The Killing Habit

April 23, 2018
A spate of cat deaths propels Billingham’s intriguing 15th novel featuring London Det. Insp. Tom Thorne (after 2017’s Love like Blood). Assigned to the case, Thorne hates the ridicule that comes with it, until he discovers that the cats are connected to a group of unsolved murders. Since the investigation requires database searches and organizing information, tasks that aren’t this rule-breaker’s strength, he seeks the help of meticulous Det. Insp. Nicola Tanner, who had a major role in the previous book. Meanwhile, Tanner has her own case to solve: junkie Andan Jandali’s murder. Thorne and Tanner team up and work both cases. Tanner’s leads to a drug ring and a mysterious woman called the Duchess; Thorne’s to a dating website where a serial killer hunts his victims. The stakes rise when a sting operation goes bad and puts Tanner in harm’s way. Readers have a dizzying array of characters to keep track of, but the action moves swiftly toward a big twist and the satisfying conclusion. This entry shows why Billingham stands at the forefront of British crime authors. Agent: David Forrer, Inkwell Management.

April 15, 2018
One of DI Tom Thorne's most harrowing cases begins with evidence that someone's taken to slaughtering...cats."Tomicide?" Thorne's boss, DCI Russell Brigstocke, wonders if the Homicide squad should rename itself after it's asked to investigate the gruesome deaths of at least 15 cats throughout greater London. Since butchering animals is, along with wetting the bed and setting fires, one of the classic symptoms of a nascent serial killer, the powers that be are worried that someone is preparing for a more serious spate of felonies. But consulting psychiatrist Dr. Melita Perera plants a still more disturbing seed in Thorne's head: What if, instead of working up to homicide, the cat killer is actually cooling down in between human murders? As soon as Thorne and DI Nicola Tanner, back on the job after her partner's own murder (Love Like Blood, 2017), start to look for unsolved cases, an unnervingly large number of possibilities leap out: retired librarian Patricia Somersby, Bristol University student Annette Mangan, Norwich physician Leila Fadel, all of them strangled by an unknown person who remains at large--not to mention Alice Matthews, a victim who's still cooling in the mortuary. In addition to spearheading Operation Felix, Thorne and Tanner must also decide whether city trader Andrew Evans, recently released from prison after his distracted driving claimed the life of a boy he ran down, can possibly be innocent in the fatal shooting of Adnan Jandali, like Evans a drug addict hopelessly in debt to his suppliers, despite the mountain of evidence against him. The main feature the two cases seem to share is an endless tangle of false leads. Will they converge in some more spectacular fashion?The unusual premise will hook you, but it's Billingham's patience and persuasiveness in unfolding its grim details that will keep you reading long past the hour when all cats are gray.

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Starred review from May 1, 2019
London Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is summoned to what he thinks will be a routine suicide call. A young woman named Phillippa Goodwin threw herself in front of a train. It just doesn't seem right to Thorne, so he digs a little deeper. He learns the young women had been ruthlessly conned to the point that she decided to end her own life. Tracking down the con man is a daunting task, so Thorne pulls in another DI, Nicola Tanner, to partner with him. The pair share a tragedy in the past, but they keep painful memories at bay with a combination of alternately self-deprecating and insulting banter. Next up: a young man's battered body is found at a nearby oceanside town. Soon enough the detectives connect the young man and the suicide. The obsession and madness at the core of the case are unexpected and frightening. This is a fantastic thriller, combining a gripping plot and lead characters of remarkable depth. Billingham is a multiple-award winner, and his books have sold more than six million copies. Readers who grab this one but aren't familiar with its predecessors will be seeking them out. A series to savor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)