Scaredy Cat [Paperback]

Mark Billingham's Scaredy Cat is as inventive his previous serial killer novel a Sleepyhead. Detective Inspector Tom Thorne has the job of watching out for patterns and thinks he spots one--two similar killings on the same day; women followed from a mainline station and then strangled. Rapidly, though, it becomes clear that the methods differed in all sorts of ways--one killing was controlled, the other frenzied--and the timings do not work out. On a hunch, Thorne checks for other such pairings and finds them--this time two killers are working as a team, one setting the other challenges.

We know what Thorne does not, that all of this has to do with things that happened at school years ago; we also know a lot more than Thorne about the demons that drive some of his own investigating team. Billingham sets himself some complicated technical challenges here--flashes back and forwards, and closeups of killers' minds that keep crucial information from us--and some of the complications don't quite work. Overall, though, this is a terrifying exploration of brutal madness, made all the more so by touches of compassion for the killer's victims--the killer may think this a game, but we and Thorne know it is not.--Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Brisk, racy read.' The Times 'Assured and shocking thriller.' The Guardian 'A cunning variation on the serial-murder theme.' Sunday Telegraph 'Scary, pell-mell, cliff-hanging thriller.' Literary Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

A gripping, chilling tour-de-force, Scaredy Cat is a perfect follow-up to Sleepyhead --This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.

In a vicious, calculated murder, a victim is selected at Euston Station, followed home and strangled in front of her child. When a second body is discovered, killed in the same way, at King's Cross station, DI Tom Thorne comes to a horrifying conclusion: this is not one killer, but two.

TWO WOMEN DEAD It was a vicious, calculated murder. The killer selected his victim at Euston station, followed her home on the tube, strangled her to death in front of her child. At the same time, killed in the same way, a second body is discovered at the back of King's Cross station. And this grisly event eerily echoes the murder of two other women, stabbed to death months before on the same day. TWO KILLERS WORKING TOGETHER It is DI Tom Thorne who sees the link and comes to the horrifying conclusion. This is not a serial killer the police are up against. This is two of them - and two killers are way more deadly than one . . . 'Morse, Rebus, and now Thorne. The next superstar detective is already with us. Don't miss him' Lee Child --This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.

Mark Billingham is a stand-up comedian, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store. He has also written drama for children's television, including Knight School which won the Royal Television Society Award for best children's drama.