Mark Billingham is an excellent writer. Novel by novel, his writing is always interesting and his tales are well-told. ( )

Tom Thorne can be a very difficult character – ‘surly to rise, surly to bed’ might capture him fairly accurately. He is, however, also a very capable detective, working on one of London’s dedicated major investigation teams that usually undertake murder cases. One of his key characteristics is his tenacity, and one engaged on a case he is reluctant to let go until the mystery is resolved.

Consequently, he is initially rather surprised when his boss asks him to investigate what seems to be a spate of killings of cats. This is not as surprising a request as it might initially seem. All too often the vicious killing of cats and dogs can be the early stages in the development of a serial killer. Catching the culprit early might prevent murders further down the line. That is the theory, anyway, and Thorne takes on the case, although he has to suffer the banter of his colleagues.

This line of investigation starts to seem justified, however, when analysis of reports of such incidents seems to tie in with the deaths of several young women. Meanwhile, Thorne is reunited with fellow Detective inspector, Nicola Tanner, with whom he had worked in recent cases (and who brings her own baggage).

Mark Billingham is adept at constructing compelling plots and peopling them with believable characters. Even his criminals seem highly plausible 9within the parameters of their often twisted psyches). The relationship between Tanner and Thorne is well managed, with their different personalities generally complementing each other, although not without moments of friction.

As always with Billingham, the book comes together as an enjoyable and engrossing read. ( )

The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham is a perplexing police procedural that begins with a spate of murdered cats then quickly turns into a search for a serial killer. This newest release is the fifteenth installment in the Tom Thorne series, it can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the entire series.

Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is taken aback when his boss DCI Russell Brigstocke tasks him with looking into a wave of cat killings. Tom is aware that harming animals is an ominous indicator of a serial killer, which leads him to consult with psychiatrist Dr. Melita Perera for an expert opinion. Dr. Perera believes the serial killer has already begun killing, so Thorne, along with the help of DI Nicola Tanner, begin combing through cases to find unsolved murders that share similarities. Three murdered women seem to fit a pattern and when Alice Matthews is murdered in the same manner, Thorne and Tanner begin their investigation in earnest.

In addition to "Operation Felix", Nicola is assigned to investigate the murder of drug addict Adnan Jandali. The case appears to be open and shut since there is plenty of evidence that newly paroled Andrew Evans is Jandali's killer. Will Tanner believe Evans claim he has been framed and that a woman he only knows as "The Duchess" might be able to help clear him?

On the home front, both Nicola and Tom are dealing with personal issues. Nicola is still grieving the death of her partner, Susan, and she is contemplating a pretty big change that could help her move forward. Tom and his partner Helen's relationship has hit a rough spot and their discussions always end in a stalemate.

At work, Tom is going through a bit of professional crisis as he ponders whether or not he has lost his "edge" for reading people. He is a bit jaded and uncertain whether or not he still has enough enthusiasm to track down the worst of the worst. Thorne also must navigate the tricky politics that come with the job when he needs permission to move ahead with a major operation he hopes will flush out the killer.

The Killing Habit is a little slow paced as Tom and Nicola are quickly stymied due a lack of evidence or leads. Despite his doubts, Thorne still retains his keen instincts as he painstakingly puts the pieces of the puzzle together during the Operation Felix investigation. He and Tanner also make considerable progress in their quest to locate "The Duchess" but will Nicola find out who is behind the scheme to frame Evans? Once everything comes together, Mark Billingham brings the novel to an action-packed, dramatic conclusion that will absolutely stun readers. Old and new fans will absolutely love this latest addition to the Tom Thorne series.
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Mark Billingham pens one of my favourite crime series - the Tom Thorne books. The fifteenth book in this series, The Killing Habit, has just released.

Tom is handed a case that he doesn't take too seriously in the beginning - someone has been killing cats. But as he does delve further into the case, he relalizes there's more to these killings. Is it a serial killer ramping up? Or could it be an established killer winding down?

DI Nicola Tanner is back as well. She's chasing down a murderer with ties to a killer new designer drug called Spice.

These two characters are complete opposites and as such, play incredibly well off each other. Different strengths, styles and outlooks. As their investigations proceed, they join forces again.

Billingham consistently comes up with dark, devious plots that hold the reader captive until the last page has been turned. On reading the author's notes, I discovered that the inspiration for the cat killing plotline is based in reality. A UK cat killer has dispatched over 400 pets and as of the release of the book, the killer remains at large.

But what keeps me coming back book after book, are the characters. There are other 'regulars' that appear as well - coroner Phil Hendricks is another character I quite enjoy. Billingham keeps the lives of the cast moving forward through life complete with loves, losses, triumphs and struggles. Thorne is battling his own self doubt in this entry. Doubt about his skills and even his desire to catch criminals. His love life - or lack of - is also troubling to him. The ending surprised me - one character makes a choice that I didn't see coming. I wonder how this will affect this player's (and other's) behaviour and dynamics going forward?

The title is clever - 'killing habit' applies to both murder and drugs. Another great read from Billingham and I look forward to the sixteenth entry in this series. ( )

LIKE BILLINGHAM, BUT NOT BOOK #15

There is a serial pet killer loose in London! The killer is leaving the eviscerated remains of (mostly) cats all over the place – and how do you keep a count? How do you separate out roadkill and victims of animal predators? The victims are thought to be in the hundreds. And the killer sometimes displays the remains on the owners’ property to leave no doubt. And wait a minute, why would you care anyway…..? Well because police psychology staff think this all might be a warm up for a new serial killer of humans, the start of an evolution of sorts.

Old, wizened, police detective Tom Thorne inherits the case and every dead cat joke imaginable, and surprise surprise takes it very seriously from the get go. He recruits Nicola Tanner, a data manipulator extraordinaire, Thorne shares his out-of-the-box theory and before, they’re on the hunt.

Tanner is a character from an earlier Thorne novel, in which her lesbian lover was killed and Nicola was badly injured. Meanwhile things are not going so good for Thorne and partner Helen, mother of a four year old and sister to a younger woman who detests Thorne for unknown reasons. Given all of the above, most of these characters are cranky, very cranky. Like all of the time. Not a lot of happy moments here, few smiles, no laughs, even for all the dead cat jokes.

Meanwhile Tanner is involved in another case as well, this one dealing with a debt collector for some drug (e.g. Spice) suppliers mostly to ex-cons. One of the users is shot dead, and Tanner feels she has an open and shut case until…..

“The Killing Habit” (KH) is the 15th in Mark Billingham’s Thorne series; I have read them all. I have rated most of the previous books 5’s and 4’s, but I did not enjoy KH as much as most others. The story lacked tension, and I put it down often. For me, there was too much uninteresting family life, too much bickering, too much gloom. Thorne seemed to have become a cranky old man since the last book, maybe crankier is more accurate. Everybody seemed cranky. I did not find the case(s) especially interesting either. I’ll certainly read Thorne # 16, but if it’s along the same lines as this one, then sayonara TT. ( )