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Bloodline
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Bloodline
Unavailable
Bloodline
Audiobook11 hours

Bloodline

Written by Mark Billingham

Narrated by Paul Thornley

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A killer is on the loose. The victims: children whose mothers can't protect them.

The past is coming back to haunt the people of London: a murderer is targeting the children of victims of Raymond Garvey, an infamous serial killer from London's past.

When Murder Squad veteran Detective Tom Thorne, who solves the London Police Department's most difficult cases, is called into what seems like, for once, an ordinary domestic murder, he thinks he's caught a break. A woman has been murdered by someone she knows. A positive pregnancy test found on the floor beside her. Thorne plans to question the husband, arrest him and return home to deal with his own deteriorating personal life.

But when a mysterious sliver of bloodstained X-ray that was found clutched in the victim's fist is replicated at other crime scenes around the city, Thorne realizes that this is not a simple case. As the bits of X-ray begin to come together to form a picture, it becomes clear that the killer knows his prey all too well and is moving through a list that was started long ago.

As Thorne attempts to protect those still alive, nothing and nobody are what they seem. Not when Thorne is dealing with one of the most twisted killers he has ever hunted.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 14, 2011
ISBN9781611136241
Unavailable
Bloodline
Author

Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham is the author of nine novels, including Sleepyhead, Scaredy Cat, Lazybones, The Burning Girl, Lifeless, and Buried—all Times (London) bestsellers—as well as the stand-alone thriller In the Dark. For the creation of the Tom Thorne character, Billingham received the 2003 Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British writer, and he has twice won the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. He has previously worked as an actor and stand-up comedian on British television and still writes regularly for the BBC. He lives in London with his wife and two children.

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Reviews for Bloodline

Rating: 3.642384190728477 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

151 ratings21 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    With thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program and to the publisher for sending this book, Bloodline is the 8th foray into the series featuring DI Tom Thorne, a police procedural series which started ten years ago with Sleepyhead, a book I read and enjoyed a great deal way back when. In fact, I read the first two books in the series, then didn't come back to it until book number five (Lifeless), which was an ARC from the publisher at the time. Now here I am back again with book eight, and I'd really forgotten how much I enjoy this series. I believe I was scheduled to receive this book last summer sometime, but it didn't arrive until the beginning of December. That's okay ... it was worth waiting for.Murder is not new in Thorne's line of work, but this case is a definite puzzler. One of the victims is found clutching a bloodstained piece of X-ray, a clue that helps lead the detectives in London's Murder Squad to a connection between her death and a serial killer named Anthony Garvey. Garvey is now dead, but it seems that someone is going around killing off the relatives of his victims. When a second murder follows with a third, Thorne is convinced that the remaining relatives needed to be found and put under police protection. While searching for them and trying to work out what's going on, the killer remains at large and no one is safe. It's a tough time for Thorne, who has just recently been faced with personal tragedy, but as always, he will not stop until the job is done. Considering I haven't picked up a Billingham novel since 2005, I was amazed at the ease of sliding back into the series after such a long time away. I obviously missed a few things in Thorne's personal life, but it didn't matter in terms of plot. Thorne is a great character, a very good cop who's human as well. I appreciated the fact that the author did not channel too much energy away from the storyline and into Thorne's personal life, so that the bulk of the story focused on the police squad and the investigation. As far as police procedurals go, Bloodline is a good one -- not too bogged down in detail, but credibly paced as far as police work and plot. The only thing I have a niggle about is the use of the journal-type entries from the killer -- having read mountains of crime fiction in my time, this device is getting old. I tend to prefer good, old-fashioned police work and watching the investigators get from point A to point B on their own without interjections from the killer.Definitely recommended for readers of British crime fiction, or for readers who enjoy a fine police procedural as well. I do need to take some time and start this series again to see what I missed, but if it didn't bother me that much to read this installment out of order (and I am definitely very fussy about reading the books in the order of publication), then it shouldn't be to difficult for anyone else, either.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book starts out with heartbreak, as you find out Louise was apparently pregnant with Tom Thorne's child and has lost the baby. The two characters struggle with the loss and what it means to their relationship through the rest of the book. Hendricks lends friendly support to both of them. The actual mystery is really good in this one, a serial killer who is murdering the children of a previous serial killer's victims. Very well done resolution which I didn't see coming. And I enjoyed the few references to happenings and characters from previous books.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Alert--not exactly a spoiler but sort of. This book has a fairly complex plot involving not just the back story and personal life of the lead detective but also that of the killer. However it was rather unremittingly bleak. I acknowledge that police cases do not always end in triumph, However, in this book, even what might have been a tiny win at the end is not clear cut or even clearly a win. Definitely not a book I will cherish and reread.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There are series that should have finished after the first few books. And there are authors that can add more books in a series and make you want even more. Billingham's Tom Thorne series is one of the latter - Bloodline is the eight book and the series is going as strongly as it was going with the first books.As most late books in this series, it is not an easy read - the ugliness in humanity is all there for everyone to see. Mix a serial killer that has a weird connection to another one that had died a few years ago, Tom's guilt over his father's death and his inability to work in the way his bosses expect. If that is not enough, throw some problems with Louise and the usual tension in the daily work and you have the background. The series gets me thinking about a few of the other long-standing detective series from the Isles (Rankin's Rebus, Harvey's Resnick) - the changes in the character almost inevitable lead to an end. On the other hand this is what makes all those series good. So I will be interested to see where this series goes next.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I read a mystery or thriller, I'm always trying to figure out the killer. I'm pretty sure we all do that. And I never know if I'm going to be pleased I figured it out or pleased that the author was able to keep me from figuring it out. If I do figure it out, though, there's always the chance I'll be yelling at the protagonist for being so stupid. If I don't, there's the chance I'll feel the author cheated if the solution doesn't make sense. So the best of all possibilities, I guess, is for me to think I might have figured it out, but not be sure and somehow be surprised when I'm right. Which happened in this book.This is the second Tom Thorne book I've read, and I fear I'm going to have to find the rest. He's a great character with an involved backstory (most of which I've only got hints of). But don't worry about that because this book, though part of a series, stands just find on its own. It's a darn good thriller, good characters, good settings, creepy murders--really pretty much everything I could want. Sure there were times I yelled at Tom, but it had nothing to do with catching the killer and everything to do with his relationship, which often is par for the course in most of what I read, now that I think about it (just talk to each other, damn it!)It's a pretty creepy premise: someone is killing the children of women who had been killed by a serial killer years ago. The serial killer has died in the meantime, so it's obviously not him. And once they figure out who it is, they still don't know exactly who it is--I know, confusing, but it does make sense. Really. I don't want to give away the least little bit.So if you know Tom Thorne, definitely pick this one up. If you don't, you really should meet him.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bloodline is my introduction to Tom Thorne and Mark Billingham. Not sure how I overlooked this series for so long. Very good thriller, police procedural and difficult to put down. Adding books 1-7 to my wishlist.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tom Thorne is a detective who usually is assigned the most difficult cases. Murder victims are found with small pieces of xray in their hands. The cases tie back to a previous serial killer who died in prison years ago. Are the victims randomly chosen or are they related in some way? And what is the motive for the killer? The Demands, the next book in this series, is due out in June 2012. Loved this book. I plan to go hunt down the author's other books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My first exposure to Mark Billingham and Tom Thorne. I did enjoy this story of a serial killer with an unusual motive, but (like some other reviewers) I probably should not have started so late in the series. That said, even though this was book 8, I felt there was enough information about the characters to make me care about them and appreciate their emotions and actions. Overall, a good thriller with enough twists and turns to keep me interested until the last page.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When a woman is killed in her home with a small piece of plastic found clenched in her hand, DCI Tom Thorne is hard pressed to understand the motive behind her murder or who the murderer might be. He is, however, surprised to discover her mother had been one of the women killed by a serial killer, Raymond Garvey fifteen years ago. But when another woman's murder is brought to his attention, also with a piece of plastic in her hand, the plastic later found to be a piece of an x-ray film, and is discovered also to have been the daughter of another victim of Garvey that DCI Thorne starts to suspect he may have another serial killer on his hand.He researches the victims of Raymond Garvey and the man himself. In the meantime, a pair of siblings are also murdered in their home, also children of another of Garvey's victims. The race is now on to identify and find the surviving children of all the Garvey victims since they appear to be the target. But who's trying to kill them and why? As DCI Thorne and his team pursue all possible clues in their investigation, they are constantly a few steps behind the killer. He engages a retired colleague to help with some of the research into Garvey and his past.In the meantime, we are presented with a possible defense for Garvey through some journal entries by the killer himself. Was he really responsible for killing all those women? The identity of the new serial killer eludes us all until the very end. DCI Thorne isn't Sherlock Holmes, he makes mistakes, he has personal problems to deal with, and he has a list of people he needs to try and protect from a serial killer. But can he, and will he get the killer before it's too late? The author manages to keep the right level of tension throughout. I liked the way he kept this from being anything but predictable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There were a number of things I liked about Bloodline, so it's hard to know exactly where to start. If you're a fan of a good police procedural, this is definitely your kind of book, let it be said. This is not the flashy forensics-solves-everything type of novel were the magic happens in the forensics labs; it's very much centered on the brainwork and deductions of our (of course, flawed-- we wouldn't want it any other way!) central character, Tom Thorne. Billingham doesn't pretend that we're living in 1950 and that forensics and science don't play a role at all; on the contrary, they are pretty important to the book's plot and resolution, no blinders on here, but it's ultimately old-fashioned police work that gets the job done. To accomplish this task, Billingham brings in an array of other detectives and police personnel (I particularly like Chamberlain and Hendricks), who are very well-drawn characters who play off Thorne in very distinctive, individual ways and have their own very unique personalities.I found this novel pretty hard to put down, once I'd started; it was definitely gripping. Things happened very quickly, and puzzles seemed to become more intricate as time went on. Not only was the mystery itself interesting, but the issues in Thorne's personal life (his partner, Louise, miscarries a baby at the novel's outset-- that's not giving anything away; it happens on page one) are compelling and press you to seek a resolution. Italicized chapters that clearly fall outside the linear timeline of the novel hint at something devestating occurring as a result of what's taking place in the novel, at the conclusion, but these are only teasing hints at the conclusion, giving the reader the vaguest idea of what the outcome might be.I hadn't read any books in this series before, but I'm definitely interested in reading more of them now. The novel hinted at past cases solved and personal incidents from the past, so if you're a real stickler about reading things in series order, it might not be best to start with this book, the eighth in the series. If you're not overly particular, then you'll be able to catch up and fall in with Tom Thorne's world just fine, as I did-- no problems there. I liked this set of characters, the particular police setting, the way people interacted with each other in a very realistic way, and a serial killer plot that was interesting without being completely over-the-top well enough to want to read more of Billingham's books and see what else he has to offer.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For the longest time Mark Billingham was my little secret. I had discovered a fantastic author from across the pond and delighted in letting my crime/thriller aficionados at the library know about this fantastic author. Billingham is definitely not a secret any longer.Bloodline is the eighth book to feature Murder Squad Detective Tom Thorne. Thorne is a wonderfully conflicted, stubborn, clever man who sometimes makes the wrong choices...Thorne is called out on what seems to be a domestic murder. It looks like the husband is the culprit and Thorne is happy to have a quick open and shut case. But when a piece of x-ray is found in the victim's fist, the case isn't as straight forward as he thought. Another crime victim is also found with a piece of x-ray that jigsaws the first piece. With those two clues, Thorne pieces together what the two victims have in common - and it isn't pretty. I don't want to spoil the plot - so I'm not going to let you know what it is!Thorne has his hands full this time, facing a killer who is incredibly clever...and has his eye on Thorne.I love this character. Billingham has slowly revealed more and more of him every book. His personal life seems to be coming together at last, but with Thorne you never know. I enjoy his taste in music as well!The plot is very, very clever. As is the killer. Billingham had me guessing until the very end.If you've caught up on all of the Michael Connelly or John Sandford series, get started on Mark Billingham - highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A routine murder, turns serial for Tom Thorne & his team and links back 15 years. For some reason this book didn't hold my attention as much as I wanted it to. Thorne's girlfriend is unusually understanding after her miscarriage, with Thorne finding any excuse to ignore the situation. It's Ok, but not great.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first mystery/thriller I have read in a long time that was totally unpredictable. It was also a very entertaining read. I recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Blood Line rated 4 1/2, 8th of 9 books, not released in USA as of 2/22/11. These are my notes for my future reference and will contain significant spoilers ahead. A new series of murders tie back to a serial murderer who died in prison only a few years back. Though he had no son per official records, the investigation indicates the current killer is the son of the late Raymond Garvey and that Anthony Garvey is killing the offspring of his father's original victims. This new killer is very good and Thorne and team are quickly running out of potential victims to save. Louise has just miscarried, and Thorne seems lost and confused, and is little help to Louise. Dr. Phil plays a hefty role as does boss Bridgestock but others, specifically Dave Holland and family are barely in the story, ditto for Kitson. Retired Carol Chamberlain uncovers the most critical clues and Thorne arrives at the very last scene just in time to (almost) witness the death of the last victim. So what good did Thorne and team do? I suppose that this is real life and that in fact happens in many cases but this seems to be a strong and repeated element in this series. As usual, the police upper management are all boobs and are only interested in protecting their careers (MB - enough of that, already!) The story is quick paced, reasonably credible, I like Thorne, love London, and again my scoring may be a tad generous. Some of the family members of the victims were very well done and very interesting, a very diverse group, from a whore to an ad exec. Despite some indications that Thorne might truly want a baby now, he and Lou decide that their approach will be "wait and see"; I am confident that this series will NOT become The Family Hour.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first book I've read in Billingham's Tom Thorne series. It read well as a stand-alone, although I'm sure I would have understood more of Thorne's character, as well as the supporting characters, had I read the series from the start. The plot was well developed, with twists that kept me guessing until the end. The one negative issue I had with this book is that Billingham often went back in time with various characters and these scenes weren't set apart as past events. Consequently, I'd occasionally find myself disoriented with a page or two, until it began to make sense that the scene and characters were in the past. Also, the opening scene was completely disconnected from anything at the beginning of the story. It wasn't until about 1/3 of the way through that the characters in that one scene were even introduced, so that any of that opening scene could begin to make sense.Overall, I enjoyed Billingham's writing style and look forward to reading more from him. ** I received this ebook for review from Hachette Book Group through NetGalley. **
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A serial killer is leaving clues clenched in the hand of his victims…a piece of a bloodstained X-ray which, when pieced together gives a clue to Detective Tom Thorne. All of the victims are children of the victims of Raymond Garvey, a serial killer from the 1980s. While Thorne is chasing down leads his personal life is on rocky terrain. His girlfriend, Louise, just lost their baby and is having a difficult time dealing with the loss. She is also a cop but the reader never gets to see her in action as she spends time grieving and sniping at Thorne. The killer is easy to determine as the plot has been used in a number of television shows. Once the police know the names of the rest of the potential victims, they convince them to be placed under protective custody. Only one woman, Debbie Mitchell, refuses to leave her house since relocation would upset her autistic son, Jason. Thorne and Louise are a somewhat boring couple and the plot plods along, not really gaining steam until the end as a twist throws off the investigation and the police race to catch the killer who always seems to anticipate their next move.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There were a number of things I liked about Bloodline, so it's hard to know exactly where to start. If you're a fan of a good police procedural, this is definitely your kind of book, let it be said. This is not the flashy forensics-solves-everything type of novel were the magic happens in the forensics labs; it's very much centered on the brainwork and deductions of our (of course, flawed-- we wouldn't want it any other way!) central character, Tom Thorne. Billingham doesn't pretend that we're living in 1950 and that forensics and science don't play a role at all; on the contrary, they are pretty important to the book's plot and resolution, no blinders on here, but it's ultimately old-fashioned police work that gets the job done. To accomplish this task, Billingham brings in an array of other detectives and police personnel (I particularly like Chamberlain and Hendricks), who are very well-drawn characters who play off Thorne in very distinctive, individual ways and have their own very unique personalities.I found this novel pretty hard to put down, once I'd started; it was definitely gripping. Things happened very quickly, and puzzles seemed to become more intricate as time went on. Not only was the mystery itself interesting, but the issues in Thorne's personal life (his partner, Louise, miscarries a baby at the novel's outset-- that's not giving anything away; it happens on page one) are compelling and press you to seek a resolution. Italicized chapters that clearly fall outside the linear timeline of the novel hint at something devestating occurring as a result of what's taking place in the novel, at the conclusion, but these are only teasing hints at the conclusion, giving the reader the vaguest idea of what the outcome might be.I hadn't read any books in this series before, but I'm definitely interested in reading more of them now. The novel hinted at past cases solved and personal incidents from the past, so if you're a real stickler about reading things in series order, it might not be best to start with this book, the eighth in the series. If you're not overly particular, then you'll be able to catch up and fall in with Tom Thorne's world just fine, as I did-- no problems there. I liked this set of characters, the particular police setting, the way people interacted with each other in a very realistic way, and a serial killer plot that was interesting without being completely over-the-top well enough to want to read more of Billingham's books and see what else he has to offer.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    British mystery. Only read about a third of it. I just could not get interested in it. Characters seemed very bland.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the eighth book in the series, but the first one I’ve read. The good thing is, I wasn’t lost at all. I may have been missing some backstory and nuances of the main characters, but it wasn’t evident.I thought this was a solid premise. People are being murdered, and the only link the police can find is to a serial killer from years gone by. Problem is, he’s dead. Is it a copycat? Or something more?In between trying to solve the case and keeping possible future victims safe, Thorne is dealing with a serious personal issue – his girlfriend has miscarried, and he really isn’t sure how to deal with it. I think this added an interesting dimension not only to Thorne, but to the story itself.I will definitely seek out the other books in this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jumping genres over to the crime fiction, this is a book about a detective living in London trying to track down a serial killer who is offing the children of the victims that a serial killed murdered 15 years before. The detective is Tom Thorne and this seems to be another in a series of books about him though I've not read any before. I might in future though. I like the way it was written. I didn't guess the twist at the end but then i almost never do.There's a sub plot regarding Thorne's personal life. He lives with Louise, also a cop with the kidnapping division who's just had a miscarraige at the start of the book so he's dealing with confusing feelings about that as well. We also get insight into one of the potential victims who has a son with a disability though we don't learn much about the rest of the victims, just bits and pieces.The narrative jumps between Thorne's investigation to the killer's journal and scenes between the killer and someone else (not saying who or what to avoid spoilers) and you don't meet the characters described in the first scene in the book until a bit later. It's kind of like movies that show you something that happens nearer the end then they back up and start from the beginning.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bloodline is the 8th book in a series featuring DI Tom Thorne.The cases that Tom Thorne and his colleagues investigate are usually serial killer cases with a twist. This time, the body count rises quickly, and the team realise that the connection is that all those murdered are the children of the victims in a previous case. The man convicted for those murders is in prison, so who is targeting the next generation?I really like this series and I enjoyed reading this book, but I didn’t find the hunt for the killer as compelling as I thought it should have been this time round. The police have been able to identify a list of likely victims and are trying to protect the surviving ones while they look for the murderer, and this offers some suspense.However, what I still enjoyed in this book, and what will draw me back to any future episodes in the series, is the characters and the story of Thorne’s personal life. This novel opens with a very sad scene as Thorne and his girlfriend go for an antenatal scan only to discover that their baby has already died. He could and probably should take some time off to deal with the emotional fallout, but as soon as he hears about the new case coming in, he is driving off to look at the body.I found the personal story in this far more interesting than the murder investigation, although I think that part of the novel is perfectly competently written. I was far more anxious to know if Thorne would stop working for long enough to talk and/or listen to Louise and sort things out with her, and about the future of their relationship, than about the case.I think this is well worth a read for fans of Mark Billingham’s previous work, but I would recommend one of the early books in the series, for example Sleepy Head or Scaredy Cat, as a better place to meet Tom Thorne for the first time, as I think the cases are more interesting and the dramatic tension in those books is more focused on the crime investigation.