The Bones Beneath
- Authors: Mark Billingham
- Series: Book 12 in the Tom Thorne series
- Type: Novel
- Genres: Mystery
- Rank:
- Rating: 4.1 based on 5,553 reviews
- Release Date: May 27, 2014
- Print length: 400 pages (Hardcover)
About the book
Who'd trust a depraved killer like Stuart Nicklin? Tom Thorne, the DI who put him away, has to. Nicklin has promised to bring closure to the grieving mother of one of his first victims by finally revealing where the body can be found. But there's just one condition: Thorne must accompany him to the burial ground - the remote Bardsey Island, which is cut off from the mainland of Wales in more ways than one. Nicklin is in cuffs, surrounded by authorities, and under watchful eye. What could go wrong?
As the macabre outing begins, so do Nicklin's mind games - and it becomes clear that his motives are far from altruistic. There are more than bones buried on the storm-shrouded island. There are secrets, too. And as Thorne becomes entangled in the twisted schemes of a manipulative psychopath, he'll be left with the most terrible choice he's ever had to make.
Gillian Flynn calls Mark Billingham "one of the most consistently entertaining, insightful crime writers working today" - and in The Bones Beneath he makes sure "readers' nerves will be shredded... [in] a tour de force of suspense" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Praise for The Bones Beneath
In the twelfth series entry, Billingham makes the most of his bleak, rugged setting while creating an atmosphere of chilling menace as flashbacks reveal the full extent of Nicklin’s sadism and Thorne’s vulnerability.
I love a good twist-up. The Bones Beneath is one of those. It is the twelfth Tom Thorne mystery by Mark Billingham, and those of us who have been along for the ride from the very beginning will note a bit of a departure here from previous installments. There is no question who the murderer is and who the victim is (for the most part). Instead, the focus is on the why,” or the motivation, if you will, for what propels the plot like a quiet, deadly rocket through a good portion of the book, moving readers just a bit closer to the edge of their seats with each passing page... . One of Billingham’s best to date, and certainly one of his most suspenseful.
A slow-building gothic tale of manipulation and evil that’s heavy on atmosphere... a simmering suspense, with each seemingly quiet little scene building to something creepy and terrible.
Like the manipulative Nicklin, Billingham delights in toying with his audience, and most readers’ nerves will be shredded long before the sadistic import of Nicklin’s deep-laid plot finally becomes clear. Thorne’s twelfth is a tour de force of suspense that dares you to guess the secrets of a magician who’s made his intentions perfectly clear from the very beginning.
Chilling... Billingham certainly knows how to make those pages turn even while your stomach churns.
Chilling... Billingham certainly knows how to make those pages turn.
certainly make your skin crawl
The bleak setting also evokes the proper air of mystery and menace... Thrillers usually stand or fall on the strength of their villains, and Nicklin can certainly make your skin crawl with his cruel mind games.
About the author
