A review by jmatkinson1
Cry Baby by Mark Billingham
5.0
1996 and DS Tom Thorne is more concerned about the European Championships than putting his house on the market at the behest of his estranged wife. He is still having nightmares about a case from ten years ago when he is called into an investigation into a missing child. A seven year old boy has vanished from some woods, his mother is distraught and her husband has recently been locked away for attempted murder. The DI on the case is keen to solve it quickly but Thorne isn't convinced by his ideas.
This is a prequel novel, going back to Thorne's time in the 1990s, and Billingham admits in his notes that he was concerned about writing a story setting his main character into his past. In fact Billingham has produced a triumph, not only is this an outstanding police procedural but the detail of the setting is spot on - the narrative about the football, the little mentions of TV programmes etc - he's really hit the popular culture of the times. Billingham always writes a cracking novel and this one is up there with his best.
This is a prequel novel, going back to Thorne's time in the 1990s, and Billingham admits in his notes that he was concerned about writing a story setting his main character into his past. In fact Billingham has produced a triumph, not only is this an outstanding police procedural but the detail of the setting is spot on - the narrative about the football, the little mentions of TV programmes etc - he's really hit the popular culture of the times. Billingham always writes a cracking novel and this one is up there with his best.