The Bones Beneath

Tom Thorne #12

by Mark Billingham

The Bones Beneath, the twelfth novel in the internationally bestselling Tom Thorne series shows Thorne facing perhaps the most dangerous killer he has ever put away, Stuart Nicklin. When Nicklin announces that he wishes to reveal the whereabouts of one of his earliest victims and that he wants the cop who caught him to be there when he does it, it becomes clear that Thorne’s life is about to become seriously unpleasant. Thorne is forced to accompany Nicklin to a remote island off the Welsh coast which is cut off from the mainland in every sense. Shrouded in myth and legend, it is said to be the resting place of 20,000 saints and as Thorne and his team search for bones that are somewhat more recent, it becomes clear that Nicklin’s motives are far from altruistic.

The twisted scheme of a dangerous and manipulative psychopath will result in many more victims and will leave Tom Thorne with the most terrible choice he has ever had to make.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Detective, British Literature

400 pages, Hardcover

First published May 22, 2014

About the author

Also writes as Will Peterson with Peter Cocks.

Mark Billingham was born and brought up in Birmingham. Having worked for some years as an actor and more recently as a TV writer and stand-up comedian his first crime novel was published in 2001. Mark lives in North London with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Alan Cotterell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of his best

Unfortunately I can't claim to be Mark Billinghams top fan, as I have struggled to finish a couple in this series. However when they are good, they are very good. This is one of the best out of the series that I have read so far. I have to say that the best seem to be set outside London.
As a few other reviewers have stated, it is pushing the boundaries a bit to believe that this trip would have actually happened with so little security and backup. But that's artistic licence! I have already read the next book, which was also good, maybe he is improving?

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Thorne book 12: Back as a detective, only to find his next job is escorting Stuart Nicklin to the suspected burial site of one of his first victims! A difficult case and tough situation only get worse. A very compelling - 8 out of 12.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy

Tom Thorne is back in charge – but there’s a terrifying price to pay. Stuart Nicklin, the most dangerous psychopath he has ever put behind bars, promises to reveal the whereabouts of a body he buried twenty-five years before. But only if Thorne agrees to escort him.

So as a long time fan of Tom Thorne, I was delighted to receive a beautiful copy of this book through the post one day, and even more delighted with how blinking good it was! I’m pretty sure its my favourite for a very particular reason that I will come to in a while.

In this instalment Tom reluctantly accompanies killer Stuart Nicklin and a small group of people to Bardsey Island on the understanding that Nicklin will reveal the whereabouts of an old murder victim…but as the weather closes in the danger is palpable..

Absolutely brilliantly constructed this one – edge of the seat stuff with a slow burn – not that easy to achieve. Atmospherically speaking it is a marvel, and every step taken you just KNOW is going to lead to disaster, you can see it coming and can’t look away…I could hardly put it down. I’ve always loved how Mr Billingham can walk the line between character depth and thrilling plot development, never one being sacrificed for the other, I’m always right with the people all the way.

The build up to the extremely breathtaking and dramatic finale is perfect and all in all this was a most terrific read.

What made this even better? I could see this one in my minds eye so clearly as the rather addictive story flowed on because the setting was one that I know extremely well. Pwllheli will be my next (and hopefully last) place of residence, I have been house hunting in that area and I know every part of that world like the back of my hand after many many happy times spent there. Bardsey Island, Aberdaron, Abersoch, all alive in my memory and extremely well described here, so I absolutely lived this one. Thank you Mr Billingham!

All in all a magnificent addition to the series, which just gets better and better. Long live Tom Thorne.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Thorne continues to develop and screw up in his own special way in every book. He's is a great character to spend time with, and after 12 books, he feels real to me. Mark Billingham (ugh: not billingsly) doesn't let these stories get repetitive, even in this book that revisits the villain in Scaredy Cat. I read S. C. almost five years ago and was surprised the premise and action were still vivid in my memory.

I guess I'm not losing it after all.....who cares if I can't remember phone numbers anymore :-)

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been quite some time since I read any of this series. I didn’t really care much for the Thomas Thorne character...but the title of this one intrigued me so thought I give Thomas another try. The story centers around a serial killer, who, while in prison confesses to another murder many years previously. The victim was a young boy whose mother has longed to find his body. I found it a bit unbelievable that a prisoner convicted of murder would have been transported such a great distance by boat and by car and with only one police official and so little security. To make matters worse there was a second prisoner along for the ride. The motive for the kidnapping along with everyone’s identities are carefully concealed giving the reader only brief flashes...but these brief flashes certainly raise very interesting questions about how and why this crime fits into the overall plot. It is not until the very end of the story that everything finally becomes heartbreakingly clear.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Billingham knows how to write a page turner and The Bones Beneath is no exception. I have rated the book 4 stars for his easy writing style and the suspense he evokes - I was desperate to know what was coming next.
I found the premise of the plot - Thorne escorting psychopath Stuart Nicklin to a remote island in Wales to uncover the bones of a boy he murdered 25 years before - rather farcical. Yes, I know, they did it with Ian Brady so in these modern days of touchy feeling policing it is possible but I can't swallow a) they would let Nicklin bring a friend, b) 2 convicted killers are let out with only 2 prison guards and 3 policemen to guard them, c) they made the journey to the island on a civilian boat, d) there was no senior officer overseeing the operation on the ground and that is just the bits I can talk about without spoilers. So whilst I'm on a rant I also think the Tom/Stuart thing is getting a bit Archie and Gretchen (Chelsea Cain) - hapless detective tormented by omniscient and omnipotent serial killer. I can see why an author would want to develop a complex character like Stuart Nicklin beyond one book but I, and I'm sure most readers, read the books as they come out and have long forgotten the detail of previous encounters and are looking for fresh plots.
Ok rant over. I found The Bones Beneath a good read by suspending my disbelief and just taking it all at face value - it is fiction after all so why should I be bothered by unrealities and yet I was! I like the character of Tom Thorne as he's very human and I like the way Mr Billingham makes his other characters, excluding Stuart Nicklin, seem real with their speech and actions. I thought the descriptions of the island were very atmospheric and added to Thorne's sense of unease.
To sum up I would recommend you leave your disbelief on page one and enjoy a good, atmospheric page turner.

[Jamie Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

Most of my books seem a bit rubbish after Mr Mercedes, however when this turned up, I thought it would remind me there are other authors I like. Mark Billingham [i] was [/i] becoming something of a favourite

I've pulled all nighters to read some of the Thorne series, however this one took me several days...

For me it tends to be a bad sign if a book requires a map on the fly leaf. A frontspiece of Welsh translated words made my heart sink a little further. One of the things I love about the Thorne series is it's set in London...The Wlesh Translations turned out to be pointless, because they are not used!

The cynical part of me can't help noticing this series has gone downhill since it became a TV series and has become a cash cow , written for television rather than a well crafted and researched series of books with a complete, plausible story in each one...

I'd recommend reading (I think it is the burning girl) [b] The Burning Girl [/b] , partly because this is related to that and mostly because it's much better than this written- for- television bag of nails.

Nicklin a a killer from Thorne's early cases and cause of the pain in Thorne's backside( I refuse to use the word nemesis because it's as overused as genius and is becoming meaningless as a result) has confessed to hiding a body several years ago, on a remote Welsh Island...Why Wales? (Could it be that UK TV companies get MASSIVE tax credits for filming in Wales, where as London Town is a difficult and expensive security nightmare plagued with endless continuity issues for filming in? Hmm. Head scratcher ain't it?)

Anyway, the mother of the boy that was killed has pleaded with Nicklin to find the body, he agreed with conditions that Thorne is in charge and he can take a friend from prison with him...sorry but that's a blatant, slightly sickening exploitation of poor winnie Johnson's desperate plea to the monster Ian Brady to reveal the location on the Moors of her beloved son, Keith and let her put her son to rest before she died. He refused.

I'm sorry and please excuse my language, but WTF? I can give a million reasons why things wouldn't have happened as they did. Like special forces coverage in that environment. Wales is literally the place where SAS selection happens, they couldn't borrow a couple of blokes? Police x5 as back up? Helicopters? Not sending them out with no communications?

It is meant to be fast paced, yet 113 pages in and they haven't even got to the island because of the raking over old coals and baffling amount of detail about the Ford Galaxy's they are travelling in ( I like cars and I found this baffling, so I dread to think what some non car loving readers will think. Maybe ford are the newest sponsors of the crappy TV show) The whole thing on the Island is frankly ridiculous, the most interesting story was about the friend from prison. The Nicklin stuff is just stupid. Really stupid.

It ends with a blatant lead on to a follow up story. Which I probably won't be reading. Because this was not a 'book'. This was commercial exercise to pad out the television series. I'm actually thinking about getting a refund because I feel conned.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 12th book in the Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham.
Another great novel by Billingham who is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I am now up to date with the series so I just have his stand alone books to read. For me this series started off very good but went slightly off the boil for a couple of books but the last 2/3 books have been outstanding. I can't wait for the next one.

[Kristal Kitap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yani yazar beni deli etti! Tüm kitap boyunca bekletti bekletti sonra patlattı olayları.

3,75.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read at all.

Good plot, if a little unbelievable (hence the 3 stars not 4).

Enough humour to balance the darkness of the storyline.

Recommended.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

After years in prison, Stuart Nicklin wants to reveal where he buried a body. He has a couple of conditions. One, he must be allowed to bring a fellow prisoner as his companion. Two, he must be accompanied by the police officer who put him in prison, Tom Thorne. So with 2 prison guards, Tom and his partner, plus the team who will be digging up the bones, they all journey to a remote Welsh island.

I was interested in the story. I wanted to know why he insisted on a fellow inmate accompanying them and there was a good twist to this part of the story. I knew Nicklin had something up his sleeve and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I felt from the start that this journey had the potential to end badly. I had a bit of difficulty following the story in places as a separate kidnapping and hostage situation happened and then there were flashbacks to the island when Nicklin was a teenaged offender there. I thought the story bogged down in the middle before the action starting picking up. The author did a good job of making me feel the ruggedness and remoteness of the island.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting plot and characters. This is the second book in this series I've read. While both have been well-written and entertaining, I don't think I can get into the characters and may not read any more of this series.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book I picked up off the Top 2016 Mysteries list. Didn't love this one. Detective takes a serial killer out of jail to show where he buried a victim on a very private island. And surprise! Things go terribly wrong. Pretty boring for the most part and not really anything surprising or mysterious.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say, I love Thorne and this book is no different. As it is not out yet I am not meant to quote from the book, but I will say it has a superb ending. I really think it is about time that Thorne met a nice girl from New Zealand and settled down ;-)

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorne is interesting as usual. I'm tired of Nicklin. Not Billingham's best.

[Book Addict Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I even start telling you how amazing this book is I have to say thank you to Little, Brown for sending me a review copy of this book. Mark is one of the best crime writers ever and one of my favourites. His books are always amongst my most anticipated every year and so receiving this book early was amazing and this is easily the best book post I've received since starting the blog.

So, the actual book itself... I seem to be repeating myself every time I finish the latest books by my favourite authors by saying it was their best book yet, but this really was! I can't believe it's the 12th Thorne book. That is a huge achievement for any author and as this was the best book yet I am hoping Mark will be writing Thorne books for many more years to come. Thorne is easily one of the best fictional detectives ever created and one of my all time favourite male characters. I just love reading about him.

The book kicks off immediately getting us reacquainted with Thorne and his colleague Dave Holland. In the previous book Thorne almost lost both his life and his job, he was already close to losing it anyway, being back in uniform and unable to follow the rules (for newbies, following rules isn't really Thorne's strong point...) however in this book Thorne is back out of uniform and is once again in charge.

DCI Russell Brigstocke has some bad news for Thorne. Stuart Nicklin, one of the most evil characters Thorne has ever put away has decided to tell the police where a body is that he buried 20 odd years ago on a remote Welsh island. The only problem is he will only show Thorne, and so Thorne has to escort Nicklin to this Welsh island in the hope of actually achieving something and not being given the runaround. Nicklin however wants to bring along a friend, and Thorne has a few conditions of his own, choosing the people he will be taking with him for a start.

Stuart Nicklin is an evil but extremely fascinating character to read about. All too often in crime fiction we are given some psychopathic characters who go on murderous rampages every other page and just wreak havoc and whilst that's enjoyable, it doesn't really affect me, however it is the characters like Nicklin that really hit home for me. You can imagine them existing in real life as they do each and every day on the news and the story just feels all the more real because of that. He is a master manipulator and the reader knows he has a plan when he gets to the island, what that plan is however is anybody's guess and let me tell you when it was revealed I was left speechless. Now having read crime fiction for many years I like to guess killers and plots early on in books however the twist here I simply did not see coming and this just made the book a hundred times more enjoyable.

Mark has manipulated the reader just as well as Nicklin manipulated Thorne and I applaud him for writing what I think is one of his best and most exciting books to date. The plot twist actually made my jaw drop. One of my favourite things about Mark's books is Thorne's London, it just comes alive on the page for me and so I was wary, as with when he went to Spain, about Thorne leaving London but it worked fantastically well. The setting here was brilliant, eery and atmospheric and just the perfect setting for a book like this. Mark's latest newsletter tells us that the next Thorne book will also take him out of London and I can't wait though I am itching for Thorne to have another case in the capital.

Fans of Billingham are really going to love this book I think, and those new to this author could read this as a standalone but as the Thorne books are some of the best the genre has to offer I seriously recommend starting from the beginning. It's been a while since I read the first few Thorne books but I'm thinking a reread may be on the cards sooner rather than later. Please do not hesitate to pick up and devour this book, I had it finished in just over a day. A brilliant and unputdownable read from one of the best authors in the business.

[Gary M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not read any of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne novels for a few years - there's no real reason for that but I followed the series for maybe the first five books, getting the books as they came out, before I started reading other series crime novels. I wanted see how other's authors tackled the problem of carrying the same character through a series of books and I went through a lot of Rebus, the entire Jack Frost series and of course the excellent Wallander books. Since then I'd become hooked on Nordic Noir and have been reading the likes of Jo Nesbo and going through the Jowall and Wahoo's Beck books. So many book and so little time.

I'd always intended to go back to Tom Thorne but for some reason (probably because I always had my nose buried in some book or other) I never got around to it...until now. Reading the blurb for Billingham's twelfth Tom Thorne thriller I discovered that Stuart Nicklin played a big part - Nicklin was the deranged serial killer in the second Thorne book, Scardey Cat, and it was this reason that attracted me to the novel. My memories of Scardey Cat is that it was an exceptional thriller - it's a cliche to say you couldn't stop turning the pages but in the case of Scardey Cat I remember that as being true. In the years since then and now it seems that Nicklin's become Thorne's Moriarty and from what I learned reading The Bones Beneath he's appeared in bit parts in several of the Thorne novels I've missed. I'll have to remedy that and go read the ones I've missed because, The Bones Beneath is absolutely brilliant.

It doesn't matter if, like me, you haven't read the entire series because in terms of the story, The Bones Beneath reads just a standalone thriller, it can be read on its own without any loss of enjoyment. It's pretty much a self contained story but of course there has been a lot of character development during the earlier books, but Thorne's just as I remember him, though these days he seems to be in a loving relationship and has only just returned to his Detective Inspector role after being busted back to a uniformed officer, for something that occured in one of the previous thrillers.

The Bones Beneath gives us Billingham's answer to the locked room mystery - well sort of, since the bulk of the book takes place on a remote Welsh Island with a limited cast of character. The weather's turned nasty and there is no way off the island which Thorne shares with deranged killer, Stuart Nicklin, another killer who is anything but deranged named Jeffrey Batchelor, seveal other police officers, a few prison guards and a myraid group of people who live on the island. The reason we are here is that there was once a young offenders hostel on the island, and Stuart Nicklin had been an inmate. Now Nicklin reveals that he once killed a fellow inmate there and wants to reveal where the body is to finally bring closure to the family - echoes of the real life drama when Ian Brady cruelly refused to reveal where he had buried the body of Keith Bennet despite the anguish this caused the young boys mother. Brady of course took that secret to the grave with him.


Nicklin though wants to show where the body of his victim is buried, but he has several conditions - firstly that his fellow, Long Lartin (a Catagory A high security prison) inmate Jeffrey Batchelor comes on the trip, and that the police officer leading the search is none other than his nemesis, Tom Thorne. Of course we know Nicklin has his reasons for these conditions but when the truth comes out towards the end of the book, you think - 'Shit, why didn't I spot that?'

The book plays out far differently that the reader expects and the suspense is excellently built up until we are, here's that cliche again, turning the pages at the speed of knots - the nautical term is apropos given that the sea plays such a part in the book.

Welcome back Tom Thorne....let's not leave it so long next time.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This latest book featuring detective Tom Thorne takes a rather different approach to the ones that preceded it. Although there is usually some sort of twist, the Thorne books are usually whodunnits but this one is an exception to the rule. It acts a sequel to the second book in the series, Scaredy Cat and features the worst murderer Thorne has ever encountered, Stuart Nicklin.

On the surface the plot doesn't really seem to be anything special. Thorne is forced by his superiors to lead a team to a remote island so that Nicklin can show them where he buried one of his earliest victims. Afraid of the media reaction if they refuse, the police are forced to accept Nicklin's conditions- that Thorne is the man in charge and that a fellow prisoner be allowed to accompany the team.

The real strength in this work is the characterisation. Billingham has always been strong with this but thanks to complicated plots it is usually a small element in his books. Here though it is the key part of the book as the pace is appropriately slow. We see more of Thorne's mind than ever before, what being a detective can do to someone. Then there's Nicklin, a murderer who is terrifying and worryingly plausible. Rarely has a villain been so well written.

There are a few things that I didn't like about this book which lost it the final star. For one thing, whilst the setting is good and works quite well, the concept of being trapped on a remote island with a killer is so cliche it is ridiculous. Perhaps the biggest issue though it just how late Billingham leaves it before the action starts. I get the idea that he was building tension and he does so rather well but right from the beginning we know Nicklin has a plan and it takes until the very end of the book before it is revealed. It works well leaving it quite late but I kind have feel Billingham just left it a little too late. The action doesn't last very long and it feels like we are given a very rushed ending.

This is a great addition to the series and the best book involving Throne since perhaps the book where Nicklin made his debut. A few niggly problems aside, this is really enjoyable.

[Rita · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely rate books so low as in my opinion every book has a special something to distinguish it. That being said, this thriller was anything but one. Literally nothing happened throughout the book except for its very last few pages and so I was constantly tempted to give it up.

[Paulo Nuin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time.

[ReadsSometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing. Gripping, and full of suspense. Didn't see the end coming at all. A must read!

[Lynn]

The Bones Beneath takes a different turn from other Tom Thorne books. We catch up with Stuart Nicklin, a dangerous psychopath, who Thorne has tussled with in the past. Nicklin has come forward to say he murdered another teenage boy when they were housed on remote Bardsey Island in an experimental program to set young offenders on the right path. Thorne with an investigative team and two jail guards accompany Nicklin and another prisoner to Bardsey Island in Wales to locate the grave site. Things get complicated.

I backtracked to read this entry in one of my favourite series, not sure how I missed this book. It felt very comfortable settling in for a read in one of my favourite procedural series. All caught up now and ready for Book #18 which comes out this year.

On another note, the legend of Bardsey Island is that King Arthur is buried there...

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this - it was a comfort to be reading Billingham’s easy prose, returning to familiar characters, experiencing some new avenues explored and learning a little about the Welsh isle of Ynys Enlli. Much of the novel built slowly and absorbingly, there were some wonderful moments of description and a plot which kept me guessing.

The ending, however, I found disappointing. It felt like a misstep, it wasn’t convincing, it just didn’t really sit comfortably for me with the preceding four hundred pages. I’m not wholly sure what would have worked as a satisfying conclusion, but IMHO it was not this.

[Mysticpt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, most of this book wasn’t very believable, and I’m pretty tired of the Nicklin character. I was hoping we’d seen the last of him, but I guess that is not going to be the case. I will round up to 3 stars but hopefully the next entry is more to my taste.

[Hpnyknits · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed!!!
A psychopath wants a day trip. To a very remote location. What could possibly go wrong????😱
This situation has been written so many times and was so predictable.

[Kevin Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Winner from Mark Billingham, this realy is a first class series. Highly recommended.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший детектив, не супер вау, але на раз те що треба)

[Jim Birchall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Thorne is a great character. He faces one of his Nemesis
Actually got to page 170 and realised I'd read this before. Didn't stop me finishing it One of Mark Billinghams best 👍🏻

[Sofia Monteiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it ended there was no ending for me.
Desapointed. Read the last 5 chapters twice and I dont understand what this book is telling me

[Paul Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. You can tell it’s part of a series, but I read this as a stand alone book and it’s made me want to start at the beginning.
Clever plot and good dialogue, really well written crime thriller.