First Sentence:  You think about the kids.

DI Tom Thorne and his team are searching for the son of a retired, formerly-high-ranking police official.  The boy has been kidnapped, and the father has been asked for a list of those who may have a grudge against him, but he leaves one name off the list.  Thorne leads the team on an increasingly trying case while still dealing with his back injuries.

Billingham is great at creating a tight, twisty plot that, starts slow but, once you get into it, keeps you involved all the way through.  He switches points of view in a way that is easy to follow and which heightens the suspense of the story.  His sense of place is good and the dialogue crisp.  It did have an ending I did not see coming, which was great.

What is lacking, to me, and has been through the series, is character development.  I don't feel I have a real sense of Thorne, at least not enough to care about him or have the same sense of involvement I have for other similar characters.

I still have a couple more books of the series on my shelves and I shall read them, but I don't see myself going forward with this series beyond that.
First Sentence:  You think about the kids. DI Tom Thorne and his team are searching for the son of a retired, formerly-high-ranking police official. The boy has been kidnapped, and the father has been asked for a list of those who may have a grudge against him, but he leaves one name off the list. Thorne leads the team on an increasingly trying case while still dealing with his back injuries. Billingham is great at creating a tight, twisty plot that, starts slow but, once you get into it, keeps you involved all the way through. He switches points of view in a way that is easy to follow and which heightens the suspense of the story. His sense of place is good and the dialogue crisp. It did have an ending I did not see coming, which was great. What is lacking, to me, and has been through the series, is character development. I don't feel I have a real sense of Thorne, at least not enough to care about him or have the same sense of involvement I have for other similar characters. I still have a couple more books of the series on my shelves and I shall read them, but I don't see myself going forward with this series beyond that.