His emphasis on the thorny issues surrounding honor killings allows Billingham (Die of Shame, 2016, etc.) to put a new and urgent spin on his tried-and-true procedural formula. The idea of honour killings – be it for love or some other inferred shame – is the central premise of this book. Mark Billingham has not tried to retell Banaz’s story. As he has said himself that is not his story to tell. But her story has most certainly inspired a book which becomes somewhat of a moral dilemma in the making. At the heart of this novel is real life horror dressed up here as a form of entertainment, art even. Should we really say that we enjoy it? Maybe, maybe not. However Billingham has found a near perfect balance, blending Thorne’s irresistible charm, an element of humour and the day to day mundane realities of family life, with an overwhelmingly depressing set of statistics and a case which puts the lives of Thorne’s friends and colleagues at risk. This is not a case of preaching the horrors of honour killings, although they are clearly outlined here, but it is also more than mere entertainment. Billingham skilfully gets his distaste at the subject across to the reader through Thorne’s reactions, while still leaving them the scope to make their own minds up about what has occurred. Love Like Blood" (LLB) by Mark Billingham is the 14th in the Tom Thorne series. I have read the entire series and always look forward to a new book from him. Thorne is a London homicide detective who travels to the beat a different drummer. Always in trouble with his superiors, always following his own instincts, occasionally suspended, irascible, committed, etc. A good guy but not likable to most, tough, and brilliant when he has to be. Lives with his "girlfriend" and her 3 year old son. Likes country and western and pub visits. Obviously DI Tanner is not allowed to be part of the investigation in any way. But DI Nicola Tanner needs to catch the people who killed her girlfriend. DI Nicola can't imagine life without Susan the woman she loved. Still loved.

Love Like Blood is painful, frightening and quite disturbing in equal measure. Somewhere in the police files there was a reference to two men. It is believed that two hit men were paid to murder. Their methods of killing were always different and the locations. They were contracted out to honour killings all over the world. Every religion is an alibi for regulating and controlling the sexuality of women. But as regards, specifically, the phenomenon of honour killing, the three religions which are most culpable are Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. Honour, said Shakespeare’s Falstaff, is “air”. Now it means something like the defence of male entitlement, at all costs. Billingham tries to distinguish between the religion, which he respects, and the crime, which he abhors. He argues that honour killing is “a cultural thing not a religious thing – it comes out of South Asia.” He has a believer, in the novel, making the case that the true religion is really all about peace: “Do not harm yourselves or others”, quoth the Prophet. In Maid Marian and her Merry Men, Billingham played Gary, a dim-but-lovable guard in the employ of the Sheriff of Nottingham ( Tony Robinson), as part of a double-act with Graeme ( David Lloyd). Buried (Little, Brown & Company, May 2006), ISBN 0-316-73050-5; Orbit, May 2006, ISBN 0-356-24410-5; ( HarperCollins, August 2007), ISBN 0-06-125569-6 In Love Like Blood , DI Tom Thorne, ��the next superstar detective,” teams up with perfectionist DI Nicola Tanner, the protagonist of Billingham’s acclaimed stand-alone thriller Die of Shame (Lee Child).Prior to this book, I had no idea that honour killings existed outside countries like India or Pakistan. So I was horrified upon reading Marks notes at the end of the story, to find that this is a growing problem in The UK. The author’s rage, together with his skill as a crime writer, makes this a gripping and genuinely tragic story.

And then Thorne decides to play judge, jury and executioner himself in the most pathetic and unbelievable confession. Lazybones (Little, Brown & Company, July 2003), ISBN 0-316-72493-9; ISBN 0-316-72494-7; William Morrow US (June 2004), ISBN 0-06-056085-1 This is an excellent addition to the series and I would not only recommend this book but the series itself to any lover of Thrillers. Like many people, I watched the first episode of the TV series Written In Blood in which Simon Toyne interviewed Mark Billingham about the case which inspired his book, Love Like Blood. Now I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t have been moved and indeed horrified by the true story of Banaz Mahmod and the way in which she suffered at the hands of family for the simple act of falling in love with the wrong man. It is something in Western culture that we take for granted – the basic right to love and be loved by those whom we choose not those who are chosen for us. And yet in some cultures, this still remains an impossible dream. To those who disobey or ‘dishonour’ their family, a fate such as that which befell Banaz is sadly far more prevalent than any of us would like to accept. Good as Dead (Little, Brown & Company, August 2011), ISBN 978-1-84744-419-6. Retitled US The Demands (Mulholland Books, June 2012), ISBN 978-0-316-12663-2Billingham's detective character Inspector Tom Thorne first appeared in his 2001 debut novel Sleepyhead. The character has since appeared in the majority of his works, except In the Dark, Rush of Blood, and Die of Shame (May 2016), in which Thorne has minor roles. Billingham claims to have imbued Thorne with many of his own characteristics, such as a birthday, a locale (London), and a "love of country music both alt and cheesy". [3] [11] Billingham has received nominations and awards related to all aspects of his various careers. What's That Noise (which he wrote and presented) won the 1995 Royal Television Society award for "Best Entertainment Programme", [9] while Knight School was nominated for the RTS's "Best Children's Drama" award two years running. The more that they look into the reasons for Susan's murder, the clearer it becomes that it could well be linked to a series of open cases, potential honour killings, that Tanner had been working on. Could it be that her enquiries within the local Asian community had ruffled one too many of the wrong feathers. When two young Asian friends go missing after a night out, it becomes clear that this is no straight forward case of families taking revenge. It runs far deeper than that and the consequences of the investigation are potentially lethal. In talking about the creation and development of Thorne, Billingham details his difficulty in trying to create a character different from those in other, popular works:

Writing about cultures and religions that are not your own brings with it a degree of responsibility, and so it should. I have endeavoured to do so with care, sensitivity and, crucially, with respect. In Love Like Blood I have tried to display the utmost respect for Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and for those who practice their religions peacefully. ' Mark Billingham

Much less a whodunnit and much more a twisted tale to the full truth of the matter, Tom is pulled into a contrary situation by Nicola Tanner (see Die Of Shame ) who having suffered a horrific personal lost is determined to bring those responsible to justice. Convinced it is tied into a theory she was investigating she hopes Thorne will show his usual disregard for procedure and follow the leads unconsidered in the main investigation. So there we begin.. DI Nicola Tanner is convinced her partner’s murder was a case of mistaken identity & she was the real target. Tanner has a theory about some recent honour killings in London. It’s a sensitive subject & she hasn’t exactly endeared herself to members of the religious communities involved.

I haven't read any of the other books in the author's DI Tom Thorne series but I did read the prior DI Nicola Tanner book, "Die of Shame", which I liked more than I liked this book. However, this book works as a standalone. Tanner's partner Susan was recently murdered in their home and she is currently on compassionate leave. Tanner believes that she was actually the target of the killers because of her work on a series of honour killings within the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities and she enlists the help of Thorne to conduct an unofficial investigation of Susan's death. Their search is complicated when a teenaged couple disappears. The topic of honour killings was a novel one, but otherwise this was a straightforward police procedural. There was a lot of filler with Tanner's mourning and Thorne's home life with his girlfriend and her 3 year old son. I'm one of those readers who doesn't care about the lives of the detectives, so it felt like padding to me. The book was fine, though unexceptional, and I'd be willing to read more by this author. Overall a really excellent, entertaining yet hugely thought provoking read that I would actually like to throw at everybody. Read it. Even if you are new to the series I see no reason you couldn’t start here. His standalone novel In The Dark was adapted as a miniseries of the same name by the BBC in 2017. An adaptation of another standalone novel, Rush of Blood, is being developed for US television. [15] Awards and nominations [ edit ] TV [ edit ]Readers rejoice! A captivating new series from Mark Billingham—the very best in the business.”— Richard Osman, #1 bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club This was fabulous writing and excellent reading and I highly recommend it. I've loved the Thorne books for a long time, and now enjoy the character of Nicola Tanner. The topic definitely will stimulate discussion of this heinous practice and hopefully lead to its termination. I am so familiar with these characters that the books are so easy to read that I look forward to each new book in the series. The main character, Thorne, is one of the worst detectives I have ever seen. Followed closely by Tanner. They endanger other people's lives by not sharing their theories, they have ridiculous tactics and barely seem to do any work. Tanner seems completed unbothered that people want to kill her and barely seems touched by her partner being killed. When she’s put on compassionate leave, some of her colleagues are hoping a little time away will help ease tension between the victim’s families & police.