Two murders committed on the same London
night. There are striking similarities – young female victims, targeted at a railway
station, and both strangled; but there are significant differences too – the stations
far apart, and while one victim was brutally slain the other was despatched almost
gently; at one site a chocolate wrapper casually discarded, at the other, tears
were shed.
Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is on the case
and, in one of his moments of perspicacity, floats the hypothesis – two killers
working in tandem, but who and why?
Thorne’s intuitive approach to policing
(guesswork and following hunches) predictably upsets his superiors and
alienates all but his closest colleagues, and frankly gets him nowhere. All he
can do is wait until they kill again and hope this time they make a mistake and
get caught.
More deaths and a lucky break lead Thorne
into a high risk strategy, higher than he realises as the ensuing game of cat
and mouse becomes more personal.
Billingham’s writing is assured and deft as
he builds the tension, teasing the reader with snippets of the (still unknown)
murderers’ thoughts. Light relief is provided by Thorne’s interplay with his
gay pathologist friend, but more dangerous undercurrents are at play between
members of his investigating team.
More of a crime thriller than a crime solver
– there is precious little detection but plenty of criminal violence – the pages
turn well enough and the outcome is eagerly sought, but after reading
Sleepyhead last year and now Scaredy Cat I think I have had enough of the
grumpy DI Thorne for now.
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