A murder-for-hire goes wrong in this thriller by "one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today" (Gillian Flynn). After Alan Langford's charred remains were found in his burnt-out Jaguar, his abused, long-suffering wife, Donna, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to ten years at Wakefield Prison. It was worth the time. But shortly before her release, Donna receives a nasty shock: an anonymous letter containing a recent photo of her husband--the man she despised and feared, the man she paid to have killed, the man she's now begging London inspector Tom Thorne to find.
Even for a seasoned DI like Thorne, this is a first: tracking a man who's come back from the dead. But when Donna's daughter suddenly disappears, Thorne finds himself following two trails of revenge and double cross. And they're both leading into the menacing shadow of a killer who wants the case buried for good.
With his multiple award-winning series, "Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre" (George Pelecanos). From the Dead is not only "a good crime story, but . . . [a] novel . . .about the complexities and pitfalls of love" (The Washington Post).
"Engrossing . . . chillingly clever." --Publishers Weekly
"Mark Billingham is one of my favorite new writers." --Harlan Coben
"Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books." --Karin Slaughter, New York Times-bestselling author
About the Author :
Mark Billingham has twice won the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and also won the Sherlock Award for Best Detective Created by a British Author. His books, which include the critically acclaimed Tom Thorne Novels, have been translated into twenty-five languages and have sold over four million copies. He lives in London.
Review :
"Mark Billingham is a first-rate British crime writer who is too little known in this country. . . . The police procedural is a deceptively simple genre. You need a crime, a cop, suspects, complications and finally a solution. The art, of course, lies in the ingenuity of the crime, the depth of the characterizations and the quality of the writing. Billingham excels in all regards." --Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post "Billingham's ninth Tom Thorne thriller sees our hero working on a case in which a man long dead appears to be very much alive--to the chagrin of his wife, who had paid to ensure his expiration." --Entertainment Weekly
"Once again, [Billingham] has written a deep police procedural with significant insights into the characters. . . . Written with smoothness and urbanity, the plot moves forward in unexpected ways. Recommended." --Theodore Feit, Midwest Book Review
"[A] fine, well-plotted work . . . Billingham's dark humor, often shot through with irony, is in full play here." --Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter.com
"A chillingly clever criminal boosts this intelligent procedural." --Publishers Weekly
"A nice mix of police procedure and chatty scenes, and some nice scenery." --Salem Macknee, The Charlotte Observer
Praise for Mark Billingham
"With each of his books, Mark Billingham gets better and better. These are stories and characters you don't want to leave." --Michael Connelly
"Morse, Rebus, and now Thorne. The next superstar detective is already with us--don't miss him." --Lee Child
"Billingham is one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today." --Gillian Flynn
"Mark Billingham has brought a rare and welcome blend of humanity, dimension, and excitement to the genre." --George Pelecanos
"Billingham is a world-class crime writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation. Rush to read these books." --Karin Slaughter
"Mark Billingham is one of my favorite new writers." --Harlan Coben
"Billingham leaps to the upper echelons of crime fiction in one bound." --John Harvey
