Thursday, August 26, 2010

"Blood Line", by Mark Billingham


Book 8 in the series featuring Detective Inspector Tom Thorne

I am rather fond of fictional detective stories and love to discover new ones. “Blood Line” is my first experience with both the protagonist and its author. Should I have started with the first instalment in the series….(some series you can, some series you can’t)

D.I. Tom Thorne becomes involved in what seems to be a domestic murder but it is soon discovered that the case is anything but ordinary. Clutched in the hands of the dead woman is a sliver of an X-ray that leads investigators to others murders committed in the past by Raymond Garvey, a convicted serial killer.

It seems children of Raymond Garvey’s victims are the new targets and they are being killed in the same manner. Could that someone be Garvey’s son. While on the hunt for a strange and twisted killer, Thorne has to piece together a macabre puzzle and protect those thought to be still on the murderer’s list.

The personal life of Tom Thorne plays a great part in this story and adds intimacy and sensitivity to this gruesome tale. During the time of the investigation, Tom’s girlfriend Louise has a miscarriage and they both struggle to cope with their sadness and help each other through the rough times.

The opening is exciting and gives the novel the punch expected in a mystery , quite a positive start but as the storyline moved on, it gets confusing. The author injects many victims and many police officers (some may have been recurring characters) , it became hard to place everyone and stay focused. Unfortunately the personal drama of the protagonist was too predominant and slowed down the pace so much that I found my mind wandered, it simply didn‘t garb me enough to keep me on track. As a result, I probably missed some of the twists and turns that most reviewers seemed to have enjoyed, the experience left me flat, possibly a price I paid for not starting with the first novel. However to the author’s credit the ending was exceptional, the wrap up brought everything into perspective and fell into place nicely.

Starting at this point was not the wisest move, I am certain fans will enjoy adding this latest instalment to their collection

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