 5-minute, unpaid "try-out" spots to 10-, 20- and 30-minute paid slots. [3] Billingham has headlined at the Comedy Store, where he also appears regularly as a Master of Ceremonies. [3]

Robinson, Lloyd and Billingham remain friends, and Robinson is partially credited for Billingham's literary career on the DVD release of Maid Marian (Series 3), in which the three discuss writing for the series and in general. [6] The trio announced in 2018 that they were working on a stage production of Maid Marian and her Merry Men. [7] [8] Writing [ edit ] In Maid Marian and her Merry Men, Billingham played Gary, a dim-but-lovable guard in the employ of the Sheriff of Nottingham ( Tony Robinson), as part of a double-act with Graeme ( David Lloyd). 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 They met on a previous case (“Die of Shame”) & although Tom is initially reluctant, Nicola isn’t above playing the sympathy card to get him on board. Besides, there’s a good chance one of his old unsolved homicides is related. The novel opens with Tom Thorne bumping into DI Nicola Tanner whom he worked with in Die Of Shame. Nicola is grieving for her partner, Susan, who was murdered a couple of weeks earlier and is on compassionate leave. She is obviously excluded from the investigation which she believes was a case of mistaken identity linked to her investigation into contract honour killers and she wants Tom to help her in an unofficial investigation.Good as Dead (Little, Brown & Company, August 2011), ISBN 978-1-84744-419-6. Retitled US The Demands (Mulholland Books, June 2012), ISBN 978-0-316-12663-2 Love Like Blood is painful, frightening and quite disturbing in equal measure. Somewhere in the police files there was a reference to two men. It is believed that two hit men were paid to murder. Their methods of killing were always different and the locations. They were contracted out to honour killings all over the world.

Nuff said about the main plot line. There are plenty of zigs & zags to keep you guessing, especially when you throw in several characters with questionable loyalties. But what really grips you is the subject matter. People of all religions find the concept of honour killings difficult to understand. Here, we are privy to the domestic situations of young men & women who are caught between parents’ traditional expectations & the freer lifestyle that a big city like London has to offer. The book also looks at the challenges faced by police when they attempt to investigate the crimes. Finding someone from the community willing to break the code of silence is difficult. If they press too hard, they may be accused of cultural insensitivity or racial prejudice. It’s a political hot potato that leaves both sides frustrated & many of the cases end up unsolved (see author’s comments at the end for a sobering dose of reality). Billingham has received nominations and awards related to all aspects of his various careers. What's That Noise (which he wrote and presented) won the 1995 Royal Television Society award for "Best Entertainment Programme", [9] while Knight School was nominated for the RTS's "Best Children's Drama" award two years running. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

This is an excellent addition to the series and I would not only recommend this book but the series itself to any lover of Thrillers. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read.

The hit men thought they had killed DI Nicola Tanner, but they had killed her partner Susan Best in their home. In Love Like Blood , DI Tom Thorne, ��the next superstar detective,” teams up with perfectionist DI Nicola Tanner, the protagonist of Billingham’s acclaimed stand-alone thriller Die of Shame (Lee Child).The idea of honour killings - be it for love or some other inferred shame - is the central premise of this book. Mark Billingham has not tried to retell Banaz's story. As he has said himself that is not his story to tell. But her story has most certainly inspired a book which becomes somewhat of a moral dilemma in the making. At the heart of this novel is real life horror dressed up here as a form of entertainment, art even. Should we really say that we enjoy it? Maybe, maybe not. However Billingham has found a near perfect balance, blending Thorne's irresistible charm, an element of humour and the day to day mundane realities of family life, with an overwhelmingly depressing set of statistics and a case which puts the lives of Thorne's friends and colleagues at risk. This is not a case of preaching the horrors of honour killings, although they are clearly outlined here, but it is also more than mere entertainment. Billingham skilfully gets his distaste at the subject across to the reader through Thorne's reactions, while still leaving them the scope to make their own minds up about what has occurred. Billingham lives in North London with his wife Claire and their two children. He supports Wolverhampton Wanderers, although his protagonist Thorne supports Tottenham Hotspur. [22] Bibliography [ edit ] I am so familiar with these characters that the books are so easy to read that I look forward to each new book in the series. I feel that I am being overly generous to this book by even giving it two stars. One of the worst crime books I have read in a long time. This is one in a series but I have no desire to read any of the other books. What’s a little hard to believe is that Tanner isn’t given more police protection from the start, considering how and why her girlfriend was murdered. The major twist in the plot is a little too easy to foresee as well.