The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham

The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham

I have followed the sleuthing exploits of Detective Inspector Tom Thorne since the beginning of Billingham’s series. Fifteen books later and he’s still a detective inspector hunting down a cat murderer around the streets of London because, as all knowledgeable serial killer aficionados and would-be psychologists understand, the killing of animals is often the first chilling steps of a deranged mind on their path to serial killer status.

Tom Thorne is a plausible character, a pedestrian detective who puts in the hours needed to get results. There are no mind-exploding flashes of deductive brilliance, no flamboyant demonstrations of the detective’s investigative genius as he summarises the murderous facts and unveils the killer to the admiration (and relief) of the remaining possible assassins. This is straightforward police work set in the real world of modern-day policing; no frills, no gimmicks. And Billingham’s writing matches the plot and characters; no thrills, no gimmicks. Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it?

But reading a Billingham crime novel is far from boring as his sales will testify, and I will tell you why. Billingham is a master of psychology. When he tells a story his aim is place the reader inside his characters’ heads and allow them to watch the grisly details unfold through each character’s eyes, through their thoughts. It’s an inspired narrative device, because through this style the reader is drawn inevitably into the characters’ worlds, like it or not. And even more inspired, Billingham includes the mind of the killer themselves, anonymous thoughts that hint at what is motivating their actions and, more scarily, what is yet to come. Enough to intrigue you, enough to keep you reading. Using this device Billingham is able to manipulate the reader by leading them down cul-de-sacs and feeding them morsels of misinformation, thus distracting them from the true culprit. It’s addictive stuff. And the twists and turns keep you guessing right to the last page.

Billingham is a jobbing writer who does his job very well by telling a rattling good yarn. The bottom line is, I enjoy reading his books. So for that reason, and that reason alone, my thumb is definitely up. My review, a contented 8/10.

Thank you for reading my book review. Your book buddy, Charles Whitmore