Death Message

Tom Thorne #7

by Mark Billingham

The first message sent to Tom Thorne's mobile phone was just a picture - the blurred image of a man's face, but Thorne had seen enough dead bodies in his time to know that the man was no longer alive. But who was he? Who sent the photograph? And why? While the technical experts attempt to trace the sender, Thorne searches the daily police bulletins for a reported death that matches the photograph. Then another picture arrives. Another dead man ...It is the identities of the murdered men which give Thorne his first clue, a link to a dangerous killer he'd put away years before and who is still in prison. With a chilling talent for manipulation, this man has led another inmate to plot revenge on everyone he blames for his current incarceration, and for the murder of his family while he was inside. Newly released, this convict has no fear of the police, no feelings for those he is compelled to murder. Now Tom Thorne must face one of the toughest challenges of his career, knowing that there is no killer more dangerous than one who has nothing left to lose.

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

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

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

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Thorne book No. 7 is another compelling case for Thorne fans - someone's killing biker gang members, and police officers! And Thorne gets sent a death message, recording of each of the kills! Pursuing the case sees Thorne having to take huge gambles that may cost him friendships and his badge! Kitson works on a random murder, and Louise is still around. Great book, superb protagonists and a truly absorbing case. 8 out of 12.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

A solid entry for the series without ever excelling like some of the previous novels in this series have. It’s been a while since I’ve read one of these which might also have influenced the overall score as there were a fair few characters I’d forgotten about and the impact on Thorne and his life they played. Saying that, some of the main re-occurring themes were still clear in my memory which was key as somebody from the earlier books crops up also with key things from the middle of the series having an impact at the end. Basically, don’t read this one out of sequence!

The hunt is on as Thorne is being messaged videos of people being murdered/their murdered bodies as an ex-convict looks to wreak revenge on those who caused him to be sent down for a crime they didn’t commit. Things are quite interesting as the lines of communication between Thorne and the bad guy are kept under wraps as Thorne believes there to be some “dirty cops” in on the act and he wants to fly solo. One word for that; idiotic.

However, it wouldn’t be much of a story if things were done by the book. That is what makes Thorne a unique interesting character. He’s got a bit of a rogue loner with a drinking problem vibe going on which puts him in a small bracket of every other police novel going but the writing and twists do enough to keep things interesting in the series and the location of London makes things a little different too. This one doesn’t excel in showing it’s worth a place at the table with all the other detective fiction but the series as a whole is a good one and I would recommend the series for anyone wanting a look at some English Detective fiction.

If you like this try: “The Concrete Blonde” by Michael Connolly

[Alma (retirement at last) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever, I love Tom Thorne, he’s a rogue cop that can never toe the line, he’s miserable, lives alone and loves country and western music. What’s not to love😁
I have read the previous books in the series and there are references to previous cases but not too much to detract from the storylines going on in this book.
One man on a crusade and I don’t mean Thorne, revenge, loss, grief and anger are all part and parcel in this one. Crooked cops on the take and even a little bit of a love element for Thorne but how long that will last, if his past experiences are anything to go by, who knows. I’ll just have to keep reading to the end of the series.
Easy to read even though there are a lot of characters and often the reader wants the so called bad guy to eke his revenge. So morals and values are not so straight forward as everyone likes to think. There are a lot of grey areas. The question always left up in the air is ‘What would you want to do under the same circumstances’.

[Gail Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, okay, admittedly I'm a pushover for British crime novels, but most will be, too, after reading any of Mark Billingham's seven Tom Thorne thrillers. Thorne is a Detective Investigator with savvy and a heart, very human, so we relate to him easily, sprout goose bumps when he's in deep trouble, and once we begin a Thorne title cannot put it down until the end. By now he seems like an old friend, one we know well but still cannot predict what he will say or do next.

Billingham brings his latest thriller very much to the present by the important use of a cellphone. Just as Thorne walks into his kitchen to tell Elvis he's sorry for forgetting to feed her and to make some tea his cellphone rings. He knew who it would be from - Louise, which made him smile. But then the phone rang again and this message was as far from Louise as possible. "It was a multimedia message, with a photograph attached.....and Tom Thorne knew a dead man when he saw one."

As techies scramble to trace the sender another photo arrives, and before long Thorne finds himself faced with an enemy capable of manipulating others into doing his dastardly deeds for him, and it starts to hit Thorne very close to home.

In police lingo the phrase "death message" refers to telling someone that they have just lost a loved one. But, in this case, those messages are directed toward Thorne but why and by whom?

- Gail Cooke

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally I enjoy Mark Billingham's books but I have struggled with this one, I found it very slow. it did not hold my attention . Disappointing.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, great characters, but I have jumped into the middle of the series, so some parts were a little disconnected to me. Still very worthwhile and recommended.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. Thorne investigates the murder of a biker and gets entwined in a murderers Machiavelli plot for revenge. Corruption, gangs and Thorne’s love life all come together.

Marcus Brooks is in prison for murder and is visited by the police to be informed that his partner and son were killed on a zebra crossing by a hit and run driver. After he is released Marcus is bent on revenge and Thorne is informed in advance on who are the victims.

The story is a bit odd with Thorne not informing his superiors of some of the messages he gets. He also doesn’t tell Louise his girlfriend about them which leads to a frantic chase through London to stop his friend Hendricks being murdered.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first time I was reading a book by Mark Billingham. Though I would not say the book was boring, I felt that it was very slow paced. I felt there was nothing much striking in this novel as compared to many other novels which would want to turn the pages to know what is happening. After the actual killer was revealed in maybe 1/3 rd of the story, it was all about finding out why the killer is actually killing others and who is the real reason behind this. I think it will take a lot of effort for me to pick up one more of his.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am usually a fan of this series, but not when it deals with gang warfare or the criminal underworld. That is simply something I am not interested in, and there's too much of it here! So that's a personal preference - much the same reason I gave The Burning Girl a low score. I prefer the serial killer/murder mystery aspect - ghoulish, I know! Billingham avoids the cliches that plague most other British police procedurals, so that is why I keep coming back to them, even when I don't like one!

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's like every character has the same voice, you know?

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a slow book but intersting.
Thorne recieves death Messages. Dead people or people who are going to die. It's a race against time to find the perpetrator and as to the reason why they are murdering people.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the character of Tom thorne is getting stronger and stronger as each book passes and in this one the reader is rewarded by revisiting two previous villains as our troubled detective starts receiving images of his phone which appear to be of a murder.

[Fairylights · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, easy reading met police thriller. It's book 7 though .... Might have to get the previous books from the library

[Mark Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent ready with the author making you wait right till the end to tie up all loose ends. Can’t wait to start the next one.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read, gives a Criminal Minds feel

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't so compelled with the actual crime story behind this book, not as much as I usually am anyway, but it was the characterisation and character development that raised this one up from probably a 3 to a 4 star. I don't like it when things are too neat, too easy. I feel like the character of Thorne is sufficiently complex that it isn't about morals or the law and you can easily see how somebody would break the rules for the best of reasons. I just thought the 'villain' was compelling and sympathetic, and a lot of the characters we know had some development work on them too; Hendricks for example has always struck me as a decent, funny, likeable person, but we saw a little edge to him in this, a sense that he has some unexplained darkness and I'm intrigued. I also still find the Hendricks/Thorne dynamic fascinating.

Of course you don't get to book 7 in a series without intending to carry on and I have already bought the next one in the series so we move onwards.

[Laura Crosse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may have been one of my most favourite crime/thriller books I've ever read. This genre is one of my constants throughout the years. I've always enjoyed a good crime thriller and when I stumbled upon Billingham I was delighted to find a good cop series based in Britain that I really enjoyed. Even though I'm Irish the British police force and judicial system are obviously slightly more similar and familiar to me than the American version so I just found myself more easily drawn to these books and their characters. Billingham faltered a little along the way with Burning Girl which I didn't enjoy as much as all the other books but it has done one positive thing and that is made me appreciate all the more when he gets it so brilliantly right and here's a good case in point.

Death Message was great from the very beginning. It had an original storyline, the characters were written fantastically, and it was just excellantly paced. Basically Thorne is dealing with a man who has recently been released from prison, and following the murder by hit and run of his wife and child, is embarking on a killing spree of anyone who he thinks is even remotely involved. He gets Thorne involved by sending him messages in various forms, pictures, videos and texts, of the dead or soon-to-be dead victim. Obviously this immediately makes Thorne feel intimately involved and soon he becomes all the more so.

I won't give away too much of the plot as it is just too good to give away but suffice to say it is very exciting all the way through and we meet some old and new characters along the way, some we loved and some we loved to hate. There is a part near the end where we once again see Thorne stray a bit over the line of good cop, bad cop but in this novel as opposed to previous ones, I feel like what he does is justified. I do see Thorne becoming more 'bent' as the series progresses but like Thorne I think the readers will also struggle to see what is truely considered justice and I for one am beginning to accept his slightly vigiliante ways.

Also I want to take a minute to talk about his romance with Louise. God am I rooting for this to work out and for her and Thorne to remain together through future instalments. I really like the way he shows his more vulnerable side around her and how she loves him but yet knows not to take any of his shit either. The ending gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside let's just leave it at that.

[Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/05/...

Death Message is the 7th novel in the Tom Thorne series and joins Tom as he’s thrust into a series of revenge killings with mob ties. The problem is, Tom is receiving pictures of the victims on his phone and at first has no idea why this killer feels the need to get so personal. As he and his colleagues get deeper into the case, and the body count rises, Tom begins to realize that someone else might be involved, someone he put away a while back. This psychopath may be pulling the killer’s strings, and be the puppet master in something farther reaching then Tom and his team could have imagined.

Tom Thorne is one of my favorite British detectives, and I always enjoy these books. Death Message was no exception, and the fascinating look at the British gang underworld had me turning the pages. It does take a while to build, but once I was invested, the ride was totally worth it. Aside from the myriad ins and outs of this frustrating case, Tom is also juggling his relationship with fellow cop, Louise Porter, and his friendship with pathologist, Phil Hendricks. Things with Louise might be getting a bit stale, and it doesn’t help that she seems to be confiding in Hendricks more than Tom. I adore Tom, but as usual, he ends up doing things according to his instincts sometimes, instead of procedure. More often than not, this yields results, but usually ends up in some sort of disciplinary action, or unintended consequences. Tom is a complex character but tends to keep things very internalized, much to the consternation of his friends and lovers. He always gets the job done, though, and cannot let evil go unpunished. Quite a few of Mark Billingham’s villians have been absolutely deplorable, but you’ll find yourself sympathizing with this one, and his motives for revenge are heartbreaking. Twists and turns abound, and this one wraps up rather surprisingly! If you like your procedurals full of rich characterizations and fascinating cases, this series is for you, and be sure to keep an eye out for my review of Bloodline, the next book featuring Tom Thorne!

[Diane Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read. The series continues to improve. I do note that some readers find these books slow and indeed a good reading friend has commented that she skims the more introspective passages. I beg to differ. I think that the slower more thoughtful passages and the more descriptive sections add another dimension to what would otherwise be just another Detective story. So, for me I love the style but there we are that's reading, we all have different tastes.

As for this story - oh dear, oh dear. You know that thing where you want to sigh heavily and say "Oh no, don't do that - really." well that was my reaction. Poor old Tom, he's his own worst enemy isn't he!

In this one we know from very early on who and why and what gives the thing its tension, in my humble opinion, is the "how the heck is this all going to work out." and I have to just say - in a very satisfying way indeed.

On to the next.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just won this from the Goodreads Giveaways. I'm looking forward to a something suspenseful.

It took me a little while to get into this book. The idea was interesting, a detective starts to receive photos of murder victoms texted to his cell phone and he has to figure out who it is and why they are doing it. Sounds good, right? Well, there is so much call back to his other books and the cases this detective has worked that I confused many times. Also, I found it hard to care anything about this detective. He just wasn't very likeable.

My wife says I should stop entering so many giveaways since I find them hard to read. I don't think I will, I like free books.

[Sian Wadey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the most recent Thorne book I have read, and I really enjoyed it. My only criticism is that at the beginning of the book you know who it is that is commiting the murders, therefore this one is more about the why and the capture, rather than the who and the chase. However, the ending is sublime and offers answers to Thorne, of a personal nature.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 7th book in the Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham. There were times in this book when I thought it was going to be one of his best but for me it failed to keep me gripped and lacked the suspense usually associated with Mark Billinghams work.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took far too long to get into. Story line did not grip me and the text was much too small

[Danielle Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ IT WAS GOOD BUT NOT GREAT -- This book was enjoyable, but I didn't LOVE it. I may have had some small issues with things like the plot or characterisation, or it may have just been a bit slow occasionally which led to my attention wandering. I'll also probably not remember this book distinctly in a few months time. Still, I would recommend this book to people who like other similar works.

----------

My ranking criteria (✅= Yes, ❌= No, ➖= Kind of/a little bit):

*Bonus points if I can't put the book down, it makes me feel strong emotion, or genuinely surprises me in some way.
*Penalty points for editing errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.), for children who act too mature or too young for their age (this is a bugbear of mine), or if there is something in the book that just really pisses me off for any reason.

1. I was sucked into the story from the beginning ➖
2. The story had a proper beginning, middle, and end ✅
3. The writing evoked a feeling of suspense ➖
4. I was engaged the whole way through/didn't get bored ➖
5. The characters were interesting ➖
6. There was some form of character development ➖
7. The book wasn't predictable in terms of relying on tired tropes, clichés, themes, stereotypes, etc. ➖
8. I cared about the outcome of the story ➖
9. I didn't work out the ending/the ending surprised me ➖
10. The ending was satisfying ✅

🌟 Bonus points: None.
☠️ Penalty points: None.

🏅 OVERALL RANKING: 6/10 (3/5 stars)

----------

Thoughts, Conclusion, and Recommendation:
*I am about a year behind on my reviews due to Goodreads giving me a "the servers are over capacity" error every time I tried to use it for MONTHS. As a result of this (and also my memory not being perfect), this review is likely going to be lighter on details and shorter than my reviews normally are.

Death Message is book 7 in the Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham. I picked up this series because I recently read The Last Dance by the same author, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess my main issue with the Tom Thorne series is that it is clearly (to me at least) written by an inexperienced author. The books are competent, and I am enjoying them enough to continue on with the series (and each one is an improvement on the one before), but there are some things that annoy me. For example, the number of ellipses (...) that Mark Billingham uses in these early books is just beyond a joke. So many conversations occur in which the people talking just trail off... rather than finishing their sentence. The ellipses are also over used when people are thinking, or when actions are being described; it's just too much for me, and is completely unnecessary. Also, Tom Thorne breaches confidentiality, breaks the rules, runs rough shod over boundaries, and generally just doesn't give a f*^k A LOT. I don't understand how he can keep getting away with it? 3 stars.

[Deyth Banger · Rating 2 out of 5]

"July 1, 2017 –
90.0% "Part 11
...

21:41"
July 1, 2017 –
80.0% "Good Cover,
BAD STORY!"
July 1, 2017 –
80.0% "How fucked up is that?
...

One victim or few victims... I just don't see any other action... debating and debating the crime scenes and that's what the whole story is all about!"
July 1, 2017 –
80.0% "Which means that he isn't a story teller, he has been doing something in which he is not good.

..."
July 1, 2017 –
80.0% "When Mark Billingham his cards finish... he starts adding details and start anayzing what he is talking about... more likely debating... but still not a story teller, that's the fucking truth."
July 1, 2017 –
80.0% "36:07"
July 1, 2017 –
70.0% "18:31"
July 1, 2017 –
70.0% "Part 10 Out of 11 Parts"
July 1, 2017 –
50.0% "47:45"
July 1, 2017 –
50.0% "CD 9"
July 1, 2017 –
50.0% "16:31"
June 6, 2017 –
35.0% "Part 7

...

28:00"
June 5, 2017 –
35.0% "Disk 6 Out of Disk 11"
June 4, 2017 –
25.0%
June 4, 2017 –
5.0% "Part 4

..

31-19"
June 4, 2017 –
5.0% "Part 2

...

34:48 (Note: No Comment)"
May 26, 2017 –
5.0% "17:33 - Boring!"
February 16, 2017 –
5.0% "2 - Part Now"
February 16, 2017 –
5.0% "I could put as the first part more likely the old boring days, to be honest I really didn't got impressed. BUt I am going to continue!"
February 16, 2017 –
3.0% "The problem is not the work... but the narrator... I am going to die from boredoom... !"
February 16, 2017 –
3.0% "48:29"
February 16, 2017 –
3.0% "The Narrator is very important if he doesn't narrate the work well the listener will get the experience which wasn't prepared from the author."
February 16, 2017 –
1.0% "Probably the truth is that we can't expect a lot of somewhere in the beginning of the career of a author... or if I could say that!?
...

...

But still I am kind of disappointed from Mark, I expected more."
February 16, 2017 –
1.0% "1 out of 11
..."
February 16, 2017 – Started Reading"

- I will say that "I am not interested", but I am going to give to Mark second chance he again fails... it's his problem... not mein... I just gonna stop reading his work that's all!

[Eyejaybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is never easy for Detective inspector Tom Thorne. This novel opens with him receiving a picture sent to his mobile phone from a number that he does not recognise. The picture is hazy, but it is soon apparent that it shows the head of someone who has been battered to death. He passes the phone on to the police’s technical experts to see if they can draw any further information from the photo. In the meantime, the body of a second-hand car dealer is found, severely battered. Closer inspection shows that the victim is the person shown in the picture. It transpires that the dead man was also a member of a local biker gang. Thorne receives another photo, and shortly afterwards, another member of the biker gang is killed.

This sets the scene for a complex case in which Thorne finds himself under scrutiny. Of course, being Thorne, it is not long before he goes off on a tangent, departing from the rule book as is his norm.

That may all sound like standard crime thriller fare. Billingham always rises about that, however. His characters are always well drawn, and very credible. The relationships between the principal police figures is also entirely plausible. Thorne is a difficult and often demanding officer, but his colleagues trust him, and are often prepared to go the extra mile for him. Meanwhile, colleagues from Internal Affairs are hanging around rather more often than is comfortable.

Billingham is a master at weaving different narrative threads, and isn’t afraid of leaving the odd loose end. I enjoyed this, and find that nine or ten books in, the series shows no sign of flagging.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four stars

In Mark Billingham's novel "Death Message," DI Tom Thorne receives a series of photos on his mobile phone, each depicting a dead man. These photos are linked to a dangerous killer Thorne previously incarcerated, who is still manipulating others even from prison. The killer's motive is revenge for his family's murder while he was in prison. Thorne and his colleagues must track down the sender and expose the killer's plan before it results in more deaths. Like the others in this series, this book reminded me of the gritty BBC style police procedural/criminal investigation style story. This is something that I have loved from the start. I love a good BBC police drama, and this series strongly reminds me of them.

I love the inside look we get every book into the police investigation and each stage of the police inquiry. I like the little moments of insight that we get into the perpetrators of the crime, just enough to grab our interest and leave us wanting more. This book, like the others is an easy read, the type where you pick it up, get drawn into the story and then bam! Somehow 50 pages have passed and it feels like no time at all. There is something special about Mark Billingham’s writing, and this series starring the crotchety Tom Thorne just seems to keep getting better.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

DI Tom Thorne has been getting messages on his cell phone. No explanation, just an image of a dead person. Why is he getting these? Who is sending them? Who are the victims and why have they been chosen?

He learns that the victims are all related to one person, a man who took the rap for a murder and served his time without complaint for the gang he worked for. Then just as he was about to get out, a horrific event in his personal life made him decide to wreck vengeance on those who he had worked for.

That part is easy. But why Thorne? He learns that it is the killer is manipulated by a man that Thorne put away; the man he thought was the most evil and cunning of all those he had put away. When Thorne's best friend is targeted, he must race the clock before his friend joins the list of the dead.

This is the seventh Tom Thorne novel. Thorne is back on form after the death of his father which had taken him for a loop. His relationship with a woman on the police force is going well although she is giving indications that it might be more serious than Thorne had planned on. The manhunt for the killer is full of twists and turns although this is one of the few killers that Thorne can understand and relate to. Yet he knows that that understanding doesn't matter; he must find him before he kills again. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

[Anne Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this outing for DI Thorne, a former adversary Tom put away in prison for life has been planning his revenge. He is a master manipulator and when he sees an opportunity, he seizes it. A fellow inmate due for release in a few days is devastated by the news his girlfriend and son have been killed in a hit and run accident. The police have not caught the driver. All of Marcus’s plans to get out, stay out and be happy have turned to dust. When he is told that the hit and run was no accident, but was actually pay back for killing the head of a biker gang, Marcus is doubly devastated. The murder was the crime he’s spent years in prison for and it’s one he has always insisted he was innocent of. Marcus has always claimed he was set up by a couple of bent coppers. After talking it over with his cell mate, he has been helped to decide that they all need to pay. Marcus has a list of everyone he considers to be responsible for putting him away in the first place, because if that hadn’t happened he would still be with his family. The list is a kill list. And just so Thorne knows whose handiwork this is, the psychopath has arranged for Marcus to send a photo to Thorne each time he crosses a name off his list.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mild spoiler(s)

📖Book review: Death Message – Mark Billingham 📖

“DI Tom Thorne has seen plenty of dead bodies in his time. But when he starts receiving sick photos of murder victims on his mobile phone, he soon realises that the next body could be his. And even when the man who has been sending the photos is tracked down, the deadly threat remains, For some, the case is all but closed, but Thorne's nightmare is just beginning. Because someone else is masterminding the death messages. The most vicious psychopath Thorne has ever faced is able to manipulate others even behind bars, and time has only deepened the deadly grudge he has against the policeman who put him away...”

📚

Ok deep breath because this book was a journey. I think I’m a little broken emotionally from this book because I really did not want Hendricks to be harmed in any way. Now, it’s key to note that I’m not reading these books in order so I knew that Hendricks would be grand – but oh good lord I was on the edge of my seat. The intensity, the worry and the grief I couldn’t COPE. Tom Thorne is not Tom Thorne without Phil Hendricks. I really don’t think Billingham is going to do us dirty like that in all honesty. Given that Hendricks makes up so much of the series, it wouldn’t be the same without him.

📚

When I tell you though that this book delivered – it delivered. It had all of the elements that made me fall in love with Thorne and the series in the first place. It tugged on the heartstrings, Thorne was headstrong as ever, and talk about that PUNCH that Billingham is renowned for. Honestly, I really couldn’t have asked for more. (Apart from Hendricks potentially dying). It really was a good read and had that un-put-downable quality. It also had great Holland-Kitson-Brigstocke content. You really can’t go wrong with these characters I’m telling you. It really had the dynamic that never fails to deliver.

It's ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) from me folks