The Burning Girl (Tom Thorne Novels)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
With The Burning Girl, Mark Billingham steps away from the inventively vicious serial killers of his earlier thrillers to have his police detective Thorne investigate something equally unpleasant--the men who kill for money not kicks and the gangsters who ruthlessly employ them. Thorne's retired friend Carol put Rooker away years ago for setting fire to a girl--whom he mistakenly believed to be the daughter of gang-boss Kelly; the girl did not die, then, but wished she had. Now someone is ringing Carol, saying it was them that burned the girl, and Rooker is promising to tell the truth; Ryan, Alison Kelly's ex-husband and her father's chosen successor, is caught up in gang warfare with a new North London Turkish mafia. As always, Billingham delivers psychological insights you half wish you didn't have, along with a profound sense of just how far the damaged Thorne will go in the name of justice. Anyone who knows North London will recognise this as being as atmospheric as it is moody--Billingham continues to develop from book to book. --Roz Kaveney
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A disturbing and ruthlessly compelling novel Sunday Express Murder and mystery do not come better than this What's on in London Brisk, racy read The Times Assured and shocking thriller The Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
“The Burning Girl” is the forth book from Mark Billingham to feature the exploits of DI Tom Thorne as he must yet again wrestle against the foes of the London underworld. This time is a departure from the formula of the first three books DI Thorne must start to pick his way into the goings on of organised crime and the money making schemes that these ruthless gangs undertake.
A turf war seems to be developing between a traditional London based gang run by the merciless Billy Ryan and the new kids on the block, a group of Turkish immigrants run by the sinister Zarif brothers. Each side seems to be knocking off their opponents one by one and as the stakes get higher DI Thorne and the other members of SO7 are dragged into the fray. For Tom Thorne the interest in the case is made all the more relevant as he’s been contacted by former DCI Carol Chamberlain who’s now working on old cold cases. Carol has been threatened by a man claiming to have carried out a crime years ago, that of setting an innocent schoolgirl on fire. The things that connects it all is that for the last 20 years or so a man called Gordon Rooker has been locked away for having been convicted of the crime and he was a former “colleague” of Ryan’s.
I felt with the first three of Mark Billingham’s DI Thorne books that the standard of writing and plot had steadily increased with each instalment, I somewhat disappointed therefore to report that I felt this one hadn’t really upped the stakes any further.
It’s a solidly written and enjoyable book, make no mistakes about that, but I just felt that leaving the actual case besides there wasn’t any good character sub-plots going on. The reappearance of Carol Chamberlain was something I was looking forward to after he introduction in “Lazybones” and yet he character never really got going. Similarly the meeting up again of one of Thorne’s old police rivals, now DCI Tughan should have spelt the start of some cracking fireworks, instead it all sort of fizzled out. The best bits were about Thorne’s dad who is still able to make a standard scene into something sadly humorous.
I certainly won’t be giving up on Thorne for the moment as, as I say, this is still a good book, but hopefully the next one will raise the ante somewhat.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mark Billingham is the hottest new British crime writer on the block. His maverick cop is DI Thorne, who, like Rankin's Rebus, has a healthy disrespect for his inferior superiors, and a real talent for getting up a nose or two.
Both detectives also have despicable vices: Rebus has an inability to pass any pub without nipping in for a pint, or several, while Thorne is an aficionado of Country music: by far the bigger sin. The similarity ends there however: Thorne is very much his own man.
In a year where I've slogged through the new novels by more established names, Mark's new book comes as a breath of fresh air.
For a start, it's beautifully paced and, despite its brooding atmosphere, has several laugh-out-loud moments - not an easy trick to pull off. One scene in particular, set in a massage parlour, is an absolute scream.
And he's not repeating a formula; this book is very different to his first three and shows already that he isn't taking the easy option of sticking to familiar ground.
I won't discuss the plot here - you can read a synopsis anywhere - but I do wish to state that Billingham is an expert at the twist that really surprises.
We get a brace of them near the end here (although I have to confess I did spot one of them coming - but not the other) and then a further final twist in the last chapter, which gives the book a nice dark and ambiguous ending.
For fans of his earlier novels, the relationship between Thorne and his friend, the gay, shaven-headed pathologist Phil Hendricks, is further explored, and provides a nice sub-plot.
I also won't debate the book's merits as a piece of literature; this isn't the forum for in-depth analysis. All I'll say is it's supremely readable, interesting and surprising. And I'll take a well-written crime or suspense novel over Jane Austen any day.
If your palate has become jaded through too many predictable crime thrillers, beg, borrow or steal this book. The very least you'll get out of it is great entertainment.
.... Oh, and read his three previous novels too!.
Both detectives also have despicable vices: Rebus has an inability to pass any pub without nipping in for a pint, or several, while Thorne is an aficionado of Country music: by far the bigger sin. The similarity ends there however: Thorne is very much his own man.
In a year where I've slogged through the new novels by more established names, Mark's new book comes as a breath of fresh air.
For a start, it's beautifully paced and, despite its brooding atmosphere, has several laugh-out-loud moments - not an easy trick to pull off. One scene in particular, set in a massage parlour, is an absolute scream.
And he's not repeating a formula; this book is very different to his first three and shows already that he isn't taking the easy option of sticking to familiar ground.
I won't discuss the plot here - you can read a synopsis anywhere - but I do wish to state that Billingham is an expert at the twist that really surprises.
We get a brace of them near the end here (although I have to confess I did spot one of them coming - but not the other) and then a further final twist in the last chapter, which gives the book a nice dark and ambiguous ending.
For fans of his earlier novels, the relationship between Thorne and his friend, the gay, shaven-headed pathologist Phil Hendricks, is further explored, and provides a nice sub-plot.
I also won't debate the book's merits as a piece of literature; this isn't the forum for in-depth analysis. All I'll say is it's supremely readable, interesting and surprising. And I'll take a well-written crime or suspense novel over Jane Austen any day.
If your palate has become jaded through too many predictable crime thrillers, beg, borrow or steal this book. The very least you'll get out of it is great entertainment.
.... Oh, and read his three previous novels too!.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Another gripping, well-written, Tom Thorne novel from Mark Billingham. The plot is well constructed around a gangland feud that stirs a new review into the shocking case of a schoolgirl who was the victim of an arson attack and took her own life as a result of the horrible disfigurement that she was left with. Including excerpts from the dead girl's diary was a very powerful incision to the main narrative. The crooks on both sides are horrible and yet in an odd way so are the cops - even Tom Thorne is a bit too anti-hero towards the end, and I actually took quite a dislike to him. Nothing is by numbers with Mark Billingham.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
solid, but not out of the top drawer
Like many of the leading police procedural writers such as Ian Rankin and Michael Connelly, Billingham has an easy but engaging writing style and a well developed, flawed, driven... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Rob Kitchin
Brilliant Read
I bought the series of Marks books on Amazon and was not dissapointed. What a great storyline. Kept me gripped from the first page to the last. It was a pity when it finished. Read more
Published 6 months ago by South01
Very good
Another Tom Thorne thriller if you like the previous books in the series your sure to like this. Keeps you intrigued all the way through and Tom Thorne is a great character paired... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sacky55
Depressing
Pointless story line.
Too many characters.
Way too much swearing.
Towards the end of the first part of this story I began feeling depressed. Read more
Too many characters.
Way too much swearing.
Towards the end of the first part of this story I began feeling depressed. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jonathan
a bit dodgy!
not sure whether to give this two or three stars so just decided to be generous. this is the second book i have read by this author and it was OK but i do not think i will be... Read more
Published 12 months ago by L. Turner
Very unsatisfactory
I have really enjoyed Mark Billingham's other books but this was a real disappointment - the storyline was muddled, it lacked pace & the ending was unsatisfactory. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Nics
page turner
This is the first Mark Billingham's book I've read, and it certainly won't be the last. The attention to character detail made the book very readable. Read more
Published 16 months ago by lilacwren
A REVIEW FOR THE AUDIO VERSION ONLY>
Let me start by saying this is a review for the audio abridged version of the book. (Amazon UK does not allow reviewers to distinguish between the book and audio version. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mr. Glenn Cook
Another great Tom Thorne tale
Tom Thorne is again 'on the case'.
I was a little disappointed because Tom didn't get the bad guys at the end - I like my cops to beat the bad guys! Read more
I was a little disappointed because Tom didn't get the bad guys at the end - I like my cops to beat the bad guys! Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2009 by V. Goddard
A POT BOILER, YES - BUT A DAMNED GOOD ONE AT THAT!!!!!
This really is a page turner from Mark Billingham - His latest, In The Dark, despite it's promise, dissapointed me, BUT this is excellent. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2008 by Adam Jackson
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