Their Little Secret (Tom Thorne Novels Book 16)

Product Information

Sarah thinks of herself as a normal single mum. It’s what she wants others to think of her. But the truth is, she needs something new, something thrilling. Meanwhile Tom & DI Nicola Tanner have more than enough to keep them busy. Another body & another woman who believed she’d found true love. Right up until the guy disappeared with her savings. Tom begins to take the cases personally. His own love life is in shambles & if he can’t fix that, maybe he can find some justice for these women whose only mistake was to trust the wrong man. Another crime scene where a young man is beaten to death and found naked near the shore. CCTV shows him walking with a woman moments before his death. Who is this woman? What happened next? Who killed him? How’s this death connected to the suicide? Well, well, here comes the twist – ONE of the DNA found on this crime scene matches the DNA of this con man! Et voila. SO, what’s he doing here killing people? He’s supposed to be a con artist, not a murderer.. Right? At least that’s what Thorne thought he was. Until a whole new picture is painted and Thorne and his partner Nicola Tanner are racing against time to find this man and stop whatever is happening. The old saying ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive’ is somewhat relevant in this story. All of the protagonists have secrets and tell lies not only to themselves but also to others. Oh and let us not forget the three amigos own little secret. When we are introduced to one particular character it’s quite a sad lie, one that at some points is quite heartbreaking. I wonder if we may revisit this character again some time in the future. Billingham is a world-class writer and Tom Thorne is a wonderful creation.” ―Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of the Will Trent series

Cristina knows all about boundaries. As a therapist, it is vital that she keeps her clients at a professional distance.Meanwhile, DI Tom Thorne is investigating a woman’s suicide, convinced she was driven to do it by a man who preys on vulnerable women. Tom Thorne immediately thought the first victim's suicide was strange. Why? What gave him that idea? Nothing much, as far as I could tell.

Their Little Secret is a masterpiece of misdirection, suspense and contains as convincing a portrayal of insanity as I have read in many a long year. Tom Thorne is the perfect hero for our troubled times. Emotionally and professionally, he ploughs a lonely furrow, but his honesty and – sometimes clumsy – care for those he loves are deeply moving. I thought that I’d heard and read it all but this book pleasantly pointed out that I hadn’t. It shows us exactly how intoxicating and powerful love and money can be for some of the more vulnerable in society. This is a complexly convoluted tale kept interesting by the authors’ use of short chapters and his insights into the more fragile part of the mind. There’s something comforting about returning to a recurring series of novels with characters you have grown very familiar with. It’s exciting to see your favorite protagonists thrown into different places and circumstances, having to rely on the personal history and particular traits to solve the new problem they face. Overall, I found this competent rather than great. It would make a decent beach read, but I won’t be rushing to read another in the series. The plot, as I say, did have potential. But it needed something more. I still have no idea why Sarah and Conrad had crazy killer personalities. Maybe that was the intent Billingham had; to show that people could just be crazy for no reason. Sarah, though, had a father who seemed cruel, but this was dealt with at surface level, the incidents seemed quite random, and appeared to be used as the excuse for Sarah's mental health issues.

Get Her Little Secret

So here's the rub...one well known crime writer is obliged to produce, not only for his adoring fans but more importantly for his publishers, one novel per year. Meet Sarah, single mum loves the school run and the early morning meet with fellow "mummies" exchanging gossip and good fellowship. But what's a girl to do with all that free time while the little one is attending to his studies? Enter Conrad gullible and loveable....Sarah and Conrad a Brady and Hindley for the 2020's. Billingham is a master at balancing our need for personal information about the characters, their lives and loves, with the professional approach to solving the crime. There are plenty of twists and turns, and a few near misses...... I thought Their Little Secret was OK, but no more than that. It’s my first Mark Billingham so it won’t be helped by my not having read the previous books in the series, but even so I had my reservations.

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.What Thorne is able to dig up is the fact that Ms. Goodwin was the victim of a ruthless con-man who not only tore her down emotionally but took everything she had and humiliated her. It is easy to see how her sister felt this man may as well have pushed her in front of the train himself. The game now for Thorne was to locate this con-man who may very well have turned his attention to his next victim. Through the book, Thorne zipped here and there on convoluted outings to speak to witnesses in Glasgow (and don't get me started on the stereotypical youth in the Glasgow park scene), and other parts of the country, something that a competent DC or DS could have done. DI Tom Thorne ( The Killing Habit, 2018, etc.) is convinced that a woman who threw herself under a train at the Highgate station wasn’t a routine suicide. He’s absolutely right, but not at all for the reasons he thinks. Their Little Secret features a twisted boy meets girl scenario and throws Thorne and Tanner into an all consuming hunt for the truth. Around that their personal stories continue to expand and engage, creating a perfect storm of a read that is utterly gripping and often a little horrifying.

And if you scan the code on the inside cover flap you can hear Mark Billingham reading chapter one of “Their Little secret” audio book. It's a twisted plot filled with suspense from the very beginning to the very surprising end. Suspense grows and expands as the book proceeds. I really enjoy how the personal and professional life of Thorn is weaved through this well written novel.Mark Billingham is a damn fine storyteller whose thrilling books always satisfy. With a propulsive plot that is as gripping as it is unnerving, you will not be able to put this book down. Their Little Secret is an unforgettable ride. Once Leon's secret is out, Cristina commits to guiding him through his grief and ignoring her own growing attraction. But up against sophisticated, attentive, insistent Leon, her boundaries blur and then collapse, and the two set out on their own idyllic love affair. Ah, l’amour…..ain’t it grand. Well, you might want to hold that thought. While many people exchange rings as a symbol of their union, you’re about to meet a couple who are a little…uh…less traditional. MY THOUGHTS: Hard to believe I know, but every book in this series just seems to get better and better, and I am always waiting breathlessly for the next to be published. The plotting in this is superb, the writing suspenseful and thrilling, the characters chilling. In alternate chapters we meet Sarah, a mysterious young woman who spends her mornings bonding with other moms after dropping her son at school. It’s a quiet life but that may be about to change. She recently met a charismatic man who’s obviously interested & begins to wonder if he could be “the one”.