The Burning Girl [Hardcover]

Quietly I have become addicted to Mark Billingham's novels. There haven't been a slew of them --- THE BURNING GIRL, his latest, is only number four --- but that makes it easy to reread the whole lot during the intervening twelve months between books. Billingham has won well-deserved accolades in the field of comedy, so the dark nature of his brilliantly scribed accounts of London Police Detective Tom Thorne comes as a bit of a surprise to those familiar with his other career. Yet his humor shines through, contrasting nicely with the horrors within.

Billingham is at his best in THE BURNING GIRL. The Serious Crime Group, of which Thorne is a member, has been paired with SO7 (The Serious and Organized Crime Group --- I think Billingham is having a bit of fun with these names) to investigate a series of murders in which an "X" is carved into the back of each victim. The victims, one and all, have ties to a gangster named Billy Ryan, and it appears that a major turf war had broken out within London's underworld between Ryan and a gang of Turkish smugglers.

Thorne already is helping his friend Carol Chamberlain investigate a decades-old case involving the immolation of a schoolgirl. That case was apparently solved, with Gordon Rooker, a well-known hitman, incarcerated for the deed. Rooker, however, is recanting his confession and will supposedly reveal the real perpetrator --- with all of it being tied to Ryan. The cases are slowly intersecting when Thorne performs an act of misguided compassion, which serves as a catalyst for a chain of events that begins with a murder and a funeral (Billingham is at his understated, irreverent best at the graveside) and continues to a quietly shocking climax.

Billingham makes some minor demands. The narrative of THE BURNING GIRL, like its predecessors, is peppered with colloquialisms and slang terms that American readers may have some minor difficulty decoding, though things ultimately come clear within the context. And while his plots initially seem a bit tangled in spots, Billingham is an excellent guide, gently leading his readers through the more complex tangles and always providing a reason for it all.

It is Billingham's Thorne, however, who really makes these books in general, and THE BURNING GIRL in particular, worth reading and rereading. Thorne is one of the more intriguing protagonists in contemporary crime fiction; one gets the feeling that he is teetering on the brink of a meltdown, only to save himself, time and again, with his droll but hilarious humor and his first-rate taste in music (anyone who loves Johnny Cash and hates Sting is on the right track). It's a small wonder then that for those familiar with the series, a Billingham novel is an annual event to be anticipated and repeatedly savored. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

It is impossible for ANY author to **eventually** write a book that does not stink.
Suffice it to say that is NOT the case to date with Mark Billingham's work.
They are ALL top quality.
EVERY BOOK he has written to date is superior on many levels.
Subtle levels.
I have purchased (and read) every one of his Tom Thorne series and find each them to be as totally satisfying as a Don Tomas Classico,
an extra large Lagavulin and a heavily garliced Eggplant Parmigiana.
They (the books) are NOT as good as sex. Not even close.
But for police procedurals, close is not too shabby.
Coming from over thirty years; nearly thirty five years of Criminal Investigative background, I find that Mark's efforts do not disrespect the reader.
A very important element many authors ignore, at their literary and qualitative peril.
As we say in certain circles: "Kol HaKovod" Mark.
Continue writing. I'll continue buying and reading.
Oh yes,... I DO like his books.
All of them.

This again is a quite worthy and intriguing tale as is expected from Billingham. However, the investigation of the cold case dealing with a confessed killer up for possible release after 20 years is far more interesting than the investigation involving a Turkish mob. Most of the Thorne novels are tied in with cold cases and this is one of the charms of the series.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 14 reviews  3.4 out of 5 stars