Time of Death
Published on 10. March 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
544 pages
978-0-7515-5221-8 (ISBN)
Description
The thirteenth book in the Tom Thorne series, from bestselling author Mark Billingham.
THE 2016 SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
DI Tom Thorne returns in a chilling mystery that will keep readers guessing until the final page.
The Missing
Two schoolgirls are abducted in the small, dying Warwickshire town of Polesford, driving a knife into the heart of the community where police officer Helen Weeks grew up and from which she long ago escaped. But this is a place full of secrets, where dangerous truths lie buried.
The Accused
When it's splashed all over the press that family man Stephen Bates has been arrested, Helen and her partner Tom Thorne head to the flooded town to support Bates' wife - an old school friend of Helen's - who is living under siege with two teenage children and convinced of her husband's innocence.
The Dead
As residents and media bay for Bates' blood, a decomposing body is found. The police believe they have their murderer in custody, but one man believes otherwise. With a girl still missing, Thorne sets himself on a collision course with local police, townsfolk - and a merciless killer.
'One of the great series of British crime fiction' The Times
'Mark Billingham is one of the greatest writers in any genre' Steve Cavanagh
________________
The outstanding new Tom Thorne thriller, THEIR LITTLE SECRET, is out now!
THE 2016 SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER
DI Tom Thorne returns in a chilling mystery that will keep readers guessing until the final page.
The Missing
Two schoolgirls are abducted in the small, dying Warwickshire town of Polesford, driving a knife into the heart of the community where police officer Helen Weeks grew up and from which she long ago escaped. But this is a place full of secrets, where dangerous truths lie buried.
The Accused
When it's splashed all over the press that family man Stephen Bates has been arrested, Helen and her partner Tom Thorne head to the flooded town to support Bates' wife - an old school friend of Helen's - who is living under siege with two teenage children and convinced of her husband's innocence.
The Dead
As residents and media bay for Bates' blood, a decomposing body is found. The police believe they have their murderer in custody, but one man believes otherwise. With a girl still missing, Thorne sets himself on a collision course with local police, townsfolk - and a merciless killer.
'One of the great series of British crime fiction' The Times
'Mark Billingham is one of the greatest writers in any genre' Steve Cavanagh
________________
The outstanding new Tom Thorne thriller, THEIR LITTLE SECRET, is out now!
Reviews / Votes
Ingenious ... what is most impressive about this novel, however, is the astute observation -- Laura Wilson * The Guardian * The writing displays the virtues that have made Mark Billingham a bestseller: wit, careful plotting, attention to detail and great characterisation... won't disappoint Billingham's legions of fans * The Telegraph * The plot element on which this gruesome mystery turns is certainly one of the cleverest and most satisfying that I've read for ages. * Morning Star * What lingers in the memory is the group portrait of the Polesford locals brutally closing ranks against a man they're certain deserves to die. * Kirkus *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
371 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7515-5221-8 (9780751552218)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Previous edition
Person
Mark Billingham has twice won the Theakston Old Peculier Award for Crime Novel of the Year, the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British writer and in 2026 he was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for an outstanding lifetime contribution to the genre. Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat were made into a hit TV series on Sky 1 starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne, and a series based on the novels In the Dark and Time of Death was broadcast on BBC1. Mark lives in north London with his wife and two children.