The Dying Hours

Written by Mark Billingham

Narrated by Mark Billingham

Newly demoted after stepping out of line once too often, and struggling to adjust, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London is something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the murder squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone. Now, unable to trust anybody, Thorne risks losing those closest to him as well as endangering those being targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before: a man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims, a man who appears to have the power to make people take their own lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Aug 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781622312825

Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham is the author of nine novels, including Sleepyhead, Scaredy Cat, Lazybones, The Burning Girl, Lifeless, and Buried—all Times (London) bestsellers—as well as the stand-alone thriller In the Dark. For the creation of the Tom Thorne character, Billingham received the 2003 Sherlock Award for Best Detective created by a British writer, and he has twice won the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. He has previously worked as an actor and stand-up comedian on British television and still writes regularly for the BBC. He lives in London with his wife and two children.

Reviews for The Dying Hours

[rayaowen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inventive and believable, as always. Hope the next in the series comes soon.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The newest Tom Thorne has Tom back in uniform . He is not happy in the job and still thinking like a detective gets a 'feeling' about a suicide he is called to. With chapters about the murderer and chapters about Tom the book moves forward . Tim's new relationship with Helen is stressed as are his friendships when he decides to solve this case on his own. Exciting and very well written.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Dying Hours" (DH)is the 11th in Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne series. I have read all of the books and have found the series to be enjoyable, entertaining and very well written. However, I am a bit dissatisfied with DH. It has a bit of the same old, same old feeling to it, but it also has a number of pluses. Thorne is still an inspector, but busted back to a uniform, no longer part of the murder squad. All this is a consequence of how he handled events in the previous book, concerning a newsagent who held a number of hostages in his store in an attempt to understand why his son had died in prison. I couldn't recall the detail since it is about two years since that book was published, so I wound up putting DH aside briefly then skimmed the last 50 pages of the prior book. In DH, Thorne is convinced that a spate of suicides are in fact murders but he is told by higher ups to keep his nose out of it. Meanwhile Helen, the woman he saved in the earlier book, Thorne, and Helen's 18 month old son live together in Helen's flat, and there are the usual Thorne domestic/police business squabbles. Same old, same old. His old team provides some support but not very enthusiastically. So, all of these elements combine to make for a rather gloomy atmosphere throughout the story. Midway through the story, Thorne decides not to make a very determined effort to warn certain potential victims of the seriousness of their risk, and I had a real problem with that decision and the consequences. But on the plus side, DH is very well written - no surprise there. The plot is a bit of a stretch, but rather different. The climax is particularly well done, and the book ends with the perfect last sentence, a cliche, but the perfect cliche. Readers, don't jump to the last page to check it out - you'll be disappointed since without the context on the whole story it's just only a cliche. Bottomline, I can wait the year for book number 12 and that's not a good sign.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been twenty-five years since Tom Thorne last went to work wearing the "Queen's cloth" but now, having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform. He's no longer a detective, and he hates it.Still struggling to adjust, Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London are something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.My Thoughts:This is number eleven in the Tom Thorne series of books. As I like it I have read the whole set in order which is just something I prefer. However this book could quite easily be read as a stand alone, the reader would just not know a lot about Thorne’s life. This for me is what a set of books is about. Not necessarily the crimes, and really looking back I couldn’t tell you details about them, but it’s more about the characters lives.Tom Thorne is one of my all time favourite characters along with Rpy Grace from the Peter James ‘dead’ books. I feel like that I know him really well and I really wouldn’t say no to him myself. Along with the regulars, Dave Holland, Yvonne Kitson and my favourite Phil Hendricks they make a merry bunch.This book is fast paced and I did read it into two sittings over the weekend. With these books I find then very down to earth and real. The story is very gritty and our hero Thorne is out to save the day no matter what it takes.A very enjoyable read and Mark Billingham is a brilliant author. I have seen him once, and also had an internet chat with him on a forum and he really is a nice guy. I would highly recommend his books.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Dying Hours is the eleventh book in Mark Billingham's Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series - one of my favourite crime series. The Dying Hours picks up right where the last book (The Demands) left off. Thorne closed the case, but not by the book. Over the last twenty five years, Thorne has bucked authority, ignored orders and operated by his own set of rules. But, it has finally caught up to him - he's been knocked back down into uniform and off his beloved Murder Squad. Called to an apparent suicide, Thorne's radar 'tickles the back of his neck'. Something is 'off' and he asked the higher ups if it could be investigated further. His suspicions are brushed off, as is Thorne. More than brushing off really. There are many in the department who have it in for Thorne - and this demotion gives them every opportunity to put him in his place. "The lecture about making choices, the gleefully sarcastic comments about what had happened in that newsagents five months before. The line that had stung more than anything else - Stop playing detective." But we know Thorne is right - Dying Hours opens with a chilling prologue from the killer. A person with a list of names and a goal. As the book progresses, there are further chapters from this person. As a reader we know what he's done. And we're just hoping someone takes Thorne seriously. The Dying Hours was an excellent crime novel on so many levels. Billingham's plotting is always inventive, dark and devious, designed to keep the reader wondering - and up late at night. The procedural details of the investigation always fascinate me. But it is Thorne himself that makes this series such a standout. I'm always a sucker for 'buck the system' characters and Thorne is a prime example. But in this latest, he has to stop and ask himself some hard questions. What about his relationships? With his girlfriend and her son, with colleagues, with friends, with superiors? What is he willing to sacrifice in his pursuit for answers and justice? Who can he trust? The Dying Hours kept me captive for an entire day when I was off sick. A riveting read is probably some of the best medicine one can ask for. Read an excerpt of The Dying Hours. The last line of the book did nothing but whet my appetite for the number twelve - The Bones Beneath - due out in North America in June of this year.

[jan0fleming · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cluster of suicides among the elderly. Such things are not unknown to the police 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 and abused by his new colleagues, Thorne's suspicions about the suicides are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.
Unable to trust anyone, Thorne must risk losing those closest to him.He must gamble with the lives of those targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before. A man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims. A man with the power to make people take their own lives.
Tom Thorne returns in Billingham's most compelling thriller to date. The Dying Hours is a haunting portrait of London's dark heart, and the darker heart of a twisted killer bringing terror to its streets.

Tom Thorne is back in uniform after the hostage debacle and hating every minute of it until he attends what seems a routine suicide…
His suspicions aroused and getting no joy from his current bosses who take a perverse delight in his fall from grace he is off on his own surreptitious investigation dragging all his old colleagues, albeit reluctantly, with him.

As usual the characters and dialogue are spot on though I have to be honest and say I am not a fan of the relationship with Helen.
Entertaining, humorous but with a more reflective, pensive air...yes I am liking the older and wiser Tom Thorne…

[anniemod · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The novel opes shortly after the previous one closes - with Tom getting demoted for his creative handling of the case in the previous book. He looses his Detective status but he is still an Inspector - which considering the years of not really following protocol and dismissing authority is almost a surprise - he could have ended up demoted all the way down to a street cop after all. The only good thing seems to be Helen - who is now in Tom's life and they are trying to build something of a relationship.Of course the biggest issue with him being demoted is that he don't have his usual team. Which does not mean that he won't work with them of course - there will not be a novel without them. Although it will take a bit of a creativity to pull it off. Which is exactly what Tom Thorne is known about after all.A series of suicides make Tom wonder if there isn't something sinister behind them. A Detective dismisses his concerns but him being himself, he decides to pursue the cases - calling favors from his old team, from Hendricks and from anyone he knows. It looks like he does not care about his career anymore; but he also does not seem to care about the careers of his friends. Anyone that had read the series up to this moment knows that all this will backfire at some point, not very clear when and how but the team was never lucky in that regard. By the end of the book, Thorne will be proven right (of course) and he will be almost killed (anyone surprised?) but the careers of everyone in the team will remain unclear for a bit. It is a good entry in a long running series. Because of the circumstances, it is a somewhat unusual book - I was missing the usual interactions of the team. But things always change in real life so in a way a book like that was expected - Tom could not have continued to be almost untouchable. As always, the book closes the story of the crime but leaves the characters' stories open - this time with everyone's careers in jeopardy.

[picardyrose · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good, though very long. I like this guy despite his angst.

[rowingrabbit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Poor Thorne. His last case resulted in kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the one hand, he's now dating Helen, the DS who was the hostage he rescued. On the other, because of the way he handled that case, he's been booted from the murder squad & put back into uniform. It's been almost 25 years since he wore the "Queen's cloth" & he's not taking it well.
He was transferred to Lewisham station & he misses the city's north side. The night shifts have left him dead on his feet & the politics are driving him nuts. He's living mostly at Helen's as she's closer to work & getting used to Alfie, her toddler. But on days off, he returns to his own flat & hooks up with old buddy Phil Hendricks, the coroner.
So it's back to dealing with drunks, gangs & domestic abuse. He responds to a call where he finds an elderly couple dead in their home. Looks like a classic case of two old people deciding to end it all but something about it rubs him the wrong way. When he takes his suspicion to the higher-ups, they laugh him off as they never miss an opportunity to remind him of his current rank.
Fine. He'll dig on his own time. Little does he know it's just beginning.
Terence Mercer just got out of prison after serving 30 years & he's got some scores to settle. One by one he tracks down the people responsible for putting him away. His specialty is making it look like a suicide & Thorne is the only one who sees the pattern.
He pulls in favours from former colleagues Dave Holland & Yvonne Kitson though they're less than thrilled with sticking their necks out. Thorne has been warned about any further investigation but he's a disillusioned & frustrated man with little to lose. To make matters worse, he soon has the feeling someone is ratting him out & it's causing tension at home.
Thorne has always been a character that was a bit of an iconoclast, following his gut & not averse to bending rules to the breaking point. In this book, he's much closer to the edge. His demotion has left him bitter & angry, willing to take much bigger risks & as the body count rises, you have to wonder if he's doing it for the right reasons. Maybe he just wants to solve it himself in an effort to show up the brass & keep all the glory.
But he's still one of the most interesting characters in crime fiction. As we've come to expect from Billingham, the plot is tight, dialogue is smart & there are plenty of believable peripheral characters to flesh out the story.
More than some of the other books, this is Thorne's story. It was probably necessary in order to emphasize where he is in terms of his life & career. His desperation & disappointment rise off every page & you feel for the guy. But I have to admit I missed some of the regulars who have much smaller roles in this outing. Hendricks is fairly prominent but he's always been one of my favourite characters & there are fewer opportunities to enjoy his caustic sense of humour.
By the end, Thorne is in deep shit & we're left wondering if he even has a job, in uniform or not.
I'm a faithful fan of this series & will read anything Billingham writes but this was just ok for me. Not to worry....I see #12 ("The Bones Beneath") will be out soon & I look forward to it.

[greatbookescapes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Billingham never disappoints with DCI Tom Thorne being one of the most interesting Detectives ever, apart from now he has been knocked back down to a Sergeant on the beat through his unwillingness to play by the rules and risk not catching his man, endangering lives.

The Dying Hours sees Tom not being able to let go of something he feels, no, he knows, to be a murder case not suicide. He is on the beat not in the murder squad who are not exactly in love with Tom’s manner of working, and refuse to listen to him, humiliating him in the process.

So does Tom give up, what do you think? This though is where Tom’s character becomes more open to us and more interesting. This compulsion, obsession: addiction to get deeper involved and solve the crime gives us an insight into how the job has changed him.

Reading the Tom Thorne series is not just like reading brilliant crime novels where you get to know the characters and can’t wait to hear the next crime they solve. The series has grown and matured with age along with the characters. Fresh young faces have become the weary faces of Detectives under a heavy workload hopelessly struggling to solve all of the crimes.

We see Tom refusing to let go of his certainty that several ‘suicides’ are murders and watch as he presses a destruction button inside himself to solve it, drawing in help and risking the careers of his ex colleagues in the murder squad Holland, and Kitson. For the first time we question what he is doing, why is he so drawn to keeping it quiet when we know that he could pass on all that he knows higher.

Personally instead of wondering about his relationships he is honest about it to himself, we see him acknowledge that his lack of visible emotions have destroyed what he had and could of had. Now living with Helen and her young son, Tom shows us a paternal side and the effort he makes to be emotionally honest.

This book is different, the killer is old in his 70’s and is hidden amongst the general public openly - who takes notice of an elderly man coming and going?

We are invited to think about crime and how there is a public perception of younger people committing it with all their anger and violence being unchained perhaps in a single moment. Billingham asks us to look at how anger and violence changes with age, how it can remain but be without passion, how life is both precious and meaningless at the same time. We see how Tom Thorne is somehow caught up in emotional changes as we get older. We like to think we have the same values, that they are honourable and not for self gratification, but Billingham shows us that we can all get lost at times.

I really enjoyed this book and loved how Billingham has given Tom Thorne a new maturity with age.