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Death Message

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( 4,387 ratings, 259 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Death Message by Mark Billingham follows Detective Tom Thorne as he grapples with the psychological impact of receiving disturbing images on his mobile, which appear to be sent by a serial killer targeting random victims. As Thorne delves deeper into the investigation, he navigates a chilling cat-and-mouse game, unveiling dark secrets and intense threats in his quest to stop the killer. This crime thriller keeps readers on edge with its gripping narrative and unexpected twists.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy gripping crime thrillers featuring complex characters and intricate, suspenseful plots. With a storyline that delves into the darker aspects of crime investigation, it draws you into the mind of a detective piecing together a chilling puzzle.

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The seventh Tom Thorne novel from Britain's fastest selling crime writer

The seventh Tom Thorne novel from Britain's fastest selling crime writer

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Death Message

THE MESSAGE. DI Tom Thorne has seen plenty of dead bodies in his time. But when he starts receiving sick photos of murder victims on his mobile phone, he soon realises that the next body could be his.

THE KILLER. And even when the man who has been sending the photos is tracked down, the deadly threat remains. For some, the case is all but closed, but Thorne's nightmare is just beginning.

THE TWIST. Because someone else is masterminding the death messages. The most vicious psychopath Thorne has ever faced is able to manipulate others even behind bars and time has only deepened the deadly grudge he has against the policeman who put him away...

Series: Tom Thorne Novels

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  • Cry Baby
    'One of the great series of British crime fiction' โ€” THE TIMES It's 1996. Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne is a haunted man. Haunted by the moment he ignored his instinct about a suspect, by the horrific crime that followed and by the memories that come day and night, in sunshine and shadow. So when seven-year-old Kieron Coyne goes missing while...
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  • The Murder Book
    Tom Thorne is back . . . and so is his worst nightmare. The Murder Book by Mark Billingham is a gripping, grisly read. "Mark Billingham is a terrific crime writer" โ€” Anthony Horowitz. Tom Thorne has it all. In Nicola Tanner and Phil Hendricks, Thorne has good friends by his side. He finally has a love life worth a...
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  • What the Night Brings
    "Three dead coppers, Tom, maybe four by lunchtime." The targeted murder of four officers is only the first in a series of attacks that leaves police scared, angry and, most disturbingly of all, vengeful. As Tom Thorne and Nicola Tanner dig into the reasons for the violence, a deeper darkness begins to emerge: the possibility that these murders are payback....
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  • Sleepyhead
    A stunning 20th anniversary paperback edition of the groundbreaking first Tom Thorne novel, a case that changed crime fiction forever . . . Alison Willetts has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear, and feel, but she is completely unable to move or communicate. In leaving...
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  • The Bones Beneath
    The Bones Beneath Tom Thorne is back in charge - but there's a terrifying price to pay. Stuart Nicklin, the most dangerous psychopath he has ever put behind bars, promises to reveal the whereabouts of a body he buried twenty-five years before. But only if Thorne agrees to escort him. Unable to refuse, Thorne gathers a team and travels to...
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  • Scaredy Cat
    Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham delivers a chilling tale of cunning and brutality. TWO WOMEN DEAD. It was a vicious, calculated murder. The killer selected his victim at Euston station, followed her home on the tube, and strangled her to death in front of her child. At the same time, killed in the same way, a second body is discovered...
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  • Love Like Blood
    'Groundbreaking and gripping' Sunday Times A BLOODY MESSAGE As DI Nicola Tanner investigates what appears to be a series of organised killings, her partner Susan is brutally murdered, leaving the detective bereft, and vengeful. A POWERFUL ALLY Taken off the case, Tanner enlists the help of DI Tom Thorne to pursue a pair of ruthless killers and the broker handing...
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  • The Burning Girl
    A man who kills for money. X marks the spot - and when that spot is a corpse's naked back and the X is carved in blood, DI Tom Thorne is in no doubt that the dead man is the latest victim of a particularly vicious killer. A brutal vendetta. This is brutal turf warfare between north London gangs. Organised...
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  • Sleepyhead
    Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham A woman unlucky to be alive. Alison Willetts has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear and feel but she is completely unable to move or communicate. In leaving Alison Willetts alive, the police believe the killer has made his first mistake....
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  • Their Little Secret
    The sixteenth book in the TOM THORNE series, from bestselling author Mark Billingham. 'Hugely intelligent and authentic' โ€“ BELINDA BAUER, AUTHOR OF SNAP She says she's an ordinary mother. He knows a liar when he sees one. Sarah thinks of herself as a normal single mum. It's what she wants others to think of her. But the truth is, she...
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  • The Dying Hours
    A cluster of suicides among the elderly. Such things are not unknown, and the deaths are quickly dismissed by the police as routine. Only one man is convinced that something more sinister is taking place. However, no one listens to Tom Thorne anymore. Having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform, and he hates it. Patronised...
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  • What the Night Brings
    TOM THORNE IS BACK WITH HIS MOST SHOCKING CASE YET...____________'Billingham only gets better' MICHAEL CONNELLY'Sensational, masterful, sharp and shocking' CHRIS WHITAKER'The best Tom Thorne novel yet' MICK HERRON'One of crime fiction's finest' KARIN SLAUGHTER'Billingham is on top form' THE TIMES____________"Three dead coppers, Tom, maybe four by lunchtime."The targeted murder of four officers is only the first in a series of...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Death Message by Mark Billingham is highly praised across various reviews. It's celebrated as an exceptional portrayal of murder and mystery, delivering a brisk and engaging read. Critics highlight its assured storytelling and shocking twists, with a clever take on the serial-murder theme appreciated by readers.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780751548617

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 March 2012

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Sphere

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 342g

Pages: 512

About the Author

Mark Billingham is the author of eleven bestselling novels and the creator of the Thorne series. He has twice won the Theakston's Old Peculier prize for best novel of the year. He lives in North London with his family.

Also by Mark Billingham

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  • Cry Baby
    'One of the great series of British crime fiction' โ€” THE TIMES It's 1996. Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne is a haunted man. Haunted by the moment he ignored his instinct about a suspect, by the horrific crime that followed and by the memories that come day and night, in sunshine and shadow. So when seven-year-old Kieron Coyne goes missing while...
    Paperback
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Murder Book
    Tom Thorne is back . . . and so is his worst nightmare. The Murder Book by Mark Billingham is a gripping, grisly read. "Mark Billingham is a terrific crime writer" โ€” Anthony Horowitz. Tom Thorne has it all. In Nicola Tanner and Phil Hendricks, Thorne has good friends by his side. He finally has a love life worth a...
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  • The Wrong Hands
    This is one case Miller won't want to open . . . โ€ƒโ€”I'm excited to have found a new favourite detectiveโ€” CLAIRE DOUGLAS Neat plot twists and a likable cast of offbeat characters, all served up with plenty of black humour โ€” MAIL ON SUNDAY โ€ƒโ€”Simply fantasticโ€” LISA JEWELL Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Still desperate to solve...
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    The Shadow Step
    The new Detective Miller thriller from bestselling author Mark Billingham, full of tension, wit and incredible twists. The Shadow Step: One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow') Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronized elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with...
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  • What the Night Brings
    "Three dead coppers, Tom, maybe four by lunchtime." The targeted murder of four officers is only the first in a series of attacks that leaves police scared, angry and, most disturbingly of all, vengeful. As Tom Thorne and Nicola Tanner dig into the reasons for the violence, a deeper darkness begins to emerge: the possibility that these murders are payback....
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  • Sleepyhead
    A stunning 20th anniversary paperback edition of the groundbreaking first Tom Thorne novel, a case that changed crime fiction forever . . . Alison Willetts has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear, and feel, but she is completely unable to move or communicate. In leaving...
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  • The Last Dance
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  • Buried
    Buried tells the gripping story of a missing boy. Teenager Luke Mullen was last seen getting into a car with an older woman. No one can understand why he has disappeared. His father โ€“ a former police officer โ€“ knows all too well that the longer he is missing, the more likely he is to turn up dead. A terrifying...
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  • From The Dead
    It has been a decade since Alan Langford's charred remains were discovered in his burnt-out car. His wife Donna was found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband and served ten years in prison. But just before she is released, Donna receives a nasty shock: an anonymous letter containing a photo of her husband. The man she hates with every...
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  • Lazybones
    A MONSTER MURDERED. It's only ten days since Douglas Remfry's release from prison, having served seven years for rape, and now he's dead: naked on a bare mattress in a grubby north London hotel room, his head hooded and his hands tied with a brown leather belt. A DEADLY JUSTICE. Someone knew he was coming out. Someone wanted to mete...
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  • Die of Shame
    Full of betrayal, deceit and suspense, Die of Shame is the spectacular new book from number one bestseller Mark Billingham - author of Time of Death and In the Dark, both soon to be major BBC series. Every Monday evening, six people gather in a smart North London house to talk about addiction. There they share their deepest secrets: stories...
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  • Good As Dead
    Good As Dead begins with The Hostage. Police officer Helen Weeks walks into her local newsagent's on her way to work. Little does she know that this simple daily ritual will change her life forever. It's the last place she expects to be met with violence, but as she waits innocently at the till, she comes face to face with...
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