"Let us drink beer and talk of death" (Scaredy Cat - Mark Billingham)

Member Name: jeffjen

Product:	Scaredy Cat - Mark Billingham
Date:	12/09/09 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written

Disadvantages: What could have been a good twist, is given away on the cover!

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, and recently I finally got round to reading it.
I have never read a book by Mark Billingham before, so wasn't sure what to expect, but given that I do enjoy a good crime thriller, and also that his work is endorsed by Harlan Coben who is one of my favourite authors, I was looking forward to reading it.

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THE AUTHOR
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I was aware that Mark Billingham has wrote a number of novels, but was very surprised to read that he is actually a stand-up comedian, appearing regularly at the Comedy Store!
He also is an award-winning television writer and lives in North London.

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SYNOPSIS
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A woman is murdered in front of her young son. Followed home from Euston Station, on the tube, and to her home, where she is strangled to death.
At the same time, killed in the same way, a second body of a woman is discovered at the back of King's Cross station.
Both are vicious, calculated killings, which eerily echo the murder of two other women who were stabbed to death a few months earlier on the same day.
DI Tom Thorne is leading the hunt for the serial killer, and comes to the horrifying conclusion that there is more than one killer. (I am not giving away the plot here as it states on the cover that he realises he is looking for not one, but two killers).
Thorne thought that finding a body used to be the worst part of his job, but now each time a body is found, he has to wonder that maybe there is also a second victim, waiting to be found.
Thorne and his team have to piece together the links, and try and find the killers, but it is no easy job when you are searching for two!

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MY OPINION
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My first thoughts before reading this book were why does it give away on the cover that Thorne realises he is looking for two killers? Surely it could have made for an interesting twist?
When I finished reading the book, I have to say that I still feel this did not have to be given away, and it would indeed have made for an interesting twist, especially as it is some way into the book before Thorne realises he is in fact searching for two killers! So why tell the reader on the cover?

I found the book started well with the woman travelling home with her young son, unaware she was being followed or what fate awaits her when she arrives home. I was drawn into the book right away, which I like.

However, after this the book does slow down, and I found myself losing interest a little, as I felt a lot of time was spent on the character of DI Thorne and his colleagues :Dave Holland and Sarah McEvoy, and also pathologist and friend, Hendricks. I felt that whilst character development is important, it was just too much at once.
The book does pick up pace again though, and I am pleased I stuck with it.

There are also chapters devoted to one of the killers which are written as flashbacks to their childhood. I found these quite interesting and well written, and also it gave an insight into his mind, behaviour and actions whilst growing up. You find yourself looking for the signs and clues that were possibly there early in life, which would turn him into a serial killer one day, and also I found myself looking for clues as to who the other killer may be, when his friends were mentioned.

The only problem with this style of writing was that at times it seemed a little complicated, and I found myself having to go back and read certain parts again to remind myself and keep up with the storyline.

The character of DI Thorne was well developed as a Johnny Cash loving, serious straight man with a broken marriage behind him. He does not suffer fools gladly and his colleagues don't seem to like him all that much. I understand Thorne appears in other novels by Billingham also, and I just wish his character was more likeable.
The characters of Holland and McEvoy are well described, and we see Holland not only struggling with his own feelings about Thorne, but also his wife's feelings about Thorne who she dislikes intensely, which often causes arguments at home as she can't resist a sarcastic comment, which irks her husband.

Given that the author is a stand up comedian I wondered if there would be any humour injected into the book, and this seems to come with the character of Hendricks, and there were a few moments of dry wit such as his good line, when arriving at Thorne's home with a carrier bag full of cans: "Let us drink beer and talk of death".

Overall I found this an average book. Well written, but it was a little slow at the beginning, and also there wasn't really any twists to the story.
It was good how it came together at the end, but no real surprises.
I do prefer a crime thriller which keeps you guessing and where things are not what they seem.
I do feel by giving away on the cover that there are two killers spolied the reading of this book. This could have been a good twist, so I was left puzzled why this was given away.

Maybe I am getting too used to reading Harlan Coben novels, which are fast-paced and full of twists, so that when I read a novel such as this I find it a harder read.
It was certainly not one of those books that I cannot put down till I've finished it. It took me a week to read this (which is a long time for me!) and I found it easy to put it down and go back to it later.

I will probably read another Mark Billingham novel, as there is maybe a better one than this, but if this is as good as it gets, then I can't see myself reading all his novels.

Summary: An average crime thriller.