The killing habit

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Average Rating
Series
Publisher
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date
2018.
Language
English

Description

Two distinctive killers, two detectives with distinctly different styles—Thorne and Tanner again end up joining forces in the new thriller from internationally bestselling author Mark Billingham

From “one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today” (Gillian Flynn), The Killing Habit again brings together favorite wild-card detective Tom Thorne and straight-laced DI Nicola Tanner on a pair of lethally high-stakes cases.

While DI Nicola Tanner investigates the deadly spread of a dangerous new drug, Tom Thorne is handed a case that he doesn’t take too seriously, until a spate of animal killings points to the work of a serial killer. When the two cases come together in a way that neither could have foreseen, both Thorne and Tanner must risk everything to catch two very different killers.

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Contributors
Billingham, Mark Narrator, Author
ISBN
9780802128249
9781681686462

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These intricately plotted, dark, and gritty procedurals are set in small towns in England. They both star complex British policemen who aren't afraid to buck the system, and their personal problems give them a brooding nature. -- Merle Jacob
These gritty police procedurals, set in England, star complicated male and female homicide detectives. Led by these complex characters, both series are intricately plotted and compelling, though the Bev Morriss novels feature more dialogue and a dark sense of humor. -- Mike Nilsson
London DI Tom Thorne and Copenhagen police detective Carl Mørck have difficult personalities that cause friction with peers and supervisors alike; they're also surrounded by compelling characters in complicated relationships. But while Mørck investigates cold cases, Thorne is concerned with current ones. -- Shauna Griffin
Police procedurals featuring angsty homicide detectives and intricate plotting. The Tom Thorne novels tend toward serial killers and the Patrik Hedstrom novels embrace dysfunctional criminal families. Both series are gritty, compelling, and gloomy. -- Mike Nilsson
These series have the appeal factors gritty and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives" and "police."
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "detectives" and "police"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives" and "police."
These series have the appeal factors gritty, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "women detectives."
These series have the appeal factors gritty and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "women detectives."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors gritty, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "serial murder investigation," and "serial murderers."
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NoveList recommends "Patrik Hedstrom mysteries" for fans of "Tom Thorne novels". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "serial murder investigation," and "serial murderers."
These books have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "detectives" and "drug addicts."
These books have the appeal factors gritty and violent, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "mysteries"; and the subjects "serial murder investigation," "serial murderers," and "serial murders."
NoveList recommends "Department Q" for fans of "Tom Thorne novels". Check out the first book in the series.
That darkness - Black, Lisa
These books have the appeal factors gritty, atmospheric, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subject "women murder victims."
These books have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "detectives," "serial murder investigation," and "serial murderers"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These books have the appeal factors gritty and bleak, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives" and "drug traffic."
These books have the appeal factors gritty, and they have the theme "urban police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives" and "women detectives."

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Introspective cops are often at the center of Mark Billingham's and T. Parker Jefferson's intricately plotted novels. Whether a police procedural, thriller, or mystery, their respective work is compelling and gritty, though Parker favors a faster pace and more atmosphere. Billingham sets his tales in England; Parker generally chooses California. -- Mike Nilsson
Luke Delaney and Mark Billingham write gritty police procedurals set in London, England. Their intense policemen have troubled personal lives, but are relentless in solving crimes. The storylines deal with current social problems that make the books dark, violent, and compelling. These are suspenseful stories filled with non-stop action. -- Merle Jacob
Best known for their intricately plotted police procedural series (DCI Banks for Robinson, Tom Thorne for Billingham), these authors explore the bleaker side of crime in moody, compelling novels that never let up on the pace. Robinson's novels explore northern England and sometimes more rural settings, while Billingham's lean towards urban settings. -- Jane Jorgenson
Mark Billingham and Chris Simms both set their police procedurals and thrillers in England. Their compelling, gritty work features determined homicide detectives given to introspection and a tendency to immerse themselves in their jobs. Billingham and Simms include plenty of action, though Simms adds more violence. -- Mike Nilsson
These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty, and they have the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty and violent, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty and intensifying, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty and bleak, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "murder."
These authors' works have the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."
These authors' works have the appeal factors gritty and bleak, and they have the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "detectives," "police," and "serial murders."

Published Reviews

Publisher's Weekly Review

A spate of cat deaths propels Billingham's intriguing 15th novel featuring London Det. Insp. Tom Thorne (after 2017's Love like Blood). Assigned to the case, Thorne hates the ridicule that comes with it, until he discovers that the cats are connected to a group of unsolved murders. Since the investigation requires database searches and organizing information, tasks that aren't this rule-breaker's strength, he seeks the help of meticulous Det. Insp. Nicola Tanner, who had a major role in the previous book. Meanwhile, Tanner has her own case to solve: junkie Andan Jandali's murder. Thorne and Tanner team up and work both cases. Tanner's leads to a drug ring and a mysterious woman called the Duchess; Thorne's to a dating website where a serial killer hunts his victims. The stakes rise when a sting operation goes bad and puts Tanner in harm's way. Readers have a dizzying array of characters to keep track of, but the action moves swiftly toward a big twist and the satisfying conclusion. This entry shows why Billingham stands at the forefront of British crime authors. Agent: David Forrer, Inkwell Management. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Library Journal Review

It takes a village to catch a cat killer, apparently. In this latest installment (after Love Like Blood) in the popular, award-winning, and well-crafted police procedural series featuring DI Tom Thorne, a flurry of ritualistic cat murders set off alarm bells for the authorities who suspect a serial killer might be honing his technique, or is possibly just in cooling off mode. In the camaraderie of the workplace, there are lots of jokes about the investigation, dubbed Operation Felix. While the cat killings become primarily Thorne's province, his colleague Nicola Tanner is assigned a case concerning the spread of a powerful synthetic drug. The whole panoply of characters are fully fleshed out: the upper echelon of the police, all as obsequious as Basil Fawlty; the culprits ranging from thugs to the shape-shifting, drug-dispensing but intriguing Duchess; and the domestic partners of the principals. The resolution is purr-fect. Verdict Billingham has experience writing for television, and his novels practically cry out for adaptation, to be placed alongside such hit series as Prime Suspect, DCI Banks, Scott and Bailey, and his earlier novels-Sleepyhead among others-that have been adapted for the small screen. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]-Bob Lunn, Kansas City, MO © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

One of DI Tom Thorne's most harrowing cases begins with evidence that someone's taken to slaughteringcats."Tomicide?" Thorne's boss, DCI Russell Brigstocke, wonders if the Homicide squad should rename itself after it's asked to investigate the gruesome deaths of at least 15 cats throughout greater London. Since butchering animals is, along with wetting the bed and setting fires, one of the classic symptoms of a nascent serial killer, the powers that be are worried that someone is preparing for a more serious spate of felonies. But consulting psychiatrist Dr. Melita Perera plants a still more disturbing seed in Thorne's head: What if, instead of working up to homicide, the cat killer is actually cooling down in between human murders? As soon as Thorne and DI Nicola Tanner, back on the job after her partner's own murder (Love Like Blood, 2017), start to look for unsolved cases, an unnervingly large number of possibilities leap out: retired librarian Patricia Somersby, Bristol University student Annette Mangan, Norwich physician Leila Fadel, all of them strangled by an unknown person who remains at largenot to mention Alice Matthews, a victim who's still cooling in the mortuary. In addition to spearheading Operation Felix, Thorne and Tanner must also decide whether city trader Andrew Evans, recently released from prison after his distracted driving claimed the life of a boy he ran down, can possibly be innocent in the fatal shooting of Adnan Jandali, like Evans a drug addict hopelessly in debt to his suppliers, despite the mountain of evidence against him. The main feature the two cases seem to share is an endless tangle of false leads. Will they converge in some more spectacular fashion?The unusual premise will hook you, but it's Billingham's patience and persuasiveness in unfolding its grim details that will keep you reading long past the hour when all cats are gray. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Library Journal Reviews

Award-winning British crime writer Billingham gives us another spin with Tom Thorne, whose investigation of several animal killings leads to a serial killer even as DI Nicola Tanner tracks the emergence of a dangerous new drug.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal.
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LJ Express Reviews

It takes a village to catch a cat killer, apparently. In this latest installment (after Love Like Blood) in the popular, award-winning, and well-crafted police procedural series featuring DI Tom Thorne, a flurry of ritualistic cat murders set off alarm bells for the authorities who suspect a serial killer might be honing his technique, or is possibly just in cooling off mode. In the camaraderie of the workplace, there are lots of jokes about the investigation, dubbed Operation Felix. While the cat killings become primarily Thorne's province, his colleague Nicola Tanner is assigned a case concerning the spread of a powerful synthetic drug. The whole panoply of characters are fully fleshed out: the upper echelon of the police, all as obsequious as Basil Fawlty; the culprits ranging from thugs to the shape-shifting, drug-dispensing but intriguing Duchess; and the domestic partners of the principals. The resolution is purr-fect. Verdict Billingham has experience writing for television, and his novels practically cry out for adaptation, to be placed alongside such hit series as Prime Suspect, DCI Banks, Scott and Bailey, and his earlier novels—Sleepyhead among others—that have been adapted for the small screen. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]—Bob Lunn, Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

A spate of cat deaths propels Billingham's intriguing 15th novel featuring London Det. Insp. Tom Thorne (after 2017's Love like Blood). Assigned to the case, Thorne hates the ridicule that comes with it, until he discovers that the cats are connected to a group of unsolved murders. Since the investigation requires database searches and organizing information, tasks that aren't this rule-breaker's strength, he seeks the help of meticulous Det. Insp. Nicola Tanner, who had a major role in the previous book. Meanwhile, Tanner has her own case to solve: junkie Andan Jandali's murder. Thorne and Tanner team up and work both cases. Tanner's leads to a drug ring and a mysterious woman called the Duchess; Thorne's to a dating website where a serial killer hunts his victims. The stakes rise when a sting operation goes bad and puts Tanner in harm's way. Readers have a dizzying array of characters to keep track of, but the action moves swiftly toward a big twist and the satisfying conclusion. This entry shows why Billingham stands at the forefront of British crime authors. Agent: David Forrer, Inkwell Management. (June)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly.
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