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Detective Miller #2
The Wrong Hands
This is one case Detective Miller won't want to open . . .
The second rip-roaring mystery from multi-award-winning number international bestseller Mark Billingham starring Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there's his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts...
Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler—a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.
The second rip-roaring mystery from multi-award-winning number international bestseller Mark Billingham starring Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there's his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts...
Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler—a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.
405 pages, Hardcover
First published June 20, 2024
583 people are currently reading
4716 people want to read
About the author
Mark Billingham
104 books2,167 followersAlso 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
January 15, 2025
3.5★
“ ‘So, what are we going to do?’
‘Well, we could put an ad in the local paper’s lost and found section. You know, “If you’re struggling to wave at friends or having trouble applauding, we might have a couple of things that belong to you”, but I doubt the individual to whom these were once attached will be coming forward to claim them any time soon.’”
Detective Sergeant Declan Miller has just met a ‘friend’ of his wayward stepdaughter, Finn, who has asked him for a favour.
(“ ‘What friend?’
‘He’s just a lad I get a bit of weed from sometimes.’
‘You’re asking me to do a favour for a drug dealer? You do know that’s frowned upon in my line of work?’”)
Finn’s mother, Alex, was in the same ‘line of work’ when she was murdered six months ago. Finn lives on the street, and try though Miller has, he has had trouble getting her to come to see him, if only for a hot meal and a shower. Of course he will do a favour.
In the entertaining opening to the book, a pair of bag-snatching partners manage to steal a briefcase from a guy in the men’s room. When they open it – SURPRISE! Their well-dressed victim wasn’t carrying an expensive laptop or anything they could sell, but a pair of severed hands wearing expensive rings, one with initials.
One of the thieves is Andy, who asks Finn desperately for help, leading to her call to Miller. The result is the conversation I quoted in the beginning, where Miller suggests jokingly to advertise.
In spite of the grim nature of the crime (and some of the subsequent action), this has a light-hearted, personal tone. Miller rides a moped and does ballroom dancing with his and Alex’s old cop friends, while his young female partner rides a high-powered motorcycle and frequents clubs with heavy metal bands and a steady supply of one-night stands.
He makes corny jokes, most of which she either doesn’t get or ignores. When he’s home alone, Alex, his dead wife, appears often and they chat about everything, including the lack of progress on her murder investigation.
He knows he has conjured her up and that she can’t tell him something that he doesn’t already know. There’s no magic realism afoot here. It Is obvious they were happy, and while he continues to joke and poke fun, he is seriously grieving and bitter about not having found her killer yet.
He runs a lot of his case notes and theories by his retired police friends in the dance group, which gives him a bit of a community to fall back on. They loved Alex, too – terrific dancer as well as Miller’s wife.
Chapters move between Miller and various bad actors (crime bosses, the hit man who severed the hands, and Alex’s murderer, not to mention the inept briefcase-snatchers), and I have no doubt Miller will dance a bit more happily another day. I’d like to see more of Finn, too.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy of #TheWrongHands for review.
The Last Dance (Detective Miller #1) My review of The Last Dance
“ ‘So, what are we going to do?’
‘Well, we could put an ad in the local paper’s lost and found section. You know, “If you’re struggling to wave at friends or having trouble applauding, we might have a couple of things that belong to you”, but I doubt the individual to whom these were once attached will be coming forward to claim them any time soon.’”
Detective Sergeant Declan Miller has just met a ‘friend’ of his wayward stepdaughter, Finn, who has asked him for a favour.
(“ ‘What friend?’
‘He’s just a lad I get a bit of weed from sometimes.’
‘You’re asking me to do a favour for a drug dealer? You do know that’s frowned upon in my line of work?’”)
Finn’s mother, Alex, was in the same ‘line of work’ when she was murdered six months ago. Finn lives on the street, and try though Miller has, he has had trouble getting her to come to see him, if only for a hot meal and a shower. Of course he will do a favour.
In the entertaining opening to the book, a pair of bag-snatching partners manage to steal a briefcase from a guy in the men’s room. When they open it – SURPRISE! Their well-dressed victim wasn’t carrying an expensive laptop or anything they could sell, but a pair of severed hands wearing expensive rings, one with initials.
One of the thieves is Andy, who asks Finn desperately for help, leading to her call to Miller. The result is the conversation I quoted in the beginning, where Miller suggests jokingly to advertise.
In spite of the grim nature of the crime (and some of the subsequent action), this has a light-hearted, personal tone. Miller rides a moped and does ballroom dancing with his and Alex’s old cop friends, while his young female partner rides a high-powered motorcycle and frequents clubs with heavy metal bands and a steady supply of one-night stands.
He makes corny jokes, most of which she either doesn’t get or ignores. When he’s home alone, Alex, his dead wife, appears often and they chat about everything, including the lack of progress on her murder investigation.
He knows he has conjured her up and that she can’t tell him something that he doesn’t already know. There’s no magic realism afoot here. It Is obvious they were happy, and while he continues to joke and poke fun, he is seriously grieving and bitter about not having found her killer yet.
He runs a lot of his case notes and theories by his retired police friends in the dance group, which gives him a bit of a community to fall back on. They loved Alex, too – terrific dancer as well as Miller’s wife.
Chapters move between Miller and various bad actors (crime bosses, the hit man who severed the hands, and Alex’s murderer, not to mention the inept briefcase-snatchers), and I have no doubt Miller will dance a bit more happily another day. I’d like to see more of Finn, too.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy of #TheWrongHands for review.
The Last Dance (Detective Miller #1) My review of The Last Dance
July 18, 2024
Detective Sergeant Declan Miller returns for a second outing in The Wrong Hands. The policeman is still mourning the death of his wife, Alex, and continues to hound the homicide team tasked with the job of finding the killer. In the meantime, he and his long-suffering partner Detective Sergeant Xiu are on the job solving murders.
A briefcase is stolen by a couple of opportunistic thieves at a train station. After they make their getaway they pop the locks only to make the grisly discovery of a couple of severed hands inside. It turns out the hands are essentially proof of an execution and the hitman who carried out the job wants his proof back so he can get paid.
You really don’t want an annoyed hitman on your trail.
This particular hitman likes to write lists and he’s got a list of people he thinks may have the briefcase he so desperately desires. The dudes who took the case, the people who may know the dudes, and so it goes.
When the briefcase is brought in to Miller and the contents are revealed, it suddenly becomes Miller’s case. Obviously, a couple of hands in a case means there has to be a body out there minus a couple of necessary appendages. But as the number of bodies mount up, each with their hands attached, it becomes increasingly necessary to work out who the hitman is, who hired the hitman and who the hands belong to.
With constant sly humorous references and sharp, witty observations from Miller, the overall tone of the book is quite light. Surprisingly so. This juxtaposes rather sharply with the criminal activity that takes place. And thanks to the many sharp one-liners, the story appears to unfold at a sharp pace.
But when you understand the reason behind Miller’s apparent good humour and bonhomie is actually an effort to cover the constant pain he feels for the loss of his wife, you get a real sense of the tragedy of the man.
Miller has regular conversations with his dead wife and they prove to be both revealing and heartbreaking. It’s a useful way of working through a difficult case, essentially being brought to task by his wife’s wisdom, even if it’s really his own thoughts making the points. But the man is clearly hurting and finding it difficult to move past Alex’s death.
As can be seen at the end of one such “conversation” : ‘now Miller wanted to do the one thing that was quite impossible. He wanted to pull his wife to him, hold her close and assure her that she could never be replaced. Not on a dance floor and never in his heart.’
Now, some people are going to find Miller’s constant needling jokes and non-sequiturs extremely annoying. Knowing that it’s a coping mechanism probably won’t help but at least it’s a reasonable explanation for the barrage of weirdness. I found it amusing at first until it became borderline tiresome, but at least the quality of the joking around was high.
Mark Billingham has created a superb follow up to the very enjoyable opener to the series, The Last Dance. There’s great depth to the characters that appear throughout and a finely wrought line between aptitude and face, not to mention carefree happiness and heartbreak. I found this to be a particularly entertaining police procedural mystery that found me looking forward to sitting down and reading at every opportunity.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the digital ARC that gave me the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.
A briefcase is stolen by a couple of opportunistic thieves at a train station. After they make their getaway they pop the locks only to make the grisly discovery of a couple of severed hands inside. It turns out the hands are essentially proof of an execution and the hitman who carried out the job wants his proof back so he can get paid.
You really don’t want an annoyed hitman on your trail.
This particular hitman likes to write lists and he’s got a list of people he thinks may have the briefcase he so desperately desires. The dudes who took the case, the people who may know the dudes, and so it goes.
When the briefcase is brought in to Miller and the contents are revealed, it suddenly becomes Miller’s case. Obviously, a couple of hands in a case means there has to be a body out there minus a couple of necessary appendages. But as the number of bodies mount up, each with their hands attached, it becomes increasingly necessary to work out who the hitman is, who hired the hitman and who the hands belong to.
With constant sly humorous references and sharp, witty observations from Miller, the overall tone of the book is quite light. Surprisingly so. This juxtaposes rather sharply with the criminal activity that takes place. And thanks to the many sharp one-liners, the story appears to unfold at a sharp pace.
But when you understand the reason behind Miller’s apparent good humour and bonhomie is actually an effort to cover the constant pain he feels for the loss of his wife, you get a real sense of the tragedy of the man.
Miller has regular conversations with his dead wife and they prove to be both revealing and heartbreaking. It’s a useful way of working through a difficult case, essentially being brought to task by his wife’s wisdom, even if it’s really his own thoughts making the points. But the man is clearly hurting and finding it difficult to move past Alex’s death.
As can be seen at the end of one such “conversation” : ‘now Miller wanted to do the one thing that was quite impossible. He wanted to pull his wife to him, hold her close and assure her that she could never be replaced. Not on a dance floor and never in his heart.’
Now, some people are going to find Miller’s constant needling jokes and non-sequiturs extremely annoying. Knowing that it’s a coping mechanism probably won’t help but at least it’s a reasonable explanation for the barrage of weirdness. I found it amusing at first until it became borderline tiresome, but at least the quality of the joking around was high.
Mark Billingham has created a superb follow up to the very enjoyable opener to the series, The Last Dance. There’s great depth to the characters that appear throughout and a finely wrought line between aptitude and face, not to mention carefree happiness and heartbreak. I found this to be a particularly entertaining police procedural mystery that found me looking forward to sitting down and reading at every opportunity.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the digital ARC that gave me the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book.
August 1, 2024
This is the second book in the Detective Miller series, but I missed the first one. I have only read one other book by Mark Billingham, Rabbit Hole, so I'm still learning his writing style.
Description:
This is one case Detective Miller won't want to open . . .
The second rip-roaring mystery from multi-award-winning number international bestseller Mark Billingham starring Detective unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there's his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts...
Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler—a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.
My Thoughts:
The initial premise of the book was laughable with the thieves steal a briefcase in a pubic restroom, but when they open it they find two severed hands with some signet rings on some fingers. Not what they wanted to find, sor sure. So they get rid of it and it winds up with Detective Miller who begins the investigation. This is a mob type book with lots of bodies and thugs. I always like quirky characters and Detective Miller is one of those with his hobby being ballroom dancing and he keeps a couple of pet rats. This is not my favorite type of book, but it's not a bad story and I would recommend it to those who like reading about mob characters.
Thanks to Grove Atalantic through Netgalley for an advance copy.
Description:
This is one case Detective Miller won't want to open . . .
The second rip-roaring mystery from multi-award-winning number international bestseller Mark Billingham starring Detective unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated...
Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there's his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts...
Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler—a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.
Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.
My Thoughts:
The initial premise of the book was laughable with the thieves steal a briefcase in a pubic restroom, but when they open it they find two severed hands with some signet rings on some fingers. Not what they wanted to find, sor sure. So they get rid of it and it winds up with Detective Miller who begins the investigation. This is a mob type book with lots of bodies and thugs. I always like quirky characters and Detective Miller is one of those with his hobby being ballroom dancing and he keeps a couple of pet rats. This is not my favorite type of book, but it's not a bad story and I would recommend it to those who like reading about mob characters.
Thanks to Grove Atalantic through Netgalley for an advance copy.
June 26, 2024
Really enjoyed this!
I'm one of those fools who tends not to realise when they've stumbled onto a detective series only to realise it's been going for a decade. Thankfully, The Wrong Hands is only the second outing for DI Miller and I bought The Last Dance halfway through this because it was so much fun.
The storyline involves the discovery of a briefcase containing a pair of hands. DI Miller has ended up with prime evidence that everyone wants to (sorry) get their hands on too. There's two gang bosses, an assassin, the Police ... so is he going to hand it over to anyone or does the briefcase also hold the key to who murdered Miller's wife, Alex.
There's a lot packed into this book and the action plus the dancing and the often slapstick approach to policing and criminality doesn't leave much time for you to catch your breath.
DI Miller and DS Sara Xiu (aka Posh) are great characters and the surrounding cast of Alex's daughter, Miller's friends and ballroom dance group all provide excellent background material. The book is full of laughs but it managed to make me shed a tear or two as well.
I'm looking forward to reading The Last Dance and hope that it isn't too long before DI Miller #3 is published. Hint hint. Highly recommended. It is far different from Billingham's darker books but it's truly entertaining and well worth the read.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.
I'm one of those fools who tends not to realise when they've stumbled onto a detective series only to realise it's been going for a decade. Thankfully, The Wrong Hands is only the second outing for DI Miller and I bought The Last Dance halfway through this because it was so much fun.
The storyline involves the discovery of a briefcase containing a pair of hands. DI Miller has ended up with prime evidence that everyone wants to (sorry) get their hands on too. There's two gang bosses, an assassin, the Police ... so is he going to hand it over to anyone or does the briefcase also hold the key to who murdered Miller's wife, Alex.
There's a lot packed into this book and the action plus the dancing and the often slapstick approach to policing and criminality doesn't leave much time for you to catch your breath.
DI Miller and DS Sara Xiu (aka Posh) are great characters and the surrounding cast of Alex's daughter, Miller's friends and ballroom dance group all provide excellent background material. The book is full of laughs but it managed to make me shed a tear or two as well.
I'm looking forward to reading The Last Dance and hope that it isn't too long before DI Miller #3 is published. Hint hint. Highly recommended. It is far different from Billingham's darker books but it's truly entertaining and well worth the read.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.
July 4, 2024
The second novel in this Blackpool-based series, once again, sees Detective Sergeant Declan Miller trying to solve the murder of his wife Alex, a Serious Crimes Officer. To say Declan is eccentric is putting it mildly. He has a fondness for ballroom dancing and two pet rats called Fred and Ginger. This series is markedly different from the author’s familiar Tom Thorne books and allows him to give free rein to his acerbic sense of humour.
The whole thing kicks off when two petty crooks attempt to steal a suitcase from a railway station toilet; little knowing the suitcase belongs to a hit man and contains a pair of severed hands, which he intends to deliver to his latest client as proof of a job well done. Both the hit man and his client – local crime kingpin Wayne Cutler are injured in the robbery.
What follows is Declan and his partner, Sara Xiu attempting to discover who the hands belong to and why he was killed. Meanwhile the hit man and Cutler still remain free and are desperate to stall the investigation, as is another crime boss operating out of Preston.
If you’re fond of well constructed crime thrillers which provide plenty of laughs along the way, then this book, like its predecessor, is highly recommended.
The whole thing kicks off when two petty crooks attempt to steal a suitcase from a railway station toilet; little knowing the suitcase belongs to a hit man and contains a pair of severed hands, which he intends to deliver to his latest client as proof of a job well done. Both the hit man and his client – local crime kingpin Wayne Cutler are injured in the robbery.
What follows is Declan and his partner, Sara Xiu attempting to discover who the hands belong to and why he was killed. Meanwhile the hit man and Cutler still remain free and are desperate to stall the investigation, as is another crime boss operating out of Preston.
If you’re fond of well constructed crime thrillers which provide plenty of laughs along the way, then this book, like its predecessor, is highly recommended.
July 31, 2024
D.S. Declan Miller's wife was murdered a few months ago. She was also a police officer who disappeared off the dance floor where Declan and she were competing in a dance contest. Declan has returned to dancing and uses his cronies to talk over his cases. He also talks to his dead wife, who shows up periodically to interject her own opinions on matters. There is a psychotic killer of the loose, who is obsessed with Midsomer Murders and Declan and his team need to find him before he murders more folks. An interesting take of a police procedural.
November 25, 2025
Enjoyed this Blackpool based story. Like the first story in the series another hitman is on the loose. Declan also continues to investigate the unsolved murder of his wife. Lots of one liners and humor throughout the book. I look forward to reading the next one.
July 4, 2024
In the 23 years since his superb debut Sleepyhead hit shelves, Birmingham-born storyteller Mark Billingham has become one of modern crime fiction’s greats, and his gritty, long-running DI Tom Thorne series is on my shortlist of best British series of the century. Last year, he swerved, returning to his stand-up comic roots with the raucous The Last Dance, which introduced rat-loving, ballroom-dancing detective Declan Miller.
Fumbling foxtrots, irreverent humour, and policing slapstick and serious are all on the menu again in The Wrong Hands, a wonderful sequel that may have readers laughing out loud in some passages and emotionally hooked in others. The cops in Blackpool think they finally have crime boss Wayne Cutler bang to rights, only for a sting operation to be upturned by a couple of local larrikins. When a young man turns up on Miller’s doorstep with a briefcase containing severed appendages, Miller realises he may finally have the upper hand to catch those behind the murder of his wife, dance partner, and fellow detective Alex. Not that he trusts the official investigation. So with heavy metal-loving Detective ‘Posh’ Xiu alongside a menagerie of pals, Miller tries to juggle investigations professional and private, hoping not to get dragged off life’s dancefloor, permanently.
Billingham expertly delivers another fantastic read, full of grin-inducing characters on both sides of the law. Here’s hoping for much more to come from DS Declan Miller.
[This review was first written for Good Reading magazine, in Australia]
Fumbling foxtrots, irreverent humour, and policing slapstick and serious are all on the menu again in The Wrong Hands, a wonderful sequel that may have readers laughing out loud in some passages and emotionally hooked in others. The cops in Blackpool think they finally have crime boss Wayne Cutler bang to rights, only for a sting operation to be upturned by a couple of local larrikins. When a young man turns up on Miller’s doorstep with a briefcase containing severed appendages, Miller realises he may finally have the upper hand to catch those behind the murder of his wife, dance partner, and fellow detective Alex. Not that he trusts the official investigation. So with heavy metal-loving Detective ‘Posh’ Xiu alongside a menagerie of pals, Miller tries to juggle investigations professional and private, hoping not to get dragged off life’s dancefloor, permanently.
Billingham expertly delivers another fantastic read, full of grin-inducing characters on both sides of the law. Here’s hoping for much more to come from DS Declan Miller.
[This review was first written for Good Reading magazine, in Australia]
December 12, 2024
3.5
Blackpool Detective Sergeant Declan Miller often comes home to delightful conversations with his wife Alex about ballroom dancing and play dates with his rats Fred and Ginger
Problem is Alex was murdered....she was a fellow police office and no answer seems to be on the horizon.
But Miller has a way with words..and doesn't take fools kindly so along with his Metalhead young partner..he's about to investigate a murder case about a brief case with some severed hands in it...
That may just shed some light on his wife's murder.
Blackpool Detective Sergeant Declan Miller often comes home to delightful conversations with his wife Alex about ballroom dancing and play dates with his rats Fred and Ginger
Problem is Alex was murdered....she was a fellow police office and no answer seems to be on the horizon.
But Miller has a way with words..and doesn't take fools kindly so along with his Metalhead young partner..he's about to investigate a murder case about a brief case with some severed hands in it...
That may just shed some light on his wife's murder.
September 13, 2025
Another great book in the new series from Mark Billingham. This one brings a new murder for detective Declan Miller to solve whilst still trying to find out who killed his wife.
I do slightly prefer the Tom Thorne series, Miller's one-liners, whilst amusing, do get a bit irritating after a while. But nonetheless, this is a good series with likeable characters, and I hope it isn't the last.
I do slightly prefer the Tom Thorne series, Miller's one-liners, whilst amusing, do get a bit irritating after a while. But nonetheless, this is a good series with likeable characters, and I hope it isn't the last.
March 22, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "The Wrong Hands", the second book in the Detective Declan Miller series. Having read and totally enjoyed "The Last Dance", I was eager to get my hands on this one - and I was not disappointed. "The Wrong Hands" is just as intriguing and quirky as was the first book.
It's not long after the events in "The Last Dance" that we take up with Detective Miller and his partner, Xiu (she of the death-metal fixation and he of the ballroom dancing hobby). And once again, most of the peripheral characters from book one make appearances, with his dancing cohort dispensing words of wisdom and support.
Declan is still determined to get to the bottom of his wife's murder, and hope is held out in the person of Massey, ex-drag queen Coco Pops, who claims to have knowledge that will bring to light what happened; the only catch is that Massey wants Declan to neutralize one of the criminals that inhabit their little part of the world.
"The Wrong Hands" starts off with an almost comical petty scam going terrifically wrong and ending up with the McGuffin that is 'the wrong hands' and a briefcase absconded with - and they are proof of a gangland execution needed in order to collect the killer's payday. All of the participants in the theft of the briefcase find themselves in mortal danger.
The main theme of the book is Miller and Xiu's attempts to find and arrest a contract killer, whose main quirk is that he uses aliases with the same two initials and who, of course, is willing to do anything to retrieve the briefcase, get paid, and get out of dodge.
There are many twists and turns along the way to the end of the story - some comedic, some terrifying - and there is betrayal on a grand scale.
Will Declan get the information that leads to finding out who killed his wife, or will he have to continue to harass the detectives charged with leading the investigation? Read the book and find out.
Highly recommended, but read "The Last Dance" first. You'll thank me.
It's not long after the events in "The Last Dance" that we take up with Detective Miller and his partner, Xiu (she of the death-metal fixation and he of the ballroom dancing hobby). And once again, most of the peripheral characters from book one make appearances, with his dancing cohort dispensing words of wisdom and support.
Declan is still determined to get to the bottom of his wife's murder, and hope is held out in the person of Massey, ex-drag queen Coco Pops, who claims to have knowledge that will bring to light what happened; the only catch is that Massey wants Declan to neutralize one of the criminals that inhabit their little part of the world.
"The Wrong Hands" starts off with an almost comical petty scam going terrifically wrong and ending up with the McGuffin that is 'the wrong hands' and a briefcase absconded with - and they are proof of a gangland execution needed in order to collect the killer's payday. All of the participants in the theft of the briefcase find themselves in mortal danger.
The main theme of the book is Miller and Xiu's attempts to find and arrest a contract killer, whose main quirk is that he uses aliases with the same two initials and who, of course, is willing to do anything to retrieve the briefcase, get paid, and get out of dodge.
There are many twists and turns along the way to the end of the story - some comedic, some terrifying - and there is betrayal on a grand scale.
Will Declan get the information that leads to finding out who killed his wife, or will he have to continue to harass the detectives charged with leading the investigation? Read the book and find out.
Highly recommended, but read "The Last Dance" first. You'll thank me.
July 26, 2024
The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham is the second in the series featuring Declan Miller. I absolutely loved the first, The Last Dance, as Miller reminded me of wise-cracking gumshoes of the past. I adored Billingham (Declan's) fairly manic thought processes, his snark and the random sharing of facts he imparts on everyone and anyone.
I probably didn't find Miller quite as witty and eccentric as I did in the first outing though the case is probably a little stronger here. Although this book DOES provide lots of hand-pun opportunities, so... bonus points for that.
Again Miller uses his dance buddies (that includes a couple of ex-coppers) as sounding boards... as well as the ghost of his dead wife Alex (who's thoroughly unhelpful with hints about her own murder). And while there's some resolution for Miller here, it leads to a new clue in the case of Alex's killer, requiring readers to wait (im)patiently for book three.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
I probably didn't find Miller quite as witty and eccentric as I did in the first outing though the case is probably a little stronger here. Although this book DOES provide lots of hand-pun opportunities, so... bonus points for that.
Again Miller uses his dance buddies (that includes a couple of ex-coppers) as sounding boards... as well as the ghost of his dead wife Alex (who's thoroughly unhelpful with hints about her own murder). And while there's some resolution for Miller here, it leads to a new clue in the case of Alex's killer, requiring readers to wait (im)patiently for book three.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
October 31, 2024
3.75⭐️ loved the “not cozy mystery”
December 9, 2024
This is a great crime thriller.
This book ties up some loose ends from the first book, so I’d recommend reading The Last Dance first.
Declan gets tangled up with Cutler again on this case and there’s a few other criminals all out for themselves.
There’s some great humour in this book as well as the crime element.
This book ties up some loose ends from the first book, so I’d recommend reading The Last Dance first.
Declan gets tangled up with Cutler again on this case and there’s a few other criminals all out for themselves.
There’s some great humour in this book as well as the crime element.
March 15, 2024
About 20 years ago (!) someone gifted me a signed copy of Sleepyhead purchased from a silent auction. They thought it sounded like a novel that was right up my alley. I was hooked from that moment forward. Mark Billingham can do no wrong. Everything he writes is enjoyable.
This is the second book in a new detective series where the detective is a wise ass, foxtrot dancing widow with a past that quite literally haunts him. (In a good way I guess). What I love about Mr Billingham’s writing is that not only is a cracking good detective story, I find myself laughing out loud at the corny jokes and thoughts of Detective Miller. His writing puts me in mind of the greatly missed genius that was Reginald Hill. High praise indeed. It is a difficult combination to find.
So come for the detective story but stay to enjoy the lively banter between Miller and Xiu and the motley assortment of criminals in Blackpool. I’m not giving a synopsis of the book, but suffice it to say hands play a big role here.
Thank you thank you to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author for a chance to read an ARC of this book. I quite literally whooped with happiness when I got the email. Keep them coming please, Mr. Billingham. I can’t wait for the next installment.
This is the second book in a new detective series where the detective is a wise ass, foxtrot dancing widow with a past that quite literally haunts him. (In a good way I guess). What I love about Mr Billingham’s writing is that not only is a cracking good detective story, I find myself laughing out loud at the corny jokes and thoughts of Detective Miller. His writing puts me in mind of the greatly missed genius that was Reginald Hill. High praise indeed. It is a difficult combination to find.
So come for the detective story but stay to enjoy the lively banter between Miller and Xiu and the motley assortment of criminals in Blackpool. I’m not giving a synopsis of the book, but suffice it to say hands play a big role here.
Thank you thank you to Netgalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author for a chance to read an ARC of this book. I quite literally whooped with happiness when I got the email. Keep them coming please, Mr. Billingham. I can’t wait for the next installment.
March 27, 2024
I love this series! I wasn't familiar with Billingham prior to the first Declan Miller novel, but I'm an absolute devotee ever since... Billingham has a marvelous ability to combine snark, dry wit, brutal reality, and spot-on pacing into a detective novel that reads like perfection. Declan Miller is a delight - a curmudgeon with a heart of gold who, like all the best detective protagonists, is a little bit broken but far from out of the game. I loved watching the underlying storyline with his (dead) wife develop. The interplay between the current case and longer-standing mystery of his wife's murder is handled deftly, with bits and pieces teased out and tossed about in ways that seem casual but are anything but. I love the "Dance Club" series of behind-the-scenes teammates that support Miller, the pair of crooks that are his constant foils and sometime-allies, and the originality of his death-metalhead partner is brilliant. The supporting cast really helps flesh out the world that Billingham has built here, and it gives the whole universe a depth and breadth that makes it leap off the page. This would make a fabulous BBC series!!
February 18, 2024
Declan Miller is back for his second outing in this new series from Mark Billingham. Mark is perhaps one of my favourite authors and his character Tom Thorne is my favourite “not real” person.
I didn’t really warm to this new series and the character of Declan Miller, but I think I was trying to compare him too much to Tom Thorne and he isn’t, he is a completely new identity. The Wrong Hands isn’t as “jokey” as the first novel…The Last Dance and I enjoyed it all the more for that.
When a briefcase is delivered to Detective Miller he finds it contains a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this will be the work of Wayne Carter, a gang boss whom Miller assumes had something to do with his wife’s death. Now all he has to do is connect the two.
All the gang from book one are back, the dance group, his dead wife’s daughter and the assortment of characters he works with., plus his nightly visits from Alex, his murdered wife.
It’s a good read and I can see this series getting better with each book, I just hope Thorne doesn’t get forgotten.
#TheWrongHands. #NetGalley
I didn’t really warm to this new series and the character of Declan Miller, but I think I was trying to compare him too much to Tom Thorne and he isn’t, he is a completely new identity. The Wrong Hands isn’t as “jokey” as the first novel…The Last Dance and I enjoyed it all the more for that.
When a briefcase is delivered to Detective Miller he finds it contains a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this will be the work of Wayne Carter, a gang boss whom Miller assumes had something to do with his wife’s death. Now all he has to do is connect the two.
All the gang from book one are back, the dance group, his dead wife’s daughter and the assortment of characters he works with., plus his nightly visits from Alex, his murdered wife.
It’s a good read and I can see this series getting better with each book, I just hope Thorne doesn’t get forgotten.
#TheWrongHands. #NetGalley
July 25, 2024
Hugely entertaining and a very easy read and I found myself looking forward to reading the next instalment. Like the first in the series this is totally different from Billingham’s usual more thriller type style. It’s farcical, funny, engrossing, and yet at times quite emotional.
All loose ends were neatly tied up by the book’s conclusion and I wonder if this might end up being a two book series. We’ll see but I really hope not. A good solid 8 out of 10.
All loose ends were neatly tied up by the book’s conclusion and I wonder if this might end up being a two book series. We’ll see but I really hope not. A good solid 8 out of 10.
July 17, 2024
4.5⭐
It's been years since I last read a Mark Billingham book. But I was super excited and intrigued by the synopsis of The Wrong Hands and so I just had to get my hands on this story.
And I'm so glad I did!
As The Wrong Hands is a clever, funny, engaging crime story. Featuring DS Declan Miller, who it's fair to say is the complete antithesis of Mark's other crime fighting hero Tom Thorne.
As Declan Miller has an acerbic sense of humour, moves from one topic to another seemingly at random, likes to ballroom dance and has recently become a widow. After his wife Alex, another cop who worked for a team Declan likes to call serious and disorganised was murdered just a few months before.
And it's a case that hasn't been solved. Which has made Declan extremely frustrated. So he likes to make a nuisance of himself. Whilst also doing his job in another of Blackpool's homicide departments.
However, he soon finds himself with a chance to gain information about what happened to Alex if he can solve a murder or rather catch a hired killer.
A hired killer who has a penchant for Midsummer Murders and has rather carelessly allowed a briefcase with a pair of severed hands in to be stolen by two scallies whilst he's otherwise occupied in the gents toilets at the local train station.
And as the hit man tries to retrieve his briefcase. Miller and his partner Xiu try to catch him. Meanwhile, another team is also desperate to get their hands on the case and so is the villain the hit man was meeting.
But it's a race against time. With everyone willing to do whatever is necessary to get the result they want and I was gripped throughout. Not to mention laughing out loud and I really enjoyed the mix of humour, murder and mayhem.
And with great pacing, a colourful cast of characters and a big twist towards the end The Wrong Hands was a great read and really reminded me what a brilliant creative writer Mark Billingham is.
I'll now be reading The Last Dance which has been sitting on my bookshelf since Christmas 2023!
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of The Wrong Hands. 😊
It's been years since I last read a Mark Billingham book. But I was super excited and intrigued by the synopsis of The Wrong Hands and so I just had to get my hands on this story.
And I'm so glad I did!
As The Wrong Hands is a clever, funny, engaging crime story. Featuring DS Declan Miller, who it's fair to say is the complete antithesis of Mark's other crime fighting hero Tom Thorne.
As Declan Miller has an acerbic sense of humour, moves from one topic to another seemingly at random, likes to ballroom dance and has recently become a widow. After his wife Alex, another cop who worked for a team Declan likes to call serious and disorganised was murdered just a few months before.
And it's a case that hasn't been solved. Which has made Declan extremely frustrated. So he likes to make a nuisance of himself. Whilst also doing his job in another of Blackpool's homicide departments.
However, he soon finds himself with a chance to gain information about what happened to Alex if he can solve a murder or rather catch a hired killer.
A hired killer who has a penchant for Midsummer Murders and has rather carelessly allowed a briefcase with a pair of severed hands in to be stolen by two scallies whilst he's otherwise occupied in the gents toilets at the local train station.
And as the hit man tries to retrieve his briefcase. Miller and his partner Xiu try to catch him. Meanwhile, another team is also desperate to get their hands on the case and so is the villain the hit man was meeting.
But it's a race against time. With everyone willing to do whatever is necessary to get the result they want and I was gripped throughout. Not to mention laughing out loud and I really enjoyed the mix of humour, murder and mayhem.
And with great pacing, a colourful cast of characters and a big twist towards the end The Wrong Hands was a great read and really reminded me what a brilliant creative writer Mark Billingham is.
I'll now be reading The Last Dance which has been sitting on my bookshelf since Christmas 2023!
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of The Wrong Hands. 😊
February 5, 2025
Well, ''The Last Dance'' was a triumph but I loved this one even more. Such an enjoyable read. Mark makes his characters so real and you feel for each & every one of them (whether that's loving or hating them). Couldn't put it down and look forward to another instalment if there is one. 👌👌👌👌
January 26, 2025
Declan Miller is my new favourite grumpy police detective. This is the second in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. The plot of this one is good and keeps you reading, but it's the warmth of the characters and the humour that makes it more enjoyable than lots of other police stories. Definitely worth reading. Looking forward to part 3.
August 14, 2024
This second Miller/Xiu police procedural is just as good as the first. I find Miller's quick quirky retorts very funny and Xiu is a perfect foil as is Alex's shade (even tho it's really Miller's alter ego). I enjoy all the characters, even the bad ones and Fred and Ginger, and I think they'd all have a great time with the folks in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club books. Overall, this is a great, light read for a couple of summer days.
August 27, 2025
have read all Mark Billinghams book since the beginning 20 years ago. I think this is the worst. Bit boring. Disappointing
July 17, 2024
Great crime series set in Blackpool. Detective Miller constantly cracks jokes. Some of his colleagues find him annoying and some readers might too; I enjoyed the mix of humour and murder!
April 17, 2025
Ok I didn’t finish the book, got about half way, but it’s just not my kind of thing ☹️
July 27, 2024
A novel from Mark Billingham is always an event in my reading list and he is one of the best in the world at what he does. Last year, he stepped away from his immensely successful Tom Throne series to bring us the first in a new series featuring Detective Declan Miller. I am so pleased that Declan has once again returned for a sophomore outing in the novel WRONG HANDS.
The most unique thing about this novel, in addition to Declan Miller’s snarky dialogue, is the fact that he continues to privately work the case into the death of his wife and fellow detective Alex that all but consumed him in the first novel. He does not care about his career or how he insults the division working his wife’s murder and that boldness makes him a character truly worth rooting for.
Now, to the primary case of this novel and impetus for the unique title. Two thugs are aboard a train car trying to snatch some commuters briefcase in the hope that it was filled with something valuable. The two criminals, Andy and Keith, make a big mistake and choose the wrong passenger for their minor heist. A big-time hitman named Dennis Draper was their victim and when the two eventually escape with the briefcase they are shocked upon the reveal of what it contains --- two severed hands still including an initial ring that read GP.
Declan and his Asian female partner, Xiu, an amazing gift when the briefcase in question bounces from one person to another and ends up in Declan’s lap. When he brings it into his precinct to have the hands checked out they learn that they did not belong to anyone with the initials GP, someone must have taken that ring from another kill and placed it on the ‘wrong hands.’ Declan decides to start with the two warring area crime-lords, one of which could be responsible for his wife’s murder. That means meeting with both Wayne Cutler, who he really does not like, and Ralph Massey who dresses in drag and is someone Declan does not trust one ounce.
It is not long before one of the two original thieves ends up on the kill list, as the man tagged as ‘Draper’ no doubt wants his briefcase and revenge. That is exactly what happens when the body of Andy turns up. Declan and company must catch this Draper, or whatever name he is going by, and stop his killing spree --- especially as they know that the briefcase is in the possession of the police.
There are so many quirky parts of this novel that the makes the plot just hum and provide some great chuckles. You have the mystery of the Crème Egg that someone obsesses over, a psycho welder with some strange proclivities, and my personal favorite --- Draper the Hitman and his ADHD way with lists and love of anything involving the classic British crime series Midsomer Murders and one of its’ stars, John Nettles.
Will everything come together in either case that Declan is working before he gets himself fired for insubordination or some other charge? This is what keeps this novel driving from chapter to chapter as you continue to pull for Declan to solve this bizarre case and finally get justice for his wife Alex. Oh, I forgot to mention that Alex is a running character in this series in the form of a ghost that only Declan can see and hear. Told you this one was quirky!
What I love most about THE WRONG HANDS, and there is much to love here, is the consistently snappy dialogue. Declan Miller is such a unique protagonist and his quick wit makes this series sing and zip along smartly. It is such a contrast to Billingham’s brilliant Tom Thorne series and that is the reason why he is so good at what he does and keeps readers coming back for more.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
The most unique thing about this novel, in addition to Declan Miller’s snarky dialogue, is the fact that he continues to privately work the case into the death of his wife and fellow detective Alex that all but consumed him in the first novel. He does not care about his career or how he insults the division working his wife’s murder and that boldness makes him a character truly worth rooting for.
Now, to the primary case of this novel and impetus for the unique title. Two thugs are aboard a train car trying to snatch some commuters briefcase in the hope that it was filled with something valuable. The two criminals, Andy and Keith, make a big mistake and choose the wrong passenger for their minor heist. A big-time hitman named Dennis Draper was their victim and when the two eventually escape with the briefcase they are shocked upon the reveal of what it contains --- two severed hands still including an initial ring that read GP.
Declan and his Asian female partner, Xiu, an amazing gift when the briefcase in question bounces from one person to another and ends up in Declan’s lap. When he brings it into his precinct to have the hands checked out they learn that they did not belong to anyone with the initials GP, someone must have taken that ring from another kill and placed it on the ‘wrong hands.’ Declan decides to start with the two warring area crime-lords, one of which could be responsible for his wife’s murder. That means meeting with both Wayne Cutler, who he really does not like, and Ralph Massey who dresses in drag and is someone Declan does not trust one ounce.
It is not long before one of the two original thieves ends up on the kill list, as the man tagged as ‘Draper’ no doubt wants his briefcase and revenge. That is exactly what happens when the body of Andy turns up. Declan and company must catch this Draper, or whatever name he is going by, and stop his killing spree --- especially as they know that the briefcase is in the possession of the police.
There are so many quirky parts of this novel that the makes the plot just hum and provide some great chuckles. You have the mystery of the Crème Egg that someone obsesses over, a psycho welder with some strange proclivities, and my personal favorite --- Draper the Hitman and his ADHD way with lists and love of anything involving the classic British crime series Midsomer Murders and one of its’ stars, John Nettles.
Will everything come together in either case that Declan is working before he gets himself fired for insubordination or some other charge? This is what keeps this novel driving from chapter to chapter as you continue to pull for Declan to solve this bizarre case and finally get justice for his wife Alex. Oh, I forgot to mention that Alex is a running character in this series in the form of a ghost that only Declan can see and hear. Told you this one was quirky!
What I love most about THE WRONG HANDS, and there is much to love here, is the consistently snappy dialogue. Declan Miller is such a unique protagonist and his quick wit makes this series sing and zip along smartly. It is such a contrast to Billingham’s brilliant Tom Thorne series and that is the reason why he is so good at what he does and keeps readers coming back for more.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
July 31, 2024
This series is really shaping up to be something great. Very enjoyable!
July 31, 2024
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first one. While the plot was good and the same sarcasm and humour were present I found it tiring. Maybe this series should be interspersed with the Tom Thorne series rather than one every year.
January 21, 2024
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
This begins with a hilarious scene set in a public toilet during which a briefcase is stolen from a contract killer by a minor thief. The contract killer is very keen to retrieve the briefcase so he can get paid for his latest job, and soon it falls into Declan's hands. As in the first instalment of this series, Declan discusses the case with his dead wife Alex, goes ballroom dancing, plays with his pet rats, and makes terrible jokes. Disappointingly, Declan's partner Sara seems to be beginning to get some of his jokes and even made one or two of her own.
This is a very funny book and, provided you buy into the reason for the retrieval of the briefcase (is proof of this sort ever really required?) then a great read. My only quibble was that the mystery of how Alex died (which again carries over from the first book) didn't seem very integrated into the main story. The end of the book makes me wonder if this series will continue...
Recommended.
This begins with a hilarious scene set in a public toilet during which a briefcase is stolen from a contract killer by a minor thief. The contract killer is very keen to retrieve the briefcase so he can get paid for his latest job, and soon it falls into Declan's hands. As in the first instalment of this series, Declan discusses the case with his dead wife Alex, goes ballroom dancing, plays with his pet rats, and makes terrible jokes. Disappointingly, Declan's partner Sara seems to be beginning to get some of his jokes and even made one or two of her own.
This is a very funny book and, provided you buy into the reason for the retrieval of the briefcase (is proof of this sort ever really required?) then a great read. My only quibble was that the mystery of how Alex died (which again carries over from the first book) didn't seem very integrated into the main story. The end of the book makes me wonder if this series will continue...
Recommended.
March 8, 2024
Review: I did not mean to fall into another English detective / Police procedure novel as I cannot stand them. Trivialities and scenes with hyper-focused intent and the rambling innanities between people slows the movement like a slug at a salt lick.
This novel seemed forced in a few ways. Characters did not seem genuine, coupled with constant lame attempts at humor. The shambling detective with a corse personality is a play made by many before. In the first few chapters there are so many names and nick names that you can't keep them all straight. I want an easy read after a hard days work where I don't have to labor at tracking characters.
Hard pass on this series.
Rating: DNF
This novel seemed forced in a few ways. Characters did not seem genuine, coupled with constant lame attempts at humor. The shambling detective with a corse personality is a play made by many before. In the first few chapters there are so many names and nick names that you can't keep them all straight. I want an easy read after a hard days work where I don't have to labor at tracking characters.
Hard pass on this series.
Rating: DNF
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